Archives: Info & Advice
Mentoring can be a powerful tool for anyone looking to develop their career. Together with our partners, we can connect our members with experienced creators, professionals and organisations in the music industry, offering invaluable guidance and personalised support. Accessible Online Mentorship for Music Creators Help Musicians’ Co-Pilot, in partnership with The Ivors Academy, is designed […]
Our exclusive series of guides will help you understand how to make money from your music and create a sustainable business. Empowering Creators at All Stages Every Career Builder Guides cover all the essential business and rights topics for music creators, at all career stages. Demystifying the fundamentals of the industry, topics include: Data & […]
We fight for a fair music industry where creators can thrive. Music creators are the lifeblood of the industry. They deserve to be recognised, respected and rewarded for their work. Leading the Charge for Change We’re leading the charge for a more equitable music landscape. With your support, here’s how we’re doing it: We’re champions […]
Save on the things you love with our exclusive member discounts. When you join The Ivors Academy, you’ll be able to enjoy significant savings on products and services you already use or have been wanting to try. Discounted tech, tools and more Discounts range from Apple software and hardware to digital distribution, label services, health […]
All members receive automatic insurance cover through Media Insurance Brokers Limited. Our policy covers you for public liability and equipment of the following amounts: Early Career members £2 million public liability (£250 excess per claim) £2,000 equipment cover (£150 excess per claim) which includes the member’s work in a studio, writing and recording and also […]
Navigating the financial world can be time-consuming and confusing. Take control of your finances and make more informed decisions using our ad hoc accountancy service. Speak to an accountant As a member of The Ivors Academy, you can take advantage of an initial 1 hour consultation, free of charge, either in person or via video […]
Need legal advice for your music career? Ivors Academy membership connects you with industry lawyers for free consultations and provides sample contracts and guides to help you understand and protect your music rights. Speak to a lawyer We can connect you with an approved industry lawyer for a free 1 hour consultation by phone or […]
Get closer to the greatest awards in songwriting and composing with Academy membership. The Ivors and The Ivors Classical Awards celebrate the craft and achievements of outstanding music creators. They are judged by acclaimed music creators from within the Academy and are the only awards for songwriters and composers judged by their peers. As a […]
Our programme of events is designed to fuel your professional growth as a music creator. We host a wide variety of inspiring and educational events across the country, from workshops and writing camps to mixers and conferences, all free or discounted for our members. By attending an Ivors Academy event, you will gain: Exclusive access […]
The Ivors Academy has provided a number of links, guides and videos are listed to help music creators access funding. Looking for funding opportunities? Visit Help Musicians Funding Wizard to find out what opportunities are available Sound and Music’s opportunities page Live in Scotland? Visit Creative Scotland’s opportunities page Consider joining the Creative Entrepreneurs’ […]
Over the past ten years, I’ve had the privilege to work on our unique awards – The Ivors and The Ivors Composer Awards (previously the British Composer Awards). What makes an Ivor Novello Award (and previously a British Composer Award) so respected and prestigious is two-fold: categories are judged exclusively by music creators, so truly […]
If you bump into Jin Jin walking down the street on her phone, there’s a distinct possibility she’s recording a top line she caught herself humming. As many songwriters and creators know, inspiration can strike at any time, so it’s important to capture ideas as soon as possible. Because who knows? It could be another […]
Over the past 15 years Jennifer Walshe has become one of the most fêted composers in contemporary classical music. From writing an opera for Barbie dolls (XXX_LIVE_NUDE_GIRLS!!!) to creating a collective of fake Irish composers each played by Walshe herself (the Grúpat collective); from works for symphony orchestra and organ (Hotel Chelsea) to works for […]
Cathy Dennis is arguably one of the greatest British songwriters of all time. Following a successful stint as a solo artist in the ‘90s, Dennis has since written for some of the biggest names in music, from Kylie Minogue to Janet Jackson, Britney Spears and Katy Perry. Her lyrical brilliance has been proven time and […]
For someone who has won five Ivor Novellos, three ASCAP awards, a Gold Badge Award, an MBE and Eurovision, it’s somewhat remarkable that 79-year-old Bill Martin still feels he has more to achieve. He’d like to end his career with a hit musical – after having a musical called Jukebox in 1985, which coined the […]
Negotiating a deal, especially in the formative years of a media composer’s career, is a tricky thing. To borrow Winston Churchill’s famous tax analogy, negotiating feels “like standing in a bucket and trying to lift yourself up by the handle.” Starting out in the early 2000s as an unpublished media composer, I found myself frequently […]
The story behind the tragically early death of Amy Winehouse shown in Asif Kapadia’s 2015 documentary got a lot of people thinking. It highlighted the unique pressures faced by artists – and how working in the music industry may exacerbate stress and anxiety, leading to self-destructive behaviour as a way of dealing with it. When […]
At time of press, Ivor Novello-award winner Ed Sheeran is facing the prospect of two plagiarism claims – the allegations being that Photograph copies Amazing (as performed by Matt Cardle) and that Thinking Out Loud uses core elements of the Marvin Gaye hit Let’s Get It On. As these claims follow a series of high profile infringement cases in both the UK […]
1. Keep good records A well-ordered record-keeping system that provides easy access to information is the backbone of any profitable business. If you don’t have good records you will incur unnecessary professional fees, make more mistakes which could possibly trigger tax and VAT penalties, and you will never really know how well you are doing. […]
It was once something no self-respecting artists would have considered, whatever the circumstances. But nowadays bands are falling over themselves to grab a slice of the corporate dollar by teaming up with a brand, without fear of losing credibility for having ‘sold-out’. Such has been the sea change in attitude that a brand association can […]
