November 22, 2022 (New York) – The Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) has announced the schedule for their annual meetings and holiday events. The New York Chapter will hold their 2022 Holiday Party on December 1. The events will feature the announcement of each Chapter’s Board of Directors election results. In addition, the New York Chapter will honor Deborah Mannis-Gardner with the Indie Spirit Award.

At the event, the New York Chapter will present its Indie Spirit Award to Deborah MannisGardner, the owner and president of DMG Clearances, Inc. Mannis-Gardner, also known as the “Queen of Sample Clearances,” is well-known for her work clearing samples for artists including Drake, Tyler the Creator, DJ Khaled, Eminem, Pop Smoke, Justin Bieber, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Frank Ocean, Jay-Z, Megan Thee Stallion, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Beyoncé, and more. She has also handled music clearances for metaverse platforms such as Meta and Roblox; films by Martin Scorsese, The Coen Brothers, and Richard Linklater; TV series on networks such as HBO, Showtime, Netflix, and Paramount+; ad campaign clearances for Google, Ciroc, and Kmart; podcast music clearances for Rick Rubin and Malcolm Gladwell’s “Broken Record”; video game clearances for Rockstar Games franchises “Grand Theft Auto” and “Red Dead Redemption,” and Turtle Rock Studios’ “Back 4 Blood”; Grand Rights clearance for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway sensation “Hamilton” and music clearances for its release on Disney+; and political campaign clearances for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign.

“We are excited to bring our Chapter together again for our 2022 Holiday Party and celebrate what we have accomplished together,” said Michael Lau, President of the AIMP New York Chapter. “It was a swift and unanimous decision by our Chapter to award Deborah MannisGardner as the 2022 recipient of the Indie Spirit Award. She has done tremendous work for artists and the music community, especially supporting the independent music publishers over the years, with no signs of slowing down.”