When most people think of ghostwriting, they tend to recall its shadowy reputation within popular music — fuelling barbed accusations in rap beefs, for instance. Far fewer, however, are aware of just how widespread an issue it is in media composition, particularly across film, TV and video games.
But a new campaign, fronted by a group of leading composers and backed by The Ivors Academy, is aiming to shine a light upon it. Launched back in October, End Ghostwriting is calling for a commitment to ‘change industry practice’ by ensuring every media composer is credited, better protected and paid fairly for their work.
As The Ivors Academy's campaign page explains, ghostwriting refers to when 'a composer contributes creatively to a soundtrack by writing or significantly shaping cues, but remains invisible because their work is not disclosed by the lead composer to the production. As a result, ghostwriters often receive no screen or IMDb credit and are excluded from cue sheets, meaning they lose the royalties they are legally entitled to.'
Speaking to M, Ivors Academy CEO Roberto Neri breaks down the broader implications of this issue: ‘Ghostwriting undermines transparency... [It] devalues composers and weakens the creative ecosystem. This campaign reflects our mission to protect professional standards, empower composers to receive the recognition their work deserves and celebrate integrity.’
‘If you speak to any composer working in film and TV, they will have stories,’ says award-winning Northern Irish composer Sheridan Tongue, a key industry figure spearheading the campaign. ‘It is so common and prevalent… [but] it's exploitation. It’s a very subversive part of our industry that no one really likes to talk about.’
Sheridan, whose credits include major TV series like Silent Witness, Spooks and Wonders of the Universe, says composers have a simple duty: ‘You have to be fully transparent about who's had creative involvement in your production… It's literally that simple: fairness and transparency about creative collaborations. We're not really asking a lot.’
'Ghostwriting devalues composers and weakens the creative ecosystem.' - Roberto Neri
How, then, does ghostwriting differ from legitimate collaboration? Composer Aisling Brouwer (The Buccaneers, White Riot) tells M that while assistant or additional composers are usually paid fairly, publicly disclosed and credited on-screen, this often isn’t the case with ghostwriters. Typically, these creators are excluded from cue sheets and not legally entitled to any royalties for the work they’ve contributed.
While in legitimate collaboration the lead composer will 'actually acknowledge that somebody else has had creative input’, with ghostwriting ‘you're completely invisible,’ explains Aisling: ‘Somebody else is essentially taking credit for your work. A lot of the time you’re forbidden to even mention that you worked on a project. There can be NDAs or a silent agreement [saying], "You're not involved in this."’
Beyond these ethical concerns, Roberto points to the legal implications: ‘Ghostwriting blurs ownership, weakens copyright protections and increases the risk of disputes. Clear contracts and accurate crediting are essential to safeguarding composers’ intellectual property.’
Ghostwriters are often young, emerging composers looking for a breakthrough in the industry. It's difficult to establish yourself in any creative industry, so it’s somewhat understandable to see why budding creators might see ghostwriting as a necessary first step.
‘I think over time, there’s been a trend where we don't really question the way [the industry works],’ Aisling says. ‘We accept commissions or the deals we're given as if we should just be grateful. But I think it’s important that we keep questioning how we can make the industry a better place, and not become complacent by not speaking up about issues.’
'It’s important that we keep questioning how we can make the industry a better place.' - Aisling Brouwer
As well as not receiving any royalties or credits, ghostwriters typically can't use their work as a springboard to future opportunities. As Aisling notes: ‘If you're an up-and-coming composer and you’ve gained experience on five or six shows, but you can’t speak about them, then you’ve got nothing to build a portfolio to get your own jobs.’
Sheridan adds: ‘To build a career as a composer, you need three things: commissioning fees, royalties and credits. Two of those aren’t available to ghostwriters… I honestly don’t believe you can build a career from it. Just the other week, I heard about a composer who was a ghostwriter on a show that ended up getting a major UK nomination. But this composer can’t even put this particular [work] on their CV or website.’
Both Aisling and Sheridan stress, however, that they understand why budding composers might feel like they aren’t in the position to turn down ghostwriting roles. ‘Nobody should feel ashamed if they do end up taking on a ghostwriting job, because it’s a privilege to be able to turn stuff down,’ Aisling tells M. ‘Not everybody has the confidence or the position to directly speak out against the people that are perpetrating it.’
Roberto acknowledges that protecting emerging composers requires structural changes: ‘Stronger industry standards, clearer contracts, published codes of practice and confidential reporting routes, supported by unions and professional bodies, are vital to help early-career composers resist unfair pressure and protect their progression.’
Why do so many lead composers hire ghostwriters in the first place, though? Sheridan says it often stems from these composers either being overwhelmed with workloads, taking on too many projects or facing tight deadlines. They're also currently able to pay ghostwriters a one-off fee for their services and avoid giving them royalties if the project is successful.
‘They're not only exploiting other composers,’ he adds, ‘but they’re also creating this uneven playing field, and potentially taking work away from other composers.’
'To build a career as a composer, you need three things: commissioning fees, royalties and credits. Two of those aren’t available to ghostwriters.' - Sheridan Tongue
Roberto emphasises that this issue requires action from across the creative industries, including production companies, studios and streaming platforms: ‘These organisations influence working practices across the sector… Setting and upholding fair commissioning standards will support a more ethical scoring environment.’
As mentioned, the End Ghostwriting campaign is aiming to promote transparency across this field. Its asks include calling on lead composers to pledge to credit all composers appropriately (both on cue sheets and in public credits such as IMDb) and to accurately submit work for awards consideration that fairly acknowledges everyone who was involved in the composition process.
As well as Aisling and Sheridan, the campaign has already attracted support from such high-profile composers as Anna Phoebe, Ben Foster, David Arnold and Sofia degli Alessandri-Hultquist. Over 350 media composers have signed the campaign's pledge so far, with Roberto noting that there’s a ‘growing recognition that meaningful, collective action is needed to end ghostwriting’.
Aisling stresses that this campaign is not about calling out any composers who have used ghostwriters in the past, but instead focusing on how the industry can move forward: ‘We're actually encouraging collaboration. It's about looking forward and not looking back. This isn't about punishing anyone.’
Sheridan adds: ‘At the start of a job as a composer, you don't always know if you're going to need additional help. Things can change. There needs to be, I think, an awareness [from both lead composers and production companies] that it’s actually a positive thing to bring on additional [credited] composers, if needed.
'What's amazed me is the engagement from the composer community. I'm getting direct messages just saying, "Thank you so much for bringing this out as a discussion point". My hope now is that we create a new standard.’
Head here to find out more about The Ivors Academy's End Ghostwriting campaign.
