Ivors Academy chief Roberto Neri has outlined his vision for this year’s ceremony while calling on the industry to do more to support emerging British songwriters.
The Ivors with Amazon Music 2026 takes place at Grosvenor House in London this Thursday, May 21, with nominees including Olivia Dean, Lola Young, Little Simz, Damon Albarn, Lily Allen, Wolf Alice and CMAT, among others.
Plus, Linda Perry is to be honoured with the Special International Award, while Rosalía will receive its International Songwriter Of The Year Award.
“It’s the best time of the year and the best awards show on the planet, for sure,” Neri told Music Week. “There’s a lot of work still to do, but everything is going according to plan and the team are working incredibly, as they always do.”
Peer-judged by songwriters and composers, The Ivors celebrate the craft, cultural impact and enduring importance of songs and screen compositions.
The 71st Ivor Novello Awards will be the first to be held since major UK record labels committed to introduce a £75 per diem and cover expenses for songwriters attending their writing sessions.
The Ivors Academy hailed the move at the time as a “landmark step to help sustain and support songwriters”. Previously, paying songwriters to work at label writing sessions was down to individual negotiation with many left to cover travel and subsistence costs.
We managed to secure per diems, and we want more people to come forward and say they’re entitled to them
Roberto Neri, Ivors Academy
The organisation also launched the Ivors Academy Honours last year as a dedicated awards ceremony, celebrating exceptional individuals who champion the songwriter and composer community.
Here, Neri – who was appointed CEO in 2024 – delves deeper into the Ivors’ expanding calendar, the state of British music, the fight for better songwriter compensation and, inevitably, AI…
What can we expect from this year’s ceremony?
“A proper reflection on incredible songwriters that may or may not have had that opportunity before. We’re very proud to recognise Linda Perry this year, for example, and we’ve announced Rosalía, because the Ivors are now being better recognised globally. We’ve still got the same amount of awards recognising incredible British and Irish songwriters, but it made sense to expand on the international element and celebrate the incredible output Rosalía has given the world. She is exceptional as a songwriter, an exceptional performer, and deserves to pick up the Oscar in music, which is an Ivor Novello.”
You caught Rosalia’s live show at The O2 recently, which has been getting rave reviews. What was your verdict?
“Having been a lifelong Prince fan and seen him over 50 times, it’s very hard to say it was the best thing I’ve ever seen. But in that moment in time, it was. It’s like when you go and see an amazing film and you think, ‘Wow, that’s the best film I’ve ever seen.’ You can’t really say that until the time moves on and you look back.”
On a similar note, what makes Linda Perry such a deserving recipient?
“She’s significant in her own right as an artist, but the incredible evergreen [songs] she’s given to all of these other amazing women stand the test of time. They’re covered constantly, and we are super-excited for her to be on stage picking up that Ivor Novello. She means so much to so many people for various reasons. Her advocacy is equally powerful, and the craft is going to be properly celebrated, as it should be.”
The per diems victory was a significant moment for songwriters. Where does that stand now and what has the response been like?
“Well, we had this incredible moment. We protect, we empower, we celebrate. On the protection side, we managed to secure per diems, and we want more people to come forward and say they’re entitled to them, because we haven’t received as many requests as we probably expected. So we did a push through our social channels [last week] to let everyone know they should be asking for them, and if there’s any issues with that, they should inform us. It’s a massive win. It was a really good starting point to what needs to be expanded on by way of better appreciation of songwriters. We are very thankful to the major labels, and we want songwriters to come forward and start to utilise it.”
Is everything in place for writers to start claiming?
“Everything’s in place. You can go to our website: whether it’s a Universal session, a Sony session or a Warner session, it’s plain in black and white what you need to do and where to get paid.”
According to a new report commissioned by the BPI, the UK is on the cusp of an AI licensing boom but that rights-holders need better protections to capitalise on it. What is your take on the current state of AI licensing for songwriters?
“We think licensing is great. We would just like to understand what these licences are, what it means for songwriters, how they’re going to be compensated, and indeed, how their approval is going to be applied. Are they actually approving for their rights to be used in the first place? So there’s a lot of unknowns for us. We’d like to have further clarity on that, but licensing is good – that’s a good starting point. Let’s ensure the licensing is favourable to the song and the songwriter and the composer.”
It’s been a big year for British artists like Olivia Dean, Lola Young and Sam Fender on the international stage – how do you assess the overall health of UK music right now?
“Olivia Dean is amazing. Equally with Raye, Lola Young and Sam Fender, these are incredible stars and deserve absolutely everything they are getting. But there are tens of thousands of other incredible British artists and songwriters we need to highlight and say in the same breath. If you looked at the end of year charts, there was a lot of catalogue in there and there’s not enough new music shining through and getting the plays. So we really need to do a better job as an industry in the UK to find a solution to that. Around 30% of music is domestic within the charts, rather than the 60/70% in some territories, and 80/90% in the likes of Italy. I’m not saying we need to get to those levels, but we need to work out a mechanism for British artists to stand out stronger and have a better opportunity.”
So what more could be done to give emerging British artists a better platform?
“I think there’s a big opportunity with the BBC Charter Review. The BBC has always been great for music. It has great radio stations, but TV is where a lot of exposure happens and there isn’t a Top Of The Pops equivalent. You’ve only got two or three windows of opportunity on TV, other than what appears to be three or four hours of rehashing incredible legacy catalogue on BBC Two on a Saturday night. Why can’t we start to show off the incredible talent we have from the UK right now? I don’t understand it. I think the BBC and others have a duty of care to find a window for showcasing these incredible artists.”
What do you see as the next big challenge for the Ivors?
“The next big challenge – and it’s been stuck in my head for a long time – is the value of lyrics. In UK copyright, a song is essentially split 50/50 between the lyric and the melody, yet people determine their own splits, which is fine. However, 50% shouldn’t equate to 1%, and currently only 1% of music publishers’ revenue is for the lyric, so there is a massive disparity. The consumer engages with the lyric in a very significant way now; the appreciation is greater than ever. It’s a very important part of why you pay for your streaming service, and songwriters need to be better compensated for it.”
How do you reflect on the last two ceremonies, where Bruce Springsteen and U2, respectively, become Fellows of the Ivors Academy? And how do you raise the bar again this year?
“The last two, being here as CEO, have been incredible. The reaction has been amazing. All sides of the industry have been incredibly supportive. But in my head, this year is a level up even on the last two as far as what you will witness on that stage and these incredible songwriters being celebrated appropriately. It’s a shame we can’t get more people in that room. That’s my only disappointment, because we couldn’t even go on sale this year. It’s such a special room and we could have sold it twice over if we had the opportunity.”
Will there be a Fellowship Award this year?
“There absolutely will be. We haven’t announced the Fellowship prior to the event this year, but it’s something to be very excited about.”
And what are your plans for the Ivors Composer Awards coming up on November 17?
“We do this incredible job representing songwriters on the third Thursday in May – 71 years in the making. There is no better award show celebrating songwriters on the planet. But composers, equally, do so much to enrich our lives, and we really wanted to do something for them broadly across all of the various genres they represent. How do we do a better job of celebrating them? We’re taking those awards to the Grosvenor House as well, and this will be the first time we’ve done it on that kind of scale. I think this is a level up and I feel we’ve got a duty of care to do a better job to represent, celebrate and elevate our composer community.”
You also launched Ivors Honours last year. What was the motivation behind that and what are the plans for year two?
“The idea of celebrating someone for their craft is taken care of within the Ivors and the Composer Awards. But when we talk about Linda Perry and her advocacy – what she stands for and who she inspires – that is beyond the craft. The likes of [Sony Music Publishing chair/CEO] Jon Platt and others, who always listen and act in the interest of songwriters and composers on an individual level, needed to be honoured. What Kanya King has done with the MOBOs and for Black songwriters and composers is exceptional and we really wanted to see her on stage picking up an honour. For year two, it’s going to be a slightly elevated process and event compared to year one, and we’re already working on that. You might even see an honour [announced] very shortly, representing another incredible songwriter who has done so much for a very long time. So keep your eyes and ears open. It’s going to be great.”
