Steven Tyler and Joe Perry receive ASCAP Founders Award

Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith received the Founders Award on Wednesday night from the performance rights organization ASCAP.

The Founders Award is given to songwriters and composers who have made pioneering contributions to music by inspiring and influencing their fellow music creators. The organization cited their writing of many of the "greatest rock hits of all-time."

Tyler and Perry were not able to make it to accept their award due to a tour conflict but they did sent a taped thank you message. The pair will also be inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame later in the year.

The award was just part of the 30th annual Pop Music Awards which were held at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles. The night saw the songwriters and publishers of the year's biggest hits that were licensed through ASCAP honored (BMI, the other major performing rights group, hold a separate ceremony for their composers and publishers).

The Vanguard award, which recognizes those who are making an impact by shaping the music of the future, went to producer and DJ Diplo.

Max Martin, whose wrote such major 2012 hits as Domino (Jessie J), One More Night (Maroon 5), Part of Me (Katy Perry) and We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Taylor Swift) was presented with the Songwriter of the Year Award. He has previously won the award five times since 1999.

The Pop Song of the Year went to fun.'s Andrew Dost and Nate Ruess for We Are Young while the Publisher of the Year was Sony/ATV Tunes LLC.

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