
Protect
Advocating for fair and equitable treatment
We champion fair compensation and equitable treatment for all songwriters and composers, advocating for their rights, earnings and careers across government and the music industry.
As a not-for-profit organisation, we ensure that songwriters and composers receive fair compensation for their work, are recognised and respected, and have access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed.
Through advocacy, education and awards The Ivors Academy protects, empowers and celebrates the songwriters and composers who originate all the value in music.
We secure music’s future.
Be the most value-driven partner to songwriters and composers.
Advocating for fair and equitable treatment
We champion fair compensation and equitable treatment for all songwriters and composers, advocating for their rights, earnings and careers across government and the music industry.
Equipping members with knowledge and tools
We support members with the skills, knowledge and resources they need to navigate opportunities and challenges, helping them build successful and sustainable careers.
Honouring the highest craft and excellence
We celebrate the craft and achievements of songwriters and composers. Through The Ivors Academy Honours we recongise the trailblazers championing music creators.
The Ivors Academy has represented songwriters and composers for over 80 years. Founded in 1944 as the Composers Guild of Great Britain, the organisation has evolved through decades of change, always staying true to its values of protecting, empowering and celebrating the creators behind the music.
We were formed through the merger of three guilds: the Composers Guild of Great Britain, representing classical composers, the Songwriters Guild of Great Britain, and the Association of Professional Composers, representing media composers.
These organisations came together over time to form the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA), and in 2019, BASCA adopted the trading name of The Ivors Academy, bringing our campaigning, support and prestigious awards under one name.
In 1956 we launched the Ivor Novello Awards, to recognise the highest achievements in songwriting and composing.
Since then, these awards became known as The Ivors and have continued to honour exceptional talent, craft and creativity. Each winner receives an iconic Ivor Novello Award statuette and joins a distinguished roll call of greats.
We founded the British Composer Awards in 2003, to celebrate classical composers and sound artists, and bring their music to a wider audience. Over 15 years, the British Composer Awards earned a reputation for doing just that. They were rebranded in 2019 to The Ivors Composer Awards and from 2023 are known as The Ivors Classical Awards.
Each winner receives an iconic Ivor Novello Award statuette of Euterpe, the Greek muse of music and lyric poetry. It was designed in 1955 by Hazel Underwood, an undergraduate of St Martin’s School of Art in London. To this day it is still cast in solid bronze and weighs just over 7lbs.
Ivor Novello (1893 – 1951) was a leading innovative composer, playwright, actor and film star of his time. As one of the most successful songwriters of his generation, he composed over 230 published songs. As one of our founding members, his extraordinary songwriting achievements and enduring legacy were commemorated with the creation of our prestigious Ivor Novello Awards, which have since become the world’s most respected celebration of excellence in songwriting and composition.
Born on 15 January 1893 in Cardiff as David Ivor Davies, he changed his name to Ivor Novello in 1927.
He became famous for composing the hit marching song “Keep the Home Fires Burning (‘Til the Boys Come Home)” during the First World War at the age of 21. He later wrote another song of hope during the Second World War, “We’ll Gather Lilacs”, which became his signature tune. These songs became enduring symbols of hope and resilience, making them some of the most popular and iconic pieces in Britain during both World Wars.
He wrote many of the songs for his eight successful West End musicals: Glamorous Night (1935), Careless Rapture (1936), Crest of the Wave (1937), The Dancing Years (1939), Arc de Triomphe (1943), Perchance to Dream (1945), King’s Rhapsody (1949) and Gay’s The Word (1951).
Ivor Novello died aged 58 and his ashes are buried beneath a lilac bush at Golders Green Crematorium. His legacy endures through The Ivors Academy and the Ivors Novello Awards.
Oversee our awards strategy and delivery
Set standards and manage complaints
Advise on finances and associated risks
Drive membership growth and development
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