Society of Composers & Lyricists
American professional association (1983–)
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The Society of Composers & Lyricists is an organization founded in 1983 to represent composers and lyricists working in visual media, such as television and film.[1][2] It sought union status in 1984 after the dissolution of the Composers and Lyricists Guild of America, but the National Labor Relations Board denied the bid on the basis that songwriters were independent contractors. Another attempt to become a union in the 1990s was also unsuccessful.[3][4] Members of the organization also include orchestrators, arrangers, music supervisors, music agents, music attorneys, music editors, copyists, and audio engineers.[5]
Chapters
The Society of Composers & Lyricists operates three chapters outside of Los Angeles.
| Location | Year Founded | Chairs | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | 2011 | Greg Pliska | [6] |
| Nashville, TN | 2022 | Jay Weigel | [7] |
| Chicago, IL | 2025 | Tony Scott-Green | [8] |
Awards
Since 2020, the Society of Composers & Lyricists has presented annual awards for music in film, television, and other media.[9]
Ceremonies
| # | Date | Location | Host | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | January 7, 2020 | Skirball Cultural Center | N/a | [10] |
| 2nd | March 2, 2021 | Virtual | Michael Giacchino | [11] |
| 3rd | March 8, 2022[a] | Skirball Cultural Center | Aloe Blacc | [13] |
| 4th | February 15, 2023 | Darren Criss | [14] | |
| 5th | February 13, 2024 | Siedah Garrett | [15] | |
| 6th | February 12, 2025 | Colin Hay | [16][17] | |
| 7th | February 6, 2026 | Michael & Kevin Bacon |
Categories
Since 2024, the organization presents awards in eight competitive categories:[2][18]
Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film
| # | Year | Film | Music by | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2020 | Joker | Hildur Guðnadóttir | [19] |
| 2nd | 2021 | Soul | Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste | [20] |
| 3rd | 2022 | Encanto | Germaine Franco | [21] |
| 4th | 2023 | Nope | Michael Abels | [14] |
| 5th | 2024 | Oppenheimer | Ludwig Göransson | [15] |
| 6th | 2025 | The Wild Robot | Kris Bowers | [17] |
| 7th | 2026 | Sinners | Ludwig Göransson |
Outstanding Original Score for an Independent Film
| # | Year | Film | Music by | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2020 | Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am | Kathryn Bostic | [19] |
| 2nd | 2021 | Blizzard of Souls | Lolita Ritmanis | [20] |
| 3rd | 2022 | The Green Knight | Daniel Hart | [21] |
| 4th | 2023 | Everything Everywhere All At Once | Son Lux | [14] |
| 5th | 2024 | Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie | John Powell | [15] |
| 6th | 2025 | The Brutalist | Daniel Blumberg | [17] |
| 7th | 2026 | Train Dreams | Bryce Dessner |
Outstanding Original Score for a Television Production
| # | Year | Production | Music by | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2020 | Chernobyl | Hildur Guðnadóttir | [19] |
| 2nd | 2021 | The Queen's Gambit | Carlos Rafael Rivera | [20] |
| 3rd | 2022 | The White Lotus | Cristobal Tapia de Veer | [21] |
| 4th | 2023 | [14] | ||
| 5th | 2024 | Succession | Nicholas Britell | [15] |
| 6th | 2025 | Shōgun | Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, Nick Chuba | [17] |
| 7th | 2026 | Severance | Theodore Shapiro |
Outstanding Original Title Sequence for a Television Production
| # | Year | Production | Music by | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th | 2024 | Lessons in Chemistry | Carlos Rafael Rivera | [15] |
| 6th | 2025 | Palm Royale | Jeff Toyne | [17] |
| 7th | 2026 | The White Lotus | Cristobal Tapia de Veer |
Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production
Prior to 2022, a single award was given for Original Song in a Visual Media Production, irrespective of genre.
| # | Year | Song | Production | Song by | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2020 | "Stand Up" | Harriet | Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo | [19] |
| 3rd | 2022 | "No Time to Die" | No Time to Die | Billie Eilish O'Connell and Finneas O'Connell | [21] |
| 4th | 2023 | "Applause" | Tell It Like a Woman | Diane Warren | [14] |
| 5th | 2024 | "Can't Catch Me Now" | The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes | Olivia Rodrigo and Dan Nigro | [15] |
| 6th | 2025 | "The Journey" | The Six Triple Eight | Diane Warren | [17] |
| 7th | 2026 | "I Lied to You" | Sinners | Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson |
Outstanding Original Song for a Comedy or Musical Visual Media Production
Prior to 2022, a single award was given for Original Song in a Visual Media Production, irrespective of genre.
| # | Year | Song | Production | Song by | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd | 2021 | "Husavik" | Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga | Savan Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus, and Rickard Göransson | [20] |
| 3rd | 2022 | "Just Look Up" | Don't Look Up | Nicholas Britell, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, and Taura Stinson | [21] |
| 4th | 2023 | "Ciao Papa" | Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio | Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, and Guillermo del Toro | [14] |
| 5th | 2024 | "What Was I Made For?" | Barbie | Billie Eilish O'Connell and Finneas O'Connell | [15] |
| 6th | 2025 | "Compress/Repress" | Challengers | Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Luca Guadagnino | [17] |
| 7th | 2026 | "Golden" | KPop Demon Hunters | Ejae and Mark Sonnenblick |
Outstanding Original Score for Interactive Media
| # | Year | Production | Music by | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2020 | Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | Gordy Haab and Stephen Barton | [19] |
| 2nd | 2021 | Metamorphosis | Garry Schyman and Mikolai Stroinski | [20] |
| 3rd | 2022 | Battlefield 2042 | Hildur Guðnadóttir and Sam Slater | [21] |
| 4th | 2023 | Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök | Stephanie Economou | [14] |
| 5th | 2024 | Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | Gordy Haab and Stephen Barton | [15] |
| 6th | 2025 | Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord | Winifred Phillips | [17] |
| 7th | 2026 | Sword of the Sea | Austin Wintory |
David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent
| # | Year | Production | Music By | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | 2022 | Jupiter's Legacy | Stephanie Economou | [21] |
| 4th | 2023 | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | Nami Melumad | [14] |
| 5th | 2024 | Home Is a Hotel | Catherine Joy | [15] |
| 6th | 2025 | Inside Out 2 | Andrea Datzman | [17] |
| 7th | 2026 | Law of Man | Ching-Shan Chang |
Spirit of Collaboration Award
In addition, the group presents the non-competitive Spirit of Collaboration Award to a composer and filmmaker team.[22]
| # | Year | Composer | Filmmaker | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2020 | Thomas Newman | Sam Mendes | [19] |
| 2nd | 2021 | Terence Blanchard | Spike Lee | [20] |
| 3rd | 2022 | Carter Burwell | Joel and Ethan Coen | [21] |
| 4th | 2023 | Justin Hurwitz | Damien Chazelle | [14] |
| 5th | 2024 | Robbie Robertson | Martin Scorsese | [15] |
| 6th | 2025 | Harry Gregson-Williams | Ridley Scott | [17] |
Notes
- Rescheduled from February 1 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]