Max Martin breaks record for songwriting at ASCAP Pop Awards

Taylor Swift regular collaborator Max Martin won the Songwriter of the Year for the record-breaking ninth time at the ASCAP Pop Awards on Wednesday (27Apr16).
The Swedish record producer and songwriter was named the recipient of the prize at the 33rd annual American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Pop Music Awards in Los Angeles.
Martin, real name Martin Karl Sandberg, co-wrote nine ASCAP pop hits in 2015 including Swift’s Blank Space and Can’t Feel My Face by The Weeknd. The two tracks were performed in a medley in honour of Martin, alongside his some of his other hits Britney Spears’ Baby One More Time, Katy Perry’s I Kissed a Girl and Backstreet Boys’ I Want It That Way.
“You guys must be sick of me,” Martin joked as he accepted the award. “I wouldn’t be standing here without my team…you guys really make me look good. I’m fortunate enough to wake up in the morning to work with all these people who help me move forward and all these amazing artists.”
Walk the Moon were awarded the Song of the Year prize for their hit Shut Up and Dance. They were previously announced as the recipient of the Vanguard Award, and the closed the ceremony with their award-winning track.
The night’s highest honour, the Founders Award went to John Mellencamp for his outstanding contribution to music. During his acceptance speech, he called on the industry to stop free music on the Internet as they risk ruining the quality of future music.
“It was a good thing for me back then, in the early ‘70s, that there was a thing called artist development, when artists could find themselves and their voice,” he added, according to Billboard.com. “I think I made five or six albums before I sold five or six albums. Lucky for me I came along at that time. Now, today, there is no artist development and I’m not sure I’d want to become a songwriter today.”