55th Ivor Novello Awards

Nomination entries for the 55th Ivor Novello Awards, for works commercially released in the year 2009, close on Friday 5 February 2010 at 6pm. BASCA is delighted to announce a new category this year: Best Original Video Game Score.

Scores are eligible for a video game that was commercially released in the UK during the year ending 31 December 2009. Under the standard Ivors rules all entries must have a British or Irish composing contribution of at least one third. Non-British or non-Irish nationals are eligible for nomination, provided the writer(s) were ordinarily resident in the UK during the year ending 31 December 2009.

In this category, a completed entry form must be accompanied by a retail copy of the video game and a DVD containing a selection of extracts chosen by the entrant to best show the musical content of the game. There is no limit to the number of extracts, but the overall duration must be no more than 10 minutes.

Commenting on the new category, Mark Fishlock, BASCA director and member of The Ivors Committee, says “The Ivors has always sought to reflect the ever-changing world of songwriting and composing. The video games market has matured beyond recognition and big budget orchestral scores are regularly being commissioned. Writing music for games also requires a number of specialist skills compared with conventional film scoring, such as non-linear and multi-layered composition. This is a very exciting development and one which hopefully will be fully embraced by the rapidly growing games world.”

Best Original Video Game Score is one of six categories open for entries. The remaining five are:

Best Song Musically & Lyrically

Best Contemporary Song

Album Award

Best Original Film Score

Best Television Soundtrack

The Ivors are presented by BASCA in association with PRS for Music. The award ceremony will take place at The Ivors luncheon on Thursday 20th May 2010 at the Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London W1K 7TN.

For more information on submissions for The Ivors or to request a nomination form contact: Kate MacCormick at BASCA on 020 7636 2929 or email kate@basca.org.uk

Deadline for entries: 6pm, Friday 5th February 2010

Ivors Committee Member and Games Composer Richard Jacques is available for interview – www.richardjacques.co.uk

Please contact Lesley Land at Taylor Herring PR – 0208 206 5151 lesley.land@taylorherring.com

For more information please contact:

Taylor Herring

Tel: 020 8206 5151

Peter Mountstevens

peter.mountstevens@taylorherring.com

Lesley Land

lesley.land@taylorherring.com

Notes for Editors

Now in their sixth decade, The Ivor Novello Awards are internationally respected for celebrating excellence in British music writing. They are judged and presented by the writing community and are given annually to outstanding songwriters and composers.

Held at the Grosvenor House on Thursday 20th May 2010, The Ivors are presented by BASCA in association with PRS for Music, and continue to be acknowledged as one of the most coveted awards in the industry. Previous winners include Sir Paul McCartney, Madonna, David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, Sting, Annie Lennox and Radiohead.

The Ivor Novello Awards is BASCA’s flagship event, celebrating excellence in British songwriting, composing and music publishing. The awards can celebrate artistic excellence in a specific work, exceptional sales or performance figures, or recognise the outstanding achievements of a particular songwriter or composer throughout their career. Over the years the awards have reflected changing tastes in popular music, identifying and celebrating the contribution made by British music both in the UK and across the globe. The Ivor Novello Awards have been sponsored by PRS for Music for more than thirty years.

www.theivors.com

About BASCA:

BASCA, the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, is the professional association for all music writers in the UK; with over 2,000 members, it is the single voice for British music creators.

BASCA works to foster a sense of community amongst songwriters, lyricists and composers, and to campaign on their behalf in the domestic, European and international political arenas. We work closely with our members, keeping them informed in a constantly changing environment via our publications, websites and seminars. BASCA also presents the British Composer Awards and Gold Badge Awards annually.

Academy Fellows: John Adams, David Arnold, Sir Malcolm Arnold, John Barry, Pierre Boulez, Sir John Dankworth, George Fenton, Sir Elton John, Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.

www.basca.org.uk

About Ivor Novello:

Ivor Novello, the British musician, songwriter, playwright and actor whose memory is honoured by these awards, died in 1951, hours after starring in a performance of his own King’s Rhapsody. Novello composed some of the most popular and poignant songs of the first World War including ‘Keep The Home Fires Burning,’ and ‘We’ll Gather Lilacs’.

About PRS for Music :

PRS for Music exists to help businesses and community groups get access to some of the world’s best loved music, while making sure that songwriters, composers and publishers are rightfully rewarded whenever their musical works are played, performed or reproduced. PRS for Music provides the permissions needed to use music for any product or space, from a TV programme or YouTube video, to the workplace radio and every possibility in between. Through effective, fair and transparent licensing we ensure that creators can keep on creating by delivering vital income to all our 60,000 membership. PRS for Music is proud to keep one of the UK’s most vibrant creative industries working.

www.prsformusic.com

www.myspace.com/prsformusic