The Ivors Academy Summit 2026

Programme

Year in review

Roberto Neri and Fiona Bevan introduce the themes for the Summit and how they connect with The Ivors Academy’s work over the past year championing songwriters and composers, from protecting rights to empowering careers and celebrating the craft of songwriting and composition.

Speakers:

Roberto Neri

CEO, The Ivors Academy

Fiona Bevan

Multi-platinum songwriter and Board Director, The Ivors Academy

David Israelite: in conversation

Leading US music publishing advocacy on the global stage, David Israelite has driven landmark copyright reform and international licensing progress. With over two decades leading the National Music Publishers’ Association, he brings a unique international perspective on the future of music publishing.

Speakers:

David Israelite

President and CEO, National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA)

Erin McAnally

Executive Director and Vice-Chair, Songwriters of North America (SONA)

Protecting your contribution and credit

You wrote the song, but your share is being reduced because someone else wants credit they didn’t earn. Two writers discuss how common it is, how to handle the conversation and when, if ever, it makes sense to give ground.

Speakers:

Michelle Lewis

Emmy-winning songwriter and composer and co-founder and CEO, Songwriters of North America (SONA)

Orphy Robinson

Award-winning multi-instrumentalist and Board Director, The Ivors Academy

David M. Israelite

President and CEO, National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA)

Your international income: what you need in place

Your songs may be earning in territories where you’re not set up to collect. We run through the registration requirements, reporting gaps and rate differences across key markets. Make sure you’re set up to earn worldwide.

Speakers:

Dr. Tobias Holzmüller

CEO, GEMA

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Chris Meehan

CEO, Believe Music Publishing

Julia Rowan

Head of Policy, PRS for Music

Teri Nelson Carpenter

Founder and CEO, Reel Muzik Werks, LLC

Know your numbers, the data you’re not getting

There’s a huge amount of data that can show how your songs are performing, not enough songwriters see it or know what to look for. Understand the resources available to you, how to access and understand the data, and what to check against what you’re being told.

Speakers:

Christine Osazuwa

Founder and CEO, Measure of Music

Amy Thomson

CEO, ATM Catalog Management Services

Songs on social media: where’s the value?

Music underpins content on social platforms, with the value of songs as its core. How do the deal structures between platforms and rights holders work? What have recent disputes shown about where value sits and what should fair terms look like?

Speakers:

Annette Barrett

Managing Director and Global Strategic Liaison, Reservoir

Cari Quoyeser

Sales and Partnership Solutions, Musixmatch Pro

Working for free

You signed a deal, you took an advance and you need to keep delivering, even though the money ran out years ago. What does your deal actually require versus what’s assumed? We explore how to reset expectations without damaging the relationship.

Speakers:

Kal Lavelle

Singer-songwriter

Fiona Bevan

Multi-platinum songwriter and Board Director, The Ivors Academy

Catherine Martin

Head of Policy Ireland, The Ivors Academy

Camp culture

Songwriting camps are central to how music gets made across genres, but the writer-side economics are rarely discussed. Who pays for what, what’s reasonable to expect and how do you judge whether a camp is worth your time?

Speakers:

Amber Davis

SVP, Head of A&R, Warner Chappell Music UK

Tom Winkler

Head of Publisher, Songwriter and Society Relations, Amazon Music

Kenny McGoff

SVP of Creative, Kobalt Music

Parenthood and the music industry

Music industry working patterns often conflict with caring responsibilities, from short-notice sessions and time away at camps to irregular income and no maternity/paternity provision for freelancers. We run through the barriers, what changes would make a difference and what other industries do better.

Speakers:

Maria McMillan

Governance and Policy Senior Manager, The Ivors Academy

Fiona Bevan

Multi-platinum songwriter and Board Director, The Ivors Academy

Eve Horn

Singer, songwriter and producer, founder of We Are The Unheard CIC and Board Director, The Ivors Academy

Pushed out of the room

Exclusion in writing rooms can take many forms from being talked over to having ideas attributed to someone else and getting frozen out of the session. Two writers share their experiences and what shared standards for fair and respectful sessions could look like.

Speakers:

Carla Marie–Williams MBE

Award-winning singer songwriter and founder, Girls I Rate

Jaz Karis

Singer-songwriter and BRIT School Alumna

Crispin Hunt

Multi‑platinum songwriter, producer and President, PRS Members’ Council

PRS for Music: in conversation

Speakers:

Renell Shaw

Composer, platinum selling songwriter and Board Director, The Ivors Academy

John Mottram

Chief Strategy, Communications and Public Affairs Officer, PRS for Music

Eight years to per diems

The campaign for per diems in the UK took eight years from proposal to agreement, and it worked. We celebrate that win, take stock of implementation, and set out the campaigns that The Ivors Academy is lobbying on and how you can support them.

Speakers:

Ayanna Witter-Johnson

Singer-songwriter, cellist, pianist, composer and Board Director, The Ivors Academy

Tom Gray

Chair, The Ivors Academy

State of play: AI in 2026

AI systems are training on songs, and the first licensing deals and royalty structures are starting to take shape. We unpack UK, US and EU perspectives on use, deals and what to ask your publisher.

Speakers:

Dr Julia Niebler Kaiser

Deputy General Counsel, GEMA

Ed Newton Rex

Founder & CEO, Fairly Trained

Paul Clements

CEO, MPA Group

Hannah Bujic

Consultant and Producer to organisations and composers

Creator in conversation – Jon Shave & Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Having spent more than two decades shaping British and international pop, Jon is one of the world’s most in-demand songwriters and producers. His songs have been recorded by artists including Charli xcx, Miley Cyrus, Girls Aloud, Jessie J, Britney Spears, Sugababes, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Zara Larsson.

Speakers:

Jon Shave

Multi-platinum songwriter and producer

Sophie Ellis-Bextor (moderator)

Award winning singer-songwriter

Rights and royalties in the USA

We explore key developments in the USA affecting rights, royalty payments and the business of songwriting. This session highlights what songwriters need to know as the industry addresses issues raised by AI and the upcoming Copyright Royalty Board Phonorecords V review of streaming royalties.

Speakers:

Kris Ahrend

CEO, The MLC

Graham Davies

President & CEO, DiMA

Danielle Aguirre

CLO & COO of the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA)

Building a self-sufficient career

If you’re not a performing artist, what does a sustainable songwriting career look like? This session goes through realistic paths to making it work, when to stay independent or sign and what’s working for writers building their careers behind the scenes.

Speakers:

Grace Croucher

Membership and Events Senior Manager, The Ivors Academy

Lizzie Esau

Artist and singer-songwriter

Liang Lawrence

Ivor Novello Award nominated artist

When and what to sign

A big advance looks generous until you read the retention terms. We run though how offers are calculated, what to look for in a deal, the deductions to watch out for and when it makes sense to walk away.

Speakers:

Bea Koramblyum

Global Head of Business Affairs and VP of Business Development, Downtown Music Publishing

Dan Lloyd Jones

EVP of A&R and Music Strategy Services, FAE GRP

Grace Croucher

Membership and Events Senior Manager, The Ivors Academy

ICE Services: in conversation

Speakers:

Mica Sefia

Project Manager, Black Lives in Music

Rachael Naylor

Chief Operating Officer, ICE Services

US termination rights explained

Described as an “enormous victory for the creator community” the Vetter v Resnik ruling in the US confirmed that when songwriters exercise their termination right, they get their rights back worldwide. Tim Kappel, the lawyer who won the case, explains what termination rights are, what this decision changes and what it means for songwriters with older publishing deals.