R.I.P.: Frances Preston

Frances Preston, a music industry pioneer and former president and chief executive of record company BMI, died on Wednesday June 13, 2012 at home in Nashville of heart failure, the label said. She was 83.

A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Preston was a driving force in music spanning six decades as she fought for songwriters rights and for her companys growth in representing a diverse roster of talent. Singer Kris Kristofferson called Preston 'the songwriters guardian angel'.

She was hired to open BMIs southern regional office in 1958 as the first full-time performing rights representative in the Southern United States. Preston was promoted to vice president in 1964, named president and CEO in 1986 and held that title until 2004. During her tenure, royalty payments increased for songwriters and publishers, ultimately tripling under her direction. She also helped get the U.S. Copyright Amendments Act of 1992 passed to extend protection to older compositions. MORE HERE

Many of the artists she helped and executives she worked with reacted to her passing MORE HERE