Society of Composers & Lyricists
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. 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. Members of the organization also include orchestrators, arrangers, music supervisors, music agents, music attorneys, music editors, copyists, and audio engineers.
Awards
Since 2020, the Society of Composers & Lyricists has presented annual awards for music in film, television, and other media.
Ceremonies
| # | Date | Location | Host | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | January 7, 2020 | Skirball Cultural Center | — | |
| 2nd | March 2, 2021 | Virtual | Michael Giacchino | |
| 3rd | March 8, 2022 | Skirball Cultural Center | Aloe Blacc | |
| 4th | February 15, 2023 | Skirball Cultural Center | Darren Criss |
Categories
Since 2022, the organization presents awards in seven competitive categories:
Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film
| # | Year | Film | Music by | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2020 | Joker | Hildur Guðnadóttir | |
| 2nd | 2021 | Soul | Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste | |
| 3rd | 2022 | Encanto | Germaine Franco | |
| 4th | 2023 | Nope | Michael Abels |
Outstanding Original Score for an Independent Film
| # | Year | Film | Music by | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2020 | Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am | Kathryn Bostic | |
| 2nd | 2021 | Blizzard of Souls | Lolita Ritmanis | |
| 3rd | 2022 | The Green Knight | Daniel Hart | |
| 4th | 2023 | Everything Everywhere All At Once | Son Lux |
Outstanding Original Score for a Television Production
| # | Year | Production | Music by | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2020 | Chernobyl | Hildur Guðnadóttir | |
| 2nd | 2021 | The Queen's Gambit | Carlos Rafael Rivera | |
| 3rd | 2022 | The White Lotus | Cristobal Tapia de Veer | |
| 4th | 2023 | 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 | |
| 3rd | 2022 | "No Time to Die" | No Time to Die | Billie Eilish & Finneas O'Connell | |
| 4th | 2023 | "Applause" | Tell It Like a Woman | Diane Warren |
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, Rickard Göransson | |
| 3rd | 2022 | "Just Look Up" | Don't Look Up | Nicholas Britell, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, Taura Stinson | |
| 4th | 2023 | "Ciao Papa" | Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio | Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, Guillermo del Toro |
Outstanding Original Score for Interactive Media
| # | Year | Production | Music by | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2020 | Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | Gordy Haab, Stephen Barton | |
| 2nd | 2021 | Metamorphosis | Garry Schyman, Mikolai Stroinski | |
| 3rd | 2022 | Battlefield 2042 | Hildur Guðnadóttir & Sam Slater | |
| 4th | 2023 | Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök | Stephanie Economou |
David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent
| # | Year | Production | Music By | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | 2022 | Jupiter's Legacy | Stephanie Economou | |
| 4th | 2023 | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | Nami Melumad |
Spirit of Collaboration Award
In addition, the group presents the non-competitive Spirit of Collaboration Award to a composer and filmmaker team.
| # | Year | Composer | Filmmaker | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2020 | Thomas Newman | Sam Mendes | |
| 2nd | 2021 | Terence Blanchard | Spike Lee | |
| 3rd | 2022 | Carter Burwell | Joel Coen & Ethan Coen | |
| 4th | 2023 | Justin Hurwitz | Damien Chazelle |