Author: Anna Brown
An Ivor Novello Award is the highest accolade in songwriting and composing. Exclusively judged by music creators and presented by The Ivors Academy, the award is the pinnacle in the careers of many songwriters and composers. Named after the famous Welsh composer, Ivor Novello Awards have been presented by the Academy since 1956. The ceremony, […]
This week the Ivors Academy and Musicians’ Union launched Keep Music Alive, a campaign to support music creators through Covid-19 and establish a more progressive industry model for the future. This includes a petition calling on the UK government to help the industry review the functioning of the streaming market. This is because Covid-19 has […]
Covid-19 has hit songwriters, musicians and composers hard. Gigs and commissions have been cancelled, festivals and performances postponed, and recording studios closed. Since early March, over 20,000 applications have been received to music industry Hardship Funds. This crisis has brought into sharp relief the fact that creators and performers are sustained primarily by income generated […]
The Ivors Academy recently surveyed its members about the impact of Covid-19 on music creators. The aim of this survey was to help us lobby Government to provide support for songwriters and composers that are being financially impacted. Our case to Government is significantly strengthened by input from members and we would like to thank […]
The Directory comes in response to the impact of coronavirus, which has seen thousands of musicians losing work as tours, gigs, concerts and studio sessions have been cancelled or postponed. As the leading campaigning organisation for the UK’s composer and songwriter community, The Ivors Academy is now promoting a Remote Recording Directory to bridge this […]
At the moment non-payment of the licence fee is not a criminal offence. Only failure to pay the fine can lead to a criminal record, although it rarely does. So we made the case against decriminalisation, focusing on three main points. 1. Based on the evidence provided by Government, we found that an alternative enforcement […]
A short stroll from The Ivors Academy’s office at The Ministry, I turned into Union Street and was stopped in my tracks by the impressive ‘Music Box’ building – a stone’s throw from the equally impressive arts organisation Jerwood Space. Greeted by JD Donovan (Music Industry Liaison), we made our way into the bowls of […]
Bill had been a member of the Academy since 1964. Here his friend and fellow award winning songwriter Mitch Murray CBE pays tribute. Bill Martin MBE 1938-2020 It’s 1964, and I am drinking in a bar across the road from Denmark Street, basking in the glory of my second Number One in a row; ‘I […]
The Collective exists to support the wellbeing and working practices of composers worldwide. As part of the new initiative, a virtual mentorship programme is being launched by composers, for composers. You can sign up as a mentor or a mentee by midday 1 April here: https://bit.ly/3bcESzK As the Composer Wellbeing Collective grows there will be […]
In the past year, The Ivors Academy’s Songwriter Committee have been exploring ways of redressing the inequitable way streaming royalties are distributed today. One of the short-term remedies we’ve proposed is for songwriters to receive a per diem when they work with artists, so it was a pleasant surprise to find out that our German […]
The decimation of concerts and the commissions for live performance will devastate classical composers’ earnings and playing living composers music will provide royalties and promotion at a critical time. The BBC is the largest commissioner of classical music in the UK and has access to thousands of recordings of contemporary classical recordings – many of […]
Graham Davies, CEO and Crispin Hunt, Chair of The Ivors Academy, said “Our heartfelt thanks to our partners, the Grosvenor House London, Apple Music and PRS for Music for working with us to find an alternative date for The Ivors this year. Thank you also to ticketholders and everyone involved in the awards, your continued […]
At this difficult and uncertain time I wanted to write a message of support to all our members, friends and partners to say that The Ivors Academy is here for you, and with you. The coronavirus presents us all with an exceptional and extreme circumstance. Yes, it is serious. Yes, we will get through it. […]
The Dundonian pop star has curated Scotland’s first ever all-female songwriting camp to inspire talented music writers and encourage more women to get involved in the profession. During the lead up to IWD, we speak to Charlotte to find out more about her motivations, inspirations and why setting up this new initiative is so important […]
The Ivors Academy has made a number of major announcements to showcase the work of jazz songwriters and composers across the UK. Born out of today’s flourishing jazz scene, the new initiatives look to support and champion the vibrancy of British home-grown talent, through providing a platform that will allow creators to thrive in their […]
Christopher Gunning is famously known for his work in film and TV, most notably the iconic signature theme for Agatha Christie’s Poirot and evocative music for Olivier Dahan’s La Vie En Rose. More recently however, a culmination of 16 years of contemporary classical music composition has led to a shift from a career in media […]
The Ivors Academy invites composers to submit scores as part of a celebration of new music for jazz ensembles. The call for scores originally referred to a live event meant to take place on 25 and 26 June 2020 at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. Given the current set of […]
The Ivors Academy has announced that Mark Taylor will join the organisation in a newly created role as Director of Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs. Effective from the beginning of March, Mark will be responsible for raising the public profile of the Academy, its activities and members, whilst leading an ambitious long-term strategy for growth […]
Unity amongst the composer community has successfully reversed the aggressive move of Discovery Networks to remove payment of royalties from composers in favour of a low one-off buyout payment. This episode has highlighted the plight of composers – increasingly being pressured by broadcasters and platforms to take low payment up-front fees on the expectation that […]
Amongst those are The Ivors Academy Fellow Sir Elton John, who has been awarded the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to music and charity. Winning the highest accolade on the list, the twelve-time Ivor Novello Award winner said on Twitter: “I’m humbled and honoured to be among such highly esteemed company in […]
