Clive Davis and The Recording Academy will present the annual Pre-GRAMMY Gala on Saturday, Feb. 7,  2015, at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., the evening prior to the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards. This invitation-only, VIP event will feature special musical performances and will be attended by prominent artists and industry leaders. As part of the celebration, the 2015 GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons will honor Sony/ATV Music Publishing Chairman and CEO Martin Bandier with the President's Merit Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the music industry and his numerous philanthropic endeavors.

"For seven years now, it's been a pleasure to partner with the legendary Clive Davis to present our annual Pre-GRAMMY Gala, a memorable evening complete with unique and exciting performances that serves as an appropriate kickoff to Music's Biggest Night," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "This year, we are especially proud to honor our first music publishing industry icon, Martin Bandier — a luminary whose passion, vision and innovation, combined with his championing some of the world's greatest songwriters and his tireless work to maximize the value of musical compositions, has helped to shape our musical landscape for decades."   

Bandier assumed the position of chairman and CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2007, and oversees its global music publishing activities, including talent and copyright acquisitions, day-to-day operations, and the development and implementation of the company's long-term strategic initiatives. In this role he stands as a passionate advocate for songwriting rights, leading the industry fight for fair-market royalty rates.

The Sony/ATV catalogs include some of the biggest names in music, including the Beatles, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Carole King, Kraftwerk, Joni Mitchell, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, Queen, the Rolling Stones, Richie Sambora, Sting, Hank Williams, and Stevie Wonder, among others. Its ever-growing list of chart-topping artists, writers and producers includes Akon, Avicii, Calvin Harris, Jessie J, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, P!nk, RedOne, Shakira, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Stargate, Taylor Swift, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.

Bandier's many civic and industry commitments include membership on the boards of the City of Hope, ASCAP, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the National Music Publishers Association, where he is vice president of the board of directors. He also serves as a trustee of the T.J. Martell Foundation. In September 2008, the MusiCares Foundation elected Bandier to its Board of Directors. In June 2003, Bandier was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame as the Patron of the Arts Award recipient. In 2007 Sony/ATV won Nashville's "triple crown," an unprecedented and historic achievement in music publishing with ASCAP, BMI and SESAC each naming Sony/ATV its publisher of the year. Since then, Sony/ATV has won both of the industry's top honors, the ASCAP Pop Publisher of the Year award and BMI Pop Publisher of the Year award on numerous occasions, including receiving both awards in 2014. Bandier is also a trustee of Syracuse University and a recipient of its highest alumni honor, the George Arents Award. In 2006 Bandier founded a music and entertainment industry degree program at Syracuse University, appropriately named The Bandier Program. Its first class graduated in 2011 and it was recently named by The Hollywood Reporter as one of the 20 leading music schools of 2014.

A graduate of Harvard Law School, Davis began his career at Columbia Records where he was appointed president in 1967 and signed such legendary rock artists as Janis Joplin, Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and Earth, Wind & Fire. In 1974 Davis co-founded Arista Records where he signed Barry Manilow, Patti Smith and Whitney Houston and further developed the careers of the Kinks, the Grateful Dead, Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin. In 2000 J Records was born (in partnership with BMG) and emerged as a dominant force, producing the works of Alicia Keys and Maroon 5. Davis was then appointed chairman/CEO of BMG U.S. Label Group where he oversaw an expanded RCA Music Group, including J Records, RCA Records and Arista Records. After BMG and Sony Music merged, in 2008 Davis was appointed chief creative officer, Sony Music Worldwide, where he continues to nurture and develop talent. In 2000 Davis received the Trustees Award from The Recording Academy and was recognized with the President's Merit Award at the 2009 GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons. As a humanitarian, Davis has made tireless efforts in the battle against AIDS, spearheading donations of millions of dollars for AIDS research. In 2002 the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music was created at his undergraduate alma mater, New York University. His autobiography, The Soundtrack Of My Life, was published in 2013.

Past GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons honorees include Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, Sir Richard Branson, Davis, Ahmet Ertegun, David Geffen, Berry Gordy, Lucian Grainge, Doug Morris, Mo Ostin, and Antonio "L.A." Reid.

Music's Biggest Night, the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards, will take place live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015, and broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT. For updates and breaking news, follow The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter, Facebook and  Instagram.