Songwriters Advocate Ethics at 2025 SONA Warrior Awards
The 2025 SONA Warrior Awards, held on October 12th, was less a standard industry pat-on-the-back and more a masterfully orchestrated symphony of raw, genuine appreciation, a resonant chord struck in the heart of an ecosystem often deafened by the clatter of commerce. The evening’s crescendo, the moment that will be etched into the folklore of songwriter advocacy, was the surprise orchestrated for the honoree, the formidable music attorney and activist Dina LaPolt.In a move that felt less like a scheduled presentation and more like a perfectly timed key change, the iconic Linda Perry took the stage, not to speak, but to sing. The air shifted, the room hushed, and Perry, a warrior in her own right who has long fought for the sanctity of the songwriter's voice, delivered a performance that was pure, unvarnished emotion—a tribute that bypassed formalities and went straight for the soul, acknowledging LaPolt’s tireless battles in Washington D.C. and courtrooms to protect the very art being celebrated.This wasn't merely an award; it was a callback, a recognition that the fight for creators' rights is itself a form of artistry. The emotional landscape was further painted by a heartfelt video from the ascendant Chappell Roan, whose words carried the weight of a new generation looking at the path LaPolt has carved and seeing a viable future for their own creativity, a testament to how advocacy builds the stages for tomorrow's headliners.And then, as if to tie the entire history of popular song into a single, elegant bow, the legendary Paul Anka stepped forward. He didn't just perform; he reclaimed and recontextualized Frank Sinatra’s immortal anthem, 'My Way.' Anka, who penned the lyrics, offered a rendition that felt profoundly meta—a songwriter performing his own work, made famous by an interpreter, now using it to honor a woman who ensures songwriters get to tell their stories *their way*. The song’s defiant, singular narrative—“I did it my way”—echoed through the ballroom, no longer just a boast of individual triumph but a collective anthem for every artist, writer, and producer in the room who relies on the ethical framework warriors like LaPolt defend.The SONA awards have always been the Grammys of the backroom, the celebration of the architects behind the hits, but this year felt different, more urgent. In an era where artificial intelligence looms as both muse and menace, capable of generating passable melodies but utterly incapable of generating the lived experience, the heartbreak, the joy that fuels a Linda Perry chord progression or an Anka couplet, the work of LaPolt and her peers is not just important—it is existential.The event served as a powerful reminder that ethics are not a sidebar to the music business; they are the very sheet music upon which a sustainable creative future is written. It was a night that harmonized the past, present, and future, proving that while technology may change how we listen, the unassailable value of the human creator, protected by fierce and principled advocacy, is the one track that will never go out of style.
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