ASCAP to Honor Victor Manuelle and Black Guayaba at 16th Annual Latin Music Awards on May 16 in Miami

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - April 2, 2008) - The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) will honor Victor Manuelle and Black Guayaba at its 16th Annual Latin Music Awards on May 16, 2008 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Miami Beach. The black tie gala will also honor the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP's most performed songs in Latin Music of 2007.

Victor Manuelle will be honored with the ASCAP Golden Note Award, which is presented to songwriters, composers, and artists who have achieved extraordinary career milestones, and Black Guayaba will receive the ASCAP Vanguard Award in recognition of their impact, as new and developing musical artists, on shaping the future of their musical genre and the future of music.

Victor Manuelle has amassed significant achievements as a singer and songwriter and continues to be a familiar voice to Latin Music fans ever since his first album was released in 1993. Since then, he has produced chart-toping albums with substantial radio hits every single year. In March 2004, his album "Travesía," produced by Emilio Esfefan, went to #1 on the Latin Billboard charts. In 2005, he released two live albums: "Victor Manuelle En Vivo Desde El Carnegie Hall," recorded at Carnegie Hall, and "Dos Soneros...Una Historia" (Two Soneros...One Story), from his historical collaboration with Gilberto Santarosa, recorded live at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Puerto Rico. In 2007, he released his DVD "En Vivo Desde El Madison Square Garden," and under his own record label, Kiyavi, his first Christmas album "Una Navidad a Mi Estilo" (Christmas My Style), which became an instant classic of new compositions of traditional Puerto Rican music. Victor Manuelle has thirteen musical productions to his credit, has achieved several #1 radio hits of his own authorship and has sold over two million albums.

Victor Manuelle joins an elite list of ASCAP members who have been honored with the ASCAP Golden Note Award, including Garth Brooks, Jose Feliciano, Quincy Jones, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Tom Petty, Joan Sebastian and Stevie Wonder, among others.

The members of Grammy Award-winning rock band Black Guayaba are the first Latin music artists to be recognized with the ASCAP Vanguard Award. Other notable recipients include The All-American Rejects, The Beastie Boys, Beck and Bjork, among others.

In a short amount of time, Black Guayaba -- formed by Gustavo González (vocalist), Javier Morales (guitar), Carlos Ortíz (bass), Carlos Colón (keyboards) and Gabriel Calero (drums) -- has earned a solid fan base and has been recognized for their unique style and genre-affecting sound. They originally began playing at local pubs and private events before preparing original material for their first album. They released "Lo Demás es Plástico" in 2005, which was produced by Bob St. John, who had previously worked with Ricky Martin, Duran Duran and Collective Soul, among others. The album spawned several hit singles, such as "Lejos," "Atrapado," and "Despacio." It was that success which gave them the opportunity of being the opening act for bands Enanitos Verdes and Journey during their concerts in Puerto Rico. They had their first concert at the Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center in March 2006, the same year they were nominated for a Latin Grammy and a Grammy. In 2007, the band released their second album titled, "No Hay Espacio," featuring the single "Sin Tu Amor." In February 2008 they won their first Grammy in the category of Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album.

ASCAP's Latin Music Awards is one of the most attended and celebrated events in the Latin entertainment community. Victor Manuelle and Black Guayaba join a select list of Latin music icons that have been singled out for special recognition at ASCAP's Latin Music Awards, including Antonio Aguilar, Ricardo Arjona, Rubén Blades, Celia Cruz, Franco De Vita, José Feliciano, Ednita Nazario, Tito Puente, Arturo Sandoval, Joan Sebastian, Gilberto Santa Rosa and Olga Tañón.

During the May 16th event, ASCAP will also recognize the Songwriter of the Year, Publisher of the Year and Song of the Year, and Awards will be presented in the following categories: Pop, Tropical, Regional Mexican, Rock, Urban and Television.

Members of the press may apply for credentials at www.ascap.com/press/pressroom/latinmusicawards.

About ASCAP

Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization representing the world's largest repertory totaling over 8.5 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 315,000 composer, lyricist and music publisher members. ASCAP has representation arrangements with over 90 music rights organizations such that the ASCAP repertory is represented in nearly every country around the world. ASCAP protects the rights of its members and foreign affiliates by licensing the public performances of their copyrighted works and distributing royalties based upon surveyed performances. ASCAP is the only American Performing Rights Organization owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. www.ascap.com