- TRAP@NCI - National College of Ireland

Transcription

FACING THE MUSIC: A STUDY OF THE IRISH MUSIC INDUSTRY
By
Hannah Down
Subm itted in partial fulfilment of the requirem ents for the
BA of European Business Studies and Languages
National College of Ireland
May 2004
Declaration
I hereby certify that this material, which I now submit for assessment on the
programme o f study leading to the award of Degree in European Business and
Languages is entirely my own work and has not been submitted for assessment for
any other academic purpose other than in partial fulfilment for that stated above.
Signed:
Date:
A bstra ct
Industries go through trends all the time. Sales of Organic food products have soared
recently. People are demanding quality and source of origin. Might the same be
happening in the music industry? Music is an art, a creative endeavour that has been the
preserve of talented musicians for as long as history can provide us information with. We
have seen lately a huge increase in commercial pop music, often not even written by the
performer. Ireland is especially creative musically and is a very small market. Irish
people love music, and love Irish music, do they demand quality and source of origin?
2
I n t r o d u c t io n
“The lack of coherent information on the scale of the industry has both reduced the
visibility of the industry in the economic landscape and hindered the development of
appropriate policies to promote the industry”
Music Board of Ireland report: The Economic Significance of the Irish Music Industry
The music industry in Ireland is currently in a very interesting yet difficult time. Apart
from being a very interesting area, the fact that there is so little information on it made it
more appealing to study. The area of independent Irish music in relation to commercial
music has been very much ignored by most, yet there is clearly a change happening and
being aware of this and acting on it may prove successful for the future.
I wish to investigate the Irish music industry in itself and in relation to the world. Ireland
is a country renowned for its musical heritage and poetic nature. But has Ireland retained
its independence in its music? This study sets out to find how the industry is working,
what is happening and what is likely to happen in the future. How has international and
commercial affected the Irish music industry. What are the major happenings in the
industry and what is affecting music in general today.
Initially, I wish to chart the history of Irish music from the early 1900’s and study how
Irish music developed, where traditional music came from, and when the actual industry
as such began, and how it developed.
In the second chapter I will look at what has happened over the last ten to fifteen years, as
it would appear that a vast amount of change has taken place considering the small time
span. Different aspects of development will be looked at to gain an overall view of the
Irish music industry as it stands today.
Chapter three will involve looking at modem commercial recorded music today. The
music processes and major players in the industry will be identified and analysed.
3
The final chapter will speculate on the music industry related to what we learned so far
and conclude as such.
4
Table of Contents
Page
No.
Introduction................................. ....................................................................................................................
3
Chapter 1: Music in Ireland (pre 1990)....................................................................................................
7
1.1 Early Irish Music.......................................................................................................................................
8
1.2 The Gaelic Revival and the Irish Abroad............................ .................................................................
9
1.3 Music on the Airwaves.............................................................................................................................
10
1.4 Celtic Rock.................................................................................................................................................
11
1.5 The Doors Open................................................................................. ......................................................
13
\ .6 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................
14
Chapter 2: Music in Ireland (1990-2004)................................................................................................
15
2.1 Changing Times........................................................................................................................................
k 16
2.2 Irish Pop Music........................................................................................................... ............................
17
2.3 The Big Five.............................................................................................................................................
18
2.4 Big Label Dominance..............................................................................................................................
19
2.5 Organisational Change...........................................................................................................................
21
2.6 Technology.................................................................................................................................................
23
Chapter 3: Modern Commercial Recorded Music Today.....................................................................
26
3.1 The Big Five...............................................................................................................................................
27
3.2 Music Process for Major Labels...............................................................................................................
34
3.3 There’s Music Everywhere........................................................................................ :...........................
38
3.4 Breakdown of Artist Income....................................................................................................................
40
3.5 Conclusion..................................................................................................................................................
40
Chapter 4: Independent Music; The New Model....................................................................................
41
4.1 New Changes.............................................................................................................................................
42
4.2 Independents.............................................................................................................................................
43
4.3 Global Change.................... .......................................................................................................................
44
4.4 Ireland..........................................................................................................................................................
46
4.5 Conclusion..................................................................................................................................................
49
Chapter 5: The Future for Ireland’s Music: A Conclusion.................................................................
50
5.1 Global Trends Turn Inwards..................... ..............................................................................................
51
5.2 Technology Advances...............................................................................................................................
52
5.3 Independent Business Model....................................................................................................................
53
5.4 Problems Nearing Solution.............. .............................................................!.........................................
53
Recommendations..........................................................................................................................................
54
Literature Review..........................................................................................................................................
55
5
Research Methodology.................................................................................................................................
57
Appendices................................................................................... ...................................................................
60
Bibliogrophy.................................................................................... :..............................................................
82
Webliogrophy............................. ....................................................................................................................
83
6
Ch a pt e r 1
Music In I r e l a n d
(p r e 1990)
C h a p te r
1 - Music In
I r e la n d (P r e
1990)
It has traditionally been held that the Irish are an innately musical race.
The use o f the harp as the national emblem is but the most visible symbol
o f a pervading belief that music - especially song - com es naturally to the
Irish spirit whether in celebration, dejection or defiance.1
1.1 - Early Irish Music
The first appearance of music in Ireland is difficult to date. Magical music and
enchanting airs are incorporated into ancient Irish legend so much, that the music and
lyrical verse becomes part of Irish history and heritage. It is in this tradition of passing
down stories through song that Irish music first emerged.
The most valuable resource for study of early Irish music is the work of the 18th Century
harpist and composer Turlough O’Carolan. A prolific arranger of music, for 45 years
O’Carolan travelled the country with the aim of gaining as much experience of the oral
tradition of passing on music as possible. He would visit musicians in towns and villages
and listen to the variances and nuances of each performer, as well as observing and
experiencing exactly how the tradition had been maintained.
For centuries, performers had travelled from town to town, passing on airs, and as the
music was imitated, individuals would add their own embellishments and styles to a
piece. These different styles would remain in a certain area, where the tradition was
passed from generation to generation, and by the time O’Carolan was travelling the
country, distinct regional styles were evident.
1 Richard Pine, Music in Ireland 1848-1998 pp. 17/18
2 Irish Traditional Music accords to a definition made by the International Folk Music Council in 1954:
“Folk music is the product of a musical tradition that has evolved through the process of oral transmission,
the factors shaping that tradition are: (i) continuity which links the present with the past, (ii) variation
which springs from the individual or the group, (iii) selection by the community, which determines the
form or forms in which the music survives.”
Irish Traditional Music Archive, Merr ion Square, www.itma.ie
8
Transcribing from memory all the music he would hear, O ’Carolan compiled a collection
of 49 airs which was published in 1726. This publication marked an important point in
the history of Irish music. For the first time, music that had been passed on by oral
tradition was adapted and arranged for the leisure of those who had an interest in Irish
music. Pieces were adapted for piano, a non-traditional instrument that was popular with
the wealthy and bourgeois class. O’Carolan included detailed notes on each piece, and
remained true to the idea of preserving tradition, ensuring that ancient Irish music would
survive the changing times.
1.2 - The Gaelic Revival and the Irish Abroad
In the early 20th Century Ireland was quite a turbulent place. Home Rule was the chariot
for Irish Independence that was stopped in its tracks by the First World War, which
enlisted many Irish military men to fight for the Crown. The country was still only
beginning to realise again the rich heritage and tradition which was severely damaged by
the destruction during the Famine. Irish literature revisited the legends and stories of Irish
folklore, with the works of Yeats and other great Irish authors and playwrights instilling
proud nationalism throughout the country3. Irish traditional music was not forgotten, but
enjoyed a substantial insurgence. Eamon DeValera spoke of the free people of Ireland
“dancing at the crossroads” in his vision of an ideal free state. The popular music of the
time was the often comedic ballads of Percy French and the serene operatic pieces of
Count John Mac Cormac, who in the 1920s is unofficially credited as the world’s number
one recording artist. Artists such as Count Mac Cormac were successful overseas also,
and performed in New York’s Carnegie Hall to packed houses.
If Ireland’s best known export is music, its second best is its own people. The famine of
1846 caused a massive surge in emigration, most notably to America. Emigrants of this
a Literary works of note: Lady Gregory, Cuchulainn of Muirtheimne, W.B.Yeats; The Wanderings ofO isin
9
I
I
time brought with them the history and tradition of Irish music and in America this
culture was celebrated in order to maintain a sense of identity in the New World.
Right into the 20th Century, Irish music seeped into the roots of music in America, having
a profound influence in the creation of what was later to become Country and Western
music. New instruments like the banjo, ukulele and the contemporary guitar lent
themselves well to this cross-breed of Irish and European music. The dance rhythms of
Irish traditional music were incorporated into new sounds as diverse as songs sung by
black slaves working on the railroads. Amongst the amalgamation of new music brought
to America by its immigrants, Irish music held itself well and played its part in the
development of world music.
1.3 - Music on the Airwaves
In 1926, Ireland received its first broadcasting station called “2RN”, which was officially
launched on January 1st 1926, by Dr. Douglas Hyde. The invention of radio was yet
another major development in media which would play its part in changing music in
Ireland. For example, the oral transmission of music became more and more obsolete.
Regional differences would be changed forever due to this device that enabled
communication over vast distances. While this new invention made for exciting
entertainment, Irish radio was conservative and considered quite bland by Irish people,
particularly the young people who were eager to catch up with developments in popular
music around the world. In 1933 Radio Luxembourg began broadcasting and people
began to hear the music they wanted to listen to. The BBC was also available to most of
Ireland, and was beginning to air some of the new music being made, as well as being the
fore-runner in adapting and developing technology which in turn developed music. In the
1960s, pirate radio was a craze which gave the young people the exposure to new music
which they craved. “Radio Caroline”, broadcast in 1964 was hugely popular until it was
taken off the air in 1967 only to return in 1972. It lasted well into the 1970s until
broadcasting commissions and federations for the regulation of radio broadcast were set
10
up. It was from this time onwards that Ireland appears to catch up with the advent of
rock’n’roll and head towards a music industry and pop culture.
While Rock’n ’Roll was being denounced as the work of the devil in the US, the stem
Catholic state of 1950s Ireland for the most part was not involved. It must be said that
during that period, the Irish people were rather more concerned with working on a strong
and safe Ireland, obeying the church and God, and it all was rather more colloquial and
rural than could be imagined today. Throughout the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, the social event
in Ireland was the bam dance or the ceili, and the music of the time was very much music
to dance to. Into the 1960s, show-band music was most popular, and this became the
popular dance music playing mainly songs popular in Britain and the US. At the same
time, the 1960s saw a renewal of interest in traditional music, and the influence of rock
music was to have new and exciting effects.
1.4 - Celtic Rock
Into the second half of the 20th Century music in Ireland was confined to the home
market and there was no real way of becoming successful internationally without leaving
the country. No ‘industry’ as such was present at this time. Sean O ’Riada is credited with
being hugely instrumental in changing this. He was bom in 1931 and it is generally
agreed that he was Ireland’s foremost composer and musician. It is said to be due to him
that music in Ireland found a wider audience. He turned traditional music into listening
music and not just dancing music The Chieftains, formed by O ’Riada, joined different
instruments and mixed traditional with folk. He created the concept of an Irish music
ensemble, which gave rise to the whole idea of arranging music. The Chieftains went on
to achieve international success and paved the way for other artists such as The Pogues,
The Dubliners and Clannad. Rock infused traditional music was on the way.
11
“W e’re an Irish rock’n ’roll band, and our am bition is to bring the
lounge bar atm osphere of the W est of Ireland to the world stage.”4
D avy Carton, Lead Singer with the Saw Doctors
The Irish music industry really began in the 1970s. At this time, it was very difficult to
make it on and international level. Among the few to achieve this level of success were
Thin Lizzy, The Boomtown Rats, and Horslips. Hors lips broke new commercial ground
in the early 1970s. They were part Irish folk traditionalists and part folk-rock, and with
their new sounds created a cultural storm. They achieved this international success from a
Dublin base, which was difficult and Horslips “are regarded as being influential in the
development of the nascent Irish popular music industry”5
Horslips instigated a new phenomenon that was Celtic rock. They brought traditionally
influenced rock to the big stage, and the impact was palpable, a refreshing change to a
nation used to show-bands. From the same era, Thin Lizzy who were formed in 1970 by
Phil Lynott, a black Irishmen from Dublin were one of the major rock acts to succeed
internationally and become largely influential. Veering more towards pure rock, with less
obvious traditional roots, Thin Lizzy were the first personification of the inner city
working class rock band. Still they were noted for their “lyrical sensibility and Celtic
romanticism in a genre that bowed to macho posturing and chauvinism”6, these
characteristics which made them a real rock hit in 1970s Ireland and since.
Sick o f being force-fed Irish traditional tunes from m en with shaggy
beards and w oolly jum pers, and thoroughly excited by rock and pop
groups beam ing into their sitting rooms every Thursday evening on
Top o f the Pop, the native Irish adolescent boys and girls w ere thrilled
skinny at their very first ethnic rock band (Thin Lizzy)7
4 Tony Clayton-Lea, Richie Taylor; Irish Rock, p.39
5 Paula Clancy. Mary Twomey; Clusters in Ireland, p.3
6 Tony Clayton-Lea, Richie Taylor; Irish Rock, p. 123
7 ibid. p. 106
12
1.5 - The Doors Open
During this period, rock and folk acts began to attract the attention of record labels,
which realised the potential for Irish acts both in the vein of Celtic rock and more
traditional styles. In 1976, Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats were signed to the major
British label Phonogram. The fee at the time was an exceptional £740,000, and their
subsequent releases achieved great success in the British charts. This marked an opening
for Irish rock acts, but the fact that the eventual success occurred primarily in Britain is
an indicator of the lack of support for the industry in Ireland.
Other brands of Irish made music which had potential for success internationally were the
new styles of traditional music which were being cultivated. From the same roots as the
Chieftains, Clannad were a Donegal based traditional group who had enjoyed success in
the 1970s touring around Europe. Their style of mystical Celtic melodies and warm Irish
language vocals was soon to be recognised as extremely commercial. This came in 1982
in the unlikely form of the theme for a British TV series based in Northern Ireland. The
piece entered the British chart in the Top 5, ensuring success for Clannad, and
highlighting the potential market for placement of Irish ambient traditional music.
Clannad’s sound enjoyed further success as the theme to a major TV series on the story
of Robin Hood, and it was clear that television culture was staking itself as an area of
influence on modem music.
1980 saw the debut album of the greatest success story in Irish music history to date. U2
were a Dublin band who by all accounts simply got it right. Without any real evidence of
traditional influence, the band has had a career that amounts to today ranking as one of
the biggest bands in the world. They join other acts such as Enya, Van Morrison, Sinead
O’Connor and more recently The Cranberries and The Corrs as artists who have enjoyed
major international success, resulting in increased interest in Irish acts, and the
development of industry infrastructure. The opening of Windmill Lane Recording
Studios in the early 1980s brought international acts to Ireland to record, as well as
helping to create a base for producers, management, publishers, and by this time each of
13
the major labels with a vested interest in Ireland. From this point on, it could be said that
the music industry had truly arrived.
1.6 - Conclusion
Ireland is historically steeped in a rich musical tradition. It has a worldwide reputation for
its musical ability and song. Traditional music and its oral transmission, was the
beginning of what we see as today’s music industry. Traditional music evolved and
became mixed with other styles of music until Ireland had its own thriving music
industry. The Irish music industry became part of the international music world and Irish
traditional acts are still succeeding hugely on a domestic and international scale. It is an
industry with a cultural background that stands only to help it. Development was
relatively slow considering that we are talking about ninety years. So much more was to
happen in the short few years after.
14
C h a p te r 2
Music In
I r e la n d
(1990-2004)
C h a p te r
2 - Music In
I r e la n d
(1990-2004)
You d o n ’t have to look very far to see evidence of the m oney m en cashing
in on the com m ercial possibilities of pop m usic. W hen it all started in the
States with the birth of rock’n ’roll, these post-w ar scream ing teenagers
w ere left w ith no struggle or depression, they w ere looking for a change,
som e excitem ent, and it came, of course with a price.8
T he idea that rock’n’roll used to have this sort of antediluvian identity,
frolicking in the 1950s with Elvis or som ething, is totally wrong. It’s
insane. E lvis’ relationship with Colonel Parker, his m anager, was one o f
the m ost possibly corrupt, certainly lucrative, and
intense business
partnerships ever in rock’n ’roll.9
2.1 - Changing Times
The 1990s saw Ireland’s economy grow rapidly. It was, at the time, the fastest growing
economy in the EU. Foreign Direct Investment soared, discretionary income rose
considerably, and Ireland was on the way to becoming an affluent country.
This boom saw the final steps towards abandoning the nation’s view of itself as rural,
poor and colloquial, and joining “the rest of the world” in technology, society and
culture. Those who would have an idea of Ireland in the 1980s would look at the
developments of the last fifteen years, and see the boom and its effects changing all
aspects of modem Irish life. The children bom in, or on the verge of the last fifteen years
noticed little difference, but were simply there to spend the money.
You can link w hat happened with rock’n ’roll Fifties A m erica to the pop
culture boom in Ireland in recent years. They both share sim ilar criteria
8 Nick Carswell, interview, see appendix 2
9 Ann Powers, Music Critic for The New York Times, interview taken from www.pbs.org, see appendix 1
16
w hich result in change. Firstly, you need young people. A fter W orld W ar
Two, you had the m en of America returning home, starting fam ilies,
hoping to enjoy a spell of prosperity and I’m sure, peace. Sim ilarly, Ireland
saw a baby boom right up to the late eighties as a result of people finding
jobs, m arrying and starting families. The second factor is m oney. Fifties
A m erica w asn ’t exactly affluent, but certainly attem pts w ere m ade to
create econom ic prosperity after a costly war. O f course in Ireland we had
the C eltic Tiger, which m eant Irish people, and Irish kids, had m ore m oney
than ever before. T he final elem ent is som ething that really propels the
grow th o f pop culture, and it can be a num ber o f things. In Am erica, it was
the craze of rock’n ’roll music itself, a com pletely new type o f m usic which
literally uprooted som e of the values of the time. I believe the equivalent in
m odem Ireland com es as a result of the advance of technology and the
com plete saturation of m edia into society. That basically never before has a
global com pany been able to infiltrate every aspect of the lives of young
people, from their school lunch-box to adverts on the sides of buses, to
their
favourite
TV
show,
action
figures,
w ebsites,
radio,
literally
everyw here they look can be a space for m arketing to m ake m oney.
2.2 - Irish Pop Music
In the decade 1991-2001, world recorded music sales grew by 28% in value, to stand at
over $34 billion in 2001. In the UK, the phenomenon of the “boyband” was about to take
hold. Take That were formed from a group of fresh-faced vocalists who could dance as
well as their adoring teenage fans, and were (literally) poster children for the new way of
making music sell.
In Ireland, Louis Walsh had been in the music business for years managing showbands
and later working as a booking agent for many bands and artists in particular Johnny
Logan, with whom he worked closely. He was involved with Logan’s Eurovision entries,
where he learned the hard-edged commercialism which would set him apart as a music
17
manager in the new times of pop.10 In the early 1990s Walsh saw a market for an Irish
boyband, and inl993, just in time for the arrival of the Celtic Tiger, Boyzone arrived on
the Irish music scene. Boyzone more or less immediately found success, with the
calculated clean-cut image and straight ballad-style love songs unsurprisingly selling
extremely well with the target audience of teenage girls. Under the Polydor label,
Boyzone grew into one of the most in-demand boybands in the world, and Walsh
maintained this success by creating the support of fan clubs, teenage magazine slots,
media coverage, and in particular he used his “understanding of how the tabloid media
works and exploited that for the sake of his charges, ensuring that the group were seldom
far from the headlines.”11 Boyzone marked the arrival of the complete manufactured pop
act, and is the first model for its success.
Between 1991 and 2001, the value of recorded music sales in Ireland more than doubled
to reach $142 million. The number of units sold increased by a similarly impressive 73%.
“These growth rates are far in excess of worldwide sales, and reflect the growth in both
the population and discretionary incomes that occurred in Ireland during the 1990’s,
together with the relatively high proportion of young people”12
In 1996, a total number of record companies, both foreign owned and indigenous, were
listed in the Hot Press directory. This represented an annual increase of 8% in the fifteen
year period since 1981.B
2.3 - The Big Five
The structure of the Irish record company industry is one that is dominated by the “Big
Five”, a handful of smaller companies that are partially or completely foreign owned, and
a large number of small local independent record companies. By the 1970s, the buying
10 The Hotpress Year book and Irish Music Directory 2004, p. 102
11 ibid.
12 MBI; Economic significance of Irish music industry 2.3
13 NESC, Clusters in Ireland, p l4
18
and selling of music companies meant that the majority of firms became controlled by a
handful of giant corporations.14 The Big Five account for about 80% of music on a global
scale. They are EMI Records, Sony, Vivendi Universal, AOL Time Warner, and BMG.
They own a large portfolio of labels from large national operations to labels that were
formerly independent, and these companies have evolved from take-overs mergers and
buy-outs. The purpose of these record labels and their presence in Ireland is mainly to use
the Irish market to sell international acts. The domestic market is very much ignored by
them. These large labels buy up other labels, and keep increasing their market share. By
the 1990s, all of these big labels had a presence in Ireland.
There are roughly 26 million people of Irish descent in the world and there are 18% of
the population of the United States who claim to have Irish ancestry. A report by the
National Economic and Social Council on the Irish music industry noted that Irish
emigrants are more faithful to Irish cultural forms of entertainment than is the case for
other nationalities.15 This shows that there is an important audience in foreign markets,
particularly for traditionally associated and folk associated music. There is a huge
international market for Irish music. In 1995 just over 16% of music sales in Ireland were
categorised as Irish Domestic Music. In 2002, Irish artists made up for 26% of the
domestic market. This figure, although increased, is still actually quite low by
international standards.
2.4 - Big Label Dominance
Ireland is a small country, so usually an artist trying to break into the industry looks
automatically to the most dominant high profile source; the big records label. A major
record label will have procedures in place which account for production, marketing, and
distribution, which can be very costly for an independent artist. It is estimated that 90%
of all releases sell less than 10,000 copies each, but a record label will need to sell around
14 Leanne Gaynor; The Music Industry, Who's in control1} Thesis DIT, 2002
15 Paula Clancy and Mary Twomey. Clusters in Ireland, The Irish popular music industry: An application of
Porter’s cluster analysis, Research Paper, National Economic and Social Council, Nov 1997.
19
750,000 copies to recover the costs of a typical major release16, and furthermore, to make
substantial profits, sales of around I - 2 million are required.17 So for all the artists that a
record company backs, they break even from a small number of them. It is with this small
number of successful artists that record companies aim to saturate the market. The major
labels have interests in all stages of the production process, from manufacturing to
distribution, retail, magazines, television, media coverage, all the way down to theme
parks. All company activities and resources are employed in promoting the sale of music.
(These activities are outlined in the company activites diagrams - diagrams 3.1 - 3.4)
Due to their combined interest in the industry and the media, and the fact that these
companies pursue aggressive growth strategies, there is a case for suggesting that they in
fact control what people listen to, rather than the people dictating what is popular.
Popstars: T he Rivals was one of these R eality TV show s which, while it
m ade for great, thoroughly entertaining TV , it was severely dam aging to
hopes for a healthy music industry. You had one m usic com pany, one
record label with com plete m edia coverage telling the view ing public that
they had the chance to decide which of their two bands w ould w in the
coveted C hristm as num ber one slot. T hey created a neat pow erful
m onopoly, and yet m anaged to som ehow convince the public, that they
them selves had m ade the choice.18
Simon Cowell is a man much like Louis Walsh in England. He backs pop singers and
bands and has a huge influence over what is released and what is not, and similar to Louis
Walsh, he has become very successful managing these artists. He said on the Jonathon
Ross chat show in England that show like Popstars, and Pop Idol, which are pop talent
shows where the public choose who should qualify for a place in a well-backed band, end
up giving people what they want. If this works in practice, it is more or less obsolete,
because by the time the popstars are chosen and the act is formed, they are already
established through massive media coverage. The illusion of choice exists as a mere
16 Becoming a star, BBC World Service Website, www.bbcxo.uk/worldservice/
17 Referenced from billboard.com
18 Nick Carswell, interview
20
subterfuge, seeing as the kids who are again the target audience are guaranteed to buy the
records, and follow the endorsements which the company lays down. The issue is that the
big companies decide what music is listened to.
In Ireland in particular, this is very true because of radio. In the US for example, there is
a huge number of radio stations. In Ireland, the selection is very limited and to a large
extent controlled. Music that we see and hear in Ireland is chart dominant. Ireland is a
small country and our four national radio stations focus on popular music. In the US
especially, but also in the UK, there is a very rich diversity of radio stations and
programmes that cater for all genres of music. American and English music plays a large
part in our music selection, primarily because these artists are involved in companies
which have backing in the UK.
Ireland is an im portant player and out perform er in the global m usic m arket
- the w orldw ide popularity, particularly in Europe, of the top Irish artists
m eans that they rank fourth after the UK, USA and C anada in term s o f
record sales.19
Although Ireland is a small country with a huge musical output, Irish music does not
receive a strong chance at exposure. The large international labels dominate with mainly
international music and this music in turn dominates out airwaves. The international
record labels with a presence in Ireland view the market as a shoot-off of the English
market.20
2.5 - Organisational Change
Another area that saw marked changes during the 1990s in Ireland was the organisations
of support and bodies of regulation. Performing and broadcasting income for composers,
songwriters, and music publishers is collected by IMRO (Irish Music Rights
19 Executive Summary, Shaping the Future, Report, Music Board of Ireland
20 See interview with Maura Eaton, see appendix, interview 1.
21
Organisation). IMRO, a non-profit membership organisation was first formed in 1988,
but did not become fully autonomous until 1st January 1995, when it formally separated
from the UK’s PRS (Performing Rights Society).21
Mechanical royalties for Irish songwriters and music publishers are collected by the
Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (MCPS). The Music Publishers Association of
Ireland (MPAI) became the parent company of MCPS Ireland in March 2001. Jo Guild
wrote that “this can perhaps be seen as another gradual step in the process of developing
and promoting a localised, coherent and forward thinking domestic industry
infrastructure in Ireland.”
The ERMA Trust was established in 1997 to assist the development across all genres of
music IRMA is the Irish Recorded Music Association and in its own words, generally, it
operates to promote and protect the welfare and interests of the Irish music industry.22
The largest example of this development can be seen in the setting up of the Music Board
of Ireland. The Music Board of Ireland was established in 2001 to act as a forum for the
industry - specifically, to devise and actively promote strategic policies for the
development of the music industry and the maximisation of its contribution to the
national economy. Though it can’t offer direct help to musicians and artists, it does carry
out important work behind the scenes in helping to further the interests of all involved in
the Irish music industry.23
Another example of organisational development can be seen in the FMC (The Federation
of Music Collectives), an umbrella organisation designed to encourage the setting up of
local music structures and development groups throughout Ireland. Also, many websites
offering support, information and internet exposure are in recent existence. Examples are
thumped.com and cluas.com. These websites are full of ideas and support to increase our
domestic market. There are also many sites catering for artists who wish to support
21 Jo Guild, An Irish Music Industry Overview, www.musicjoumal.org
22 Irish Recorded Music Association website; www.irma.ie
23 Maura Eaton, CEO, Music Board of Ireland, interview I
22
themselves from a management point of view, and many companies offering services
such as arranging gigs, recordings and promotion. All these go to show that there has
been a surge in bodies, organisations and developing support alongside the industry of
late.
2.6
-
Technology
Technology has changed and developed enormously over the last ten years. The way in
which we buy and listen to music has seen great changes.
We are currently in a technological revolution. The last decade has been termed “The
Digital Decade”. This revolution is changing the face of the music industry, for good or
bad has yet to be proved conclusively. Music sales were down 7% in 2002 in Ireland.24
Sales of blank CDs in Ireland rose from 8 million in 2001 to 17 million in 2002, and this
figure is an indication as to the piracy that is taking place in Ireland. The Big Five say
they are losing money as the industry changes and they have yet failed to adapt to it. “
Paul McGettrick, a lecturer of Music Technology in the Dundalk Institute of Technology,
outlines four main events that stand out as being significant in technology in the 2T l
century:26
1) The development in 1981 of the personal computer,
2) The introduction in 1983 of MIDI,
3) The widespread impact of digital technologies,
and most recently,
4) The pervasiveness of computer networks
These factors have combined to create a musical and technological revolution, unmatched
by anything that has gone before. It has implications for profits, distribution, changing
24 Sean Murtagh of IRMA’s Anti-piracy campaign - Hotpress article, May 07 2003.
f ibid
26 www.fmc-ireland.com/factsheet
23
tastes and variety of choice to name but a few. A whole new way to obtain music has
been created, such as online music, recordable CD’s and MP3. The internet has offered a
new distribution channel.
The major record labels say they are losing massive amounts of money to piracy. But it is
difficult to quantify its effect’s on record sales, as many other factors may play a part, and
the record company’s figures of lost revenue are hard to take into account as their method
of evaluating it may be flawed. The record companies generally count up the number of
songs downloaded on the internet, equate it to sales, and release that amount as their
piracy loss.27 There are other factors such as a general global economic downturn during
the last few years, and competition from other entertainment products that have affected
global music sales.28 Also, music video sales are rising at a rate of 46.6% in 2003, with
many artists releasing DVDs of live performances, tours, and documentaries. These sales
help offset sales drops in audio formats.
Obviously, piracy is a huge issue, and it is having major effects on sales, but in context, it
is a problem that may come to an understanding. Online sales are increasing rapidly as
the record companies slowly adapt to piracy.
Online purchases are increasing rapidly:
-
Apple iTunes announced it had reached 50 million downloads in March 2004 29
-
Puretracks in Canada reached I million downloads in February 2004.30
-
OD2, which powers many of the European portals for music downloads reached 1
million downloads in March 2004.31
L ooking to the future, the recording industry is responding on several fronts. R ecord
com panies are m aking available a large volum e of m usic catalogue for consum ers to
access online. At the same time they are stepping up the fight decisively against online
27 Matthew Magee, interview - see appendix 2
28 www.ifpi.com
29 www.ifpi.com
30 ibid
31 ibid
24
piracy, starting legal actions against illegal file-sharing that will be extended into the
com ing m onths32
Another positive sign is that although music sales have been dipping the last four years,
late 2003 and 2004 have seen an increase in album sales in America.33
32 Jay Berman, Chairman of 1FP1, www.ifpi.com
33 ibid
25
Chapter 3
M o d e r n C o m m e r c ia l R e c o r d e d M u s ic T o d a y
C h a pt er 3 - M odern C o m m ercia l R eco rd ed M usic T oday
3.1 - The Big Five
W hen rock started . . . the music industry d id n ’t exist as we know it now.
T here w eren’t these huge conglom erates; there w ere few er labels. Initially,
they w ere indie (independent) labels, or labels that were changing their
identity w hen they hooked onto rock’n ’roll. You d id n ’t have this whole
m achine that you have now. N ow you have this incredibly elaborate m achine
like any other business - marketing, research and developm ent. It could be
the drug com panies. It’s basically a very sim ilar thing . . . T he m achine is
bigger. T he tentacles are bigger.34
In 1946, as Swing was the popular music of the time, and rock’n’roll had yet to picked
out on a guitar, Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering was formed in Japan with a
modest three employees. Almost sixty years later, under the new name of Sony
Corporation, the company boasts more than 180,000 employees worldwide and over $58
billion in sales for 2001 ,35 While the development of the music industry is not solely
attributed to the growth of such massive companies, these modem day conglomerates
have vested interests in all aspects of media, and are in turn all-powerful forces in the
music industry. 90% of the global music market is accounted for by just five
corporations, which are themselves formed from mergers and take-overs involving
smaller companies, with interests in various media.
For example, the largest of the Big Five, Vivendi Universal was formed from an
international merger combining Vivendi - a telecommunications company, with the
programming and broadcast company Canal+, and Seagram - whose interest lay in film,
television and music holdings (Universal Studios). Vivendi Universal utilises the
34 Ann Powers, Music Critic for The New York Times, interview taken from www.pbs.org, see appendix 1
35 Frontline website; Merchants of Cool; Media Giants available from www.pbs.org
27
strengths of all three companies in the merger, to acquire 29% of the market share and
record operations and licensees in 63 countries.36
The next largest conglomerate is AOL Time Warner with roughly 16% of the market
share. Again, this corporation is formed by three powers that are; AOL - America On
Line - a fore-runner in Internet media communications and Time Warner which
represents the largest publishing power in America, and one of the largest television,
music and film producers and distributors in the world. Collectively, AOL Time Warner
owns or partially owns companies including HBO Television, Time Magazine, CNN
Television Networks, New Line Cinema, Maverick Records (with Madonna), DC
Comics, the Atlanta Braves football team and Looney Tunes cartoons.
The following diagrams illustrate the company activities of the Big Five, their interests
and holdings, in and outside of the music sector.
(EMI has been omitted due to the fact that its interests are based almost entirely in the
music sector in which it has holdings in record companies, music publishing, studio
recording, record manufacture. It has few interests outside of the music sector, but it
should still be noted that reports indicate that EMI holds up to 14% of the market share.)
36 Dominating the Music Industry, BBC World Service website, www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/
28
Diagram 3.1 - Vivendi Universal Company Activities
Music
Universal Music Group
10
companies, incorporating;
MCA Records, Polygram, Island/Def
Jam, Motown, Decca Records,
Geffen/DGC Records, Universal
Records, Interscope Records,
Rising Tide
Vivendi
Universal
Film
Internet
Production/Distibution
Universal Studios,
plus 4 partial
ownerships (United
International Pictures,
Cinema International
BV, October Films)
4 companies
Universal Studios,
New Media Group,
VivendiNet.
Vizzavi
29
Diagrams 3.2 - AOL Time Warner Company Activities
Music
TV
Record Labels
16
companies
(Incl. Rhino Records.
Warner Bros. Records.
Time Life Music)
Joint ventures in
Maverick Records,
Tommy Boy records.
Networks
14
companies
(Incl. HBO and CNN)
Film
Production/Distribution
4 Companies
(Warner Brothers
Studios. Castle Rock
Entertainment. New
Line Cinema, Fine Line
Cinemas)
9 companies
Cable Systems
Time Warner Cable
Internet
Recreation.
7 companies
Incl. AOL
(America On Line)
CompuServe
Netscape
Digital City
Sports
Atlanta National
Teams, Braves
(football), Hawks
(baseball), Thrashers
(basketball)
Championship Wrestling
Goodwill Games
Turner Sports World
3
Publishing
Books
7
companies
(Incl. Time Life Books.
Bulfinch Press)
Magazines
31
Publications
(Incl. Time Magazine. Sports
Illustrated, DC Comics)
30
Diagram 3.3 - Bertelsmann ag Company Activities
Music
Record Labels
9 companies
Incl. BMG,
Arista Records,
BMG Music Publishing,
RCA Records,
Bad Boy Records,
LaFace Records,
TV
6 companies in Germany,
Luxembourg. Canada.
Netherlands. UK
TV Stations
16 stations in Germany.
France, Luxembourg.
Netherlands. Belgium,
England. Poland. Hungary
Radio
Networks
FM Radio Networks
(Germany)
Stations
17 stations in France.
Germany. Luxembourg.
Ireland, Belgium,
Netherlands, Sweden
Publishing
Internet
Books
10 companies
(Incl. Ballatine Publishing,
Bertlesmann Publishing,
Crown Publishing)
Magazines
6 Publications
(Incl. Gruner & Jahr,
Child Family Circle)
Partial ownership of
AOL Europe,
Barnesandnoble.com.
CDNow.
Lycos Europe,
Napster
31
Diagram 3.4 - Sony Company Activities
M l ISIC
Recorcj Labels
20 cornpanies
(Incl Colurribia Records
Epic FRecords
Sony Music)
Distri bution
2 Joint ventures
“Columb ia House"
“Presisplay”
TV
Production Distribution
Columbia Tristar
Domestic and
International
Cable
12 companies in India,
Latin America, Asia,
Middle East, Australia,
Japan
FILM
Production/distribution
11 companies
Theatres
6 partial ownerships
Merchandise
Sony Pictures consumer
products
Video
4 Companies
SONY
\
Other Entertainment
Assets
Non-Media Assets
Sony Electronics
Sony Computer
Entertainment (Playstation)
Sony Pictures Digital
Entertainment
Sony Life Insurance
Metreon
Sony Online Entertainment
32
Diagram 3.5 - Artist to Consumer: The Process of the Music Industry
Music Creation
Songwriter
Publishing
Publishing Companies
X
Performance
Bands
Solo Artists
Managers
Session Musicians
<
Performance (Live)
Venues
Promotion
Agents
A
Performance (Recording)
Producers
Record Companies
/
Video Production
Record Studios
PR
Production Companies
Studios
Producers
Rehearsal Studios
Engineers
Mastering
Advertising
V
Broadcast
Retail Sales
Discos
Shops
Pubs
TV
Radio
Film
Stores
Direct
Marketing
Consumer
Consumer
Performance
r
I
r
Sales &
Distribution
Record
Companies
Consumer
33
3.2 - Music Processes fo r the Major Labels
The entire music industry is based on the creation, production, facilitation, and
distribution of a piece of music. It is within these processes that all music related
companies find revenue, and it is through the legal channels of copyright and royalty
rights that this is possible.
The starting point to any venture is the creation of the music. An author composed every
piece of music, and the music is the intellectual property of that author, and is recognised
by the institute of copyright. Intellectual property is the original thought, idea or artistic
creation of a person. Providing the creation is of substantial length, and is indeed original,
copyright exists as soon as a tangible representation of the work is produced.
Copyright
The legal definition of copyright is ‘a limited duration monopoly’37. As the author and
owner of certain intellectual property, copyright law is designed protect the ideas,
scientific and artistic creation of a person, in order to advance either arts, literature or
science. Included in the terms of copyright are certain rights which are exclusive to the
author, which no-one may engage in without expressed permission. These rights are:
1. To reproduce the work
No-one can record the work, publish it as sheet music, put it in a movie, without the
copyholder’s permission.
2. To distribute copies of the work
Note the difference between making a copy of the work, which is a use of the
copyright reproduction, and the distribution of this copy, this is a separate right
3. To perform the work publicly
With a song this means playing it in night-clubs, on the radio, or anywhere else music
is heard publicly.
27 Paula Hickey, Paddy Pop and the Celtic Tiger, 2001
34
Copyright lasts for 70 years after the death of the author, and the relevant royalties in that
time go to the bearer of the author’s estate. After that time, the piece is free of copyright.
Example of copyright free songs would be traditional or anonymous songs, and classical
compositions.
In the case of copyright breakdown for modem songs, a general rule of 50% for melody
and 50% for lyrics applies, however where more than one author is concerned, it is
entirely up to the agreement between the authors, and any other parties which they may
see fit to credit. In the case of major commercial songs, dividing the royalty rights and
songs credits from this point on will usually incorporate publishers and/or producers.
Publishing
The next stage in the process is music publishing. As you can see from the company
activity diagrams, most of the Big Five have music publishing divisions, and for major
productions, finding the song is as simple a part of the production process as booking
time in the recording studio. Publishers are in a position to provide a repertoire of songs
from a large range of songwriters, with varied options on royalties for the songwriter and
the artist.
W hen I spoke to contacts in the industry they advised me to provide the best
quality dem o possible, with all the key m otifs and elem ents - basically a
com plete package, because the m ore of a com plete package that I bring to the
negotiating table, the more bargaining pow er 1 have. T he ideal situation for
me w ould be that the recording I provide, with som e m inim al m ixing and
m astering, w ould be the entire backing track which the artist’s vocals w ould
then be added to. In that case, I would be providing that com plete package,
and my bargaining stakes would be strong.38
To cater for the commercial pop-song market, several companies have branched out of
the publishing sector. For example, the Max Martin School of Song-writing in Stockholm
provides a complete package for management and label executives to create a catalogue
35
of material for their artists. At the school, a team of songwriters, producers and musicians
work with artists in writing, recording and producing songs. The artist may be credited as
a co-author, or any number of contractual agreements may be made. The service provides
the management and record label with a catalogue of material of the highest quality,
drawing on proven song-writing and production methods. There are a number of
companies and producers who work at this high level of production such as the Neptunes,
or songwriters such as Cathy Dennis, who have been instrumental in the success of artists
such as Britney Spears, Samantha Mumba, Justin Timberlake, and other high profile
artists who have reached the pinnacle of commercial music. They have done so with the
backing of the best management, production and song-writing teams in the industry, and
those recognised as contributing to the writing of the song, including the performances in
the recording, claim entitlement to partial copyright royalties.
Sim on C ow ell o f Popstars, is famed for accum ulating a sm all fortune by
ensuring he tapped a tam bourine, shook a shaker, or clanged a triangle on
his artists’ records ensuring he received a royalty on each unit sold.39
Performance
Those involved in the recording of the song can come from a number of sources. The
highest level of production will call upon the best musicians in the industry, and there are
a large number of session musicians who are used regularly on a variety of productions.
As you can see from above, the musicians involved in the recording will generally tie in
with the package the management/producers arrange for the artist, through established
producers. The musicians might form a band for the artist that may be contracted to work
on an album, followed by a tour of the material. In which case, there may be grounds for
theses musicians to receive recording royalties and other credits. It depends entirely on
the artist’s profile, and the strategic business plan adopted by the management and record
label.
39 O.J. Kilkenny & Co. Chartered Accountants, What’s the difference between recording royalties and
publishing royalties, Hotpress.com/archive, 23/7/2003
36
Video Production, Record Studios, PR
Once the song is recorded and produced, the final tasks in completing it as a full
commercial package involves mastering/tracking, CD design, video production, and
finally the range of PR and advertising that is needed to enter the production into the
commercial market. Mastering and tracking the CD involves choosing which tracks to
include, what order they should play in, plus any additional or bonus material such as
CD-ROM or multimedia additions, which tie in to promotional activities. For major
commercial productions, a music video is an essential tool in promotion. Videos may cost
millions of dollars to produce, employing the skills of the top directors and film
production units, as well as casts of dancers, models and recent trends of hiring major
movie stars. Again, all these stages of production tie in to the promotion of the album, the
artist, the subsequent tour, and merchandising.
Entering the retail market
Once the CD is manufactured and distributed, it is then ready to enter the retail market,
which is the largest source of revenue for any commercial release. The retail value of the
global sound recording market (CDs, cassettes, music videos and online sales) is
estimated at between €34 and €36 billion for 2001, and is expected to grow over the next
four years, averaging a 1.6% compound annual growth rate and reaching €39 billion by
2006.
37
3.3 - There’s music everywhere . . . 40
One day, with nothing else to do you wander down as far as the local record shop ‘Penny’s Pop Shop’. As
you’re drawing near you hear what sounds like a Britney Spears song you’ve never heard before coming
out of the shops huge sound system. You are curiously roused, you nip in and Penny, the ex-dancer who
runs the place tells you she has just got Britney’s new album in stock. You ask if you can hear another track
and being an obliging kind of gal Penny lets you hear the entire album at full volume.
You trot home, a happier bunny and sit down for an afternoon of trash TV. In between Blue’s Clues and
kipper you notice a familiar sound and realize that one of the tracks from the album is being used on an
advert already.
It’s a really catchy tune and you decide you have to have it as a ringtone. A quick SMS later, a questionable
rendition of the song is bleeping and burbling out of your Nokia.
That evening, you’re sitting around having put away the dishes and washed the cat and that song is still
going through your head. You’re driving your girlfriend mad humming it and you’re desperate to hear it
again. A brainwave strikes you and you phone a request in to the Dusty Rhodes show. You’re in luck.
Dusty loves the song too and a few minutes later your radio is aglow.
Next morning first thing you head down to Penny’s and part with your hard earned in return for a copy of
the CD. As you’re scuttling off home, who should you run slap bang into but Britney herself. You tell her
about how much you adore the album and the whole story of how you came to buy it.
‘So’, you ask her. ‘are you making any money out of it yet?’
‘Well’, she replies, ‘because Penny played the album in the shop I’ll get a performance royalty payment
from IMRO for co-writing the song, and my record company will get a performance royalty from PPI, and
because I’m also the featured performer on the tracks we’ll get a payment from RAAP as well. Now, none
of these organizations run around taking notes of everything gets played in a public place, but they carry
out an analysis of what happens and we’ll get a share of the overall pie based on how popular our music is.’
‘What about the advert then?’ you enquire.
‘Well with the advert, because I co-wrote the song they had to ask my permission to use the track and I
licensed the use and charged them a one-off fee. So did the record company, because there is a separate
copyright in the recording. Plus, I’ll get a broadcast royalty from IMRO for every time it goes out on air
and the record company will get a broadcast royalty from PPI.
‘Wow’, you say, ‘that’s amazing. What about my ringtone, though? You’re not telling me you get paid for
that.
‘Yep’ ‘Every time someone downloads a ringtone I get a royalty from MCPS, who control the mechanical
right. That’s the right that comes into play whenever a recording is made.’
‘So does your record company get paid for ringtones too?
‘Nope, because the ringtone doesn’t use the original recording the record company doesn’t control the
rights - they would be owned by whoever codes the ringtone’
‘Poor them', you say, ‘but they must do all right out of selling the album’.
T o o right’ they reply ‘but so do I. As part of my deal with the record company I get an artist royalty
payment from them for every copy they sell, and because I co-wrote all the songs as well MCPS collect a
40 This section is adapted from an article by Greg Me Ateer of MCPS, www.Jmc-ireland.com/factsheets
38
royalty of 8.5% of the dealer price on every copy that's sold and I get that too’.
‘But you wouldn’t get that if someone did a cover version would you?’ you ask.
indeed we would’ he enlightens you, ‘the mechanical royalty goes to the songwriter whether they record
the song themselves or someone else covers it!’
‘Jeez, you say ‘it’s been a real eye opener. Nice to see you again. So, where are you off to now?’
‘Well, first I’m stopping by Fred’s Cuban Cigars, then I’m off to Alfie’s Shiny Red Ferrari Shop. Ciao!’
The above story is designed to illustrate exactly how music enters our everyday modem
world, and how that music makes money. In particular, when you take into account that
one company;
(i) first recruited the artist,
(ii) hired the song-writing team behind the tune,
(iii)published the music,
(iv)
supports the infrastructure for the fan-base and promotion,
(v) owns shares in the television, advertisement and radio station on which the song
receives airplay.
39
3.4 - Breakdown o f Artist Income
The following illustrates the relative average values for the breakdown of a successful
artist’s income.41
Performance Rights
Sponsorship
3.5 - Conclusion
Modem commercial recorded music is a highly organised and well-researched venture.
Media conglomerates own and operate the dominant part of the market, and their product
is promoted and pushed through every channel they have, which in practice extends to all
aspects of modem culture.
41 Music Board of Ireland, The Economic Significance of the Irish Music Industry, p. 18
40
Chapter 4
I n d e p e n d e n t M u s ic : T h e N e w M o d e l
C h a p t e r 4 - I n d e p e n d e n t M u s ic ; T h e N e w M o d e l
O ne event that I noted as a sign of the ugly com m ercialism o f pop music
today w as an ad on TV which had Britney, Beyonce, and Pink dressed as
Rom an gladiators singing Q ueen’s “W e Will Rock Y ou” while shaking
bottles o f Pepsi around the place. It’s depressing for two reasons; firstly, that
these are three of the biggest female recording artists today, all blatantly
adm itting in front of millions of viewers that they can, and have been bought.
And secondly, that Freddie M ercury, God rest his soul, had to be involved.
All ideas o f m usic being som ething beyond m oney and greed are blow n to
bits in a m atter o f seconds.42
4.1 - A New Change
In the US, a report called “The Merchants of Cool” analyses and examines the tactics,
techniques and the cultural ramifications of the aggressive marketing process aimed
towards young teenagers.43
Teenagers are the most important consumer group in America. Since it began in the early
1990’s, MTV has been fashionable and popular with teenagers, and it has also been one
of the largest mediums for advertising to this age group. The company kept a very close
watch on the habits and lives of young teenagers, tailoring their shows and advertising
towards them.
The report speaks of a resistance to the commercial machine. The example given
describes a new genre of music, “Rage Rock”. When teenagers were asked to describe
what appeals to them about such music, they responded that it belongs to them; it hasn’t
yet been taken and sold back to them.
42 Nick Carswell, interview, see appendix 1
43*Report Synopsis: www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/show/cool/synopsis.html
42
Big commercial and media outlets are picking and choosing what music to back, and so
what the teenagers will have to listen to. It would appear that teenagers now want to
make more choices for themselves.
This is a trend being seen by marketers all over the world, most notably in America. This
is due to the fact that they have the largest impressionable teenage market and most of the
world’s mainstream music comes from America. So, market experts are seeing a slight
backlash against the quick sell; the manufactured pop process.
Research in other parts of the world, as you will see here, points to consumers widening
their music tastes, and they are being accommodated by a widening of distribution
channels. For example, record clubs became popular in the 90’s and now the internet
serves the same purpose.
4.2 - The Independents
Independent labels took off after world war two, and have been important since the
sixties.44 As the bigger companies completed mergers and take-over agreements, the
smaller, often less interesting labels were left to fend for themselves. Now, a writer and
performer can keep his own rights and recordings, and act as the publisher and record
label. Independent record labels are those that run outside the Big Five and some other
large multinational labels, usually taking care of their own publishing. An independent
artist writes and performs his own music, has complete control over the artistic aspects of
production, but will find it difficult to get his product out into the marketplace without the
use of the established distribution services, royalty societies. The independent artist can
now make direct contact with their audience through the internet and through live
performances and publicity. This is the “do it yourself’ approach, which is becoming
increasingly popular, mainly due to the fact that is has become quite easy to do.
44 www.bemuso.com/resources
43
Matthew Magee45 notes the most important trend of late in the music industry is cheap
self-recording. Artists no longer have to pay vast amounts of money for studios and
engineers and mastering.
The history o f recorded music is one o f dodgy contracts, bad deals, artists
trapped in record com pany’s that have fallen out of love with them and there’s
nothing you can do about that, because you still need to find 250 grand to hire
abbey road to m ake your album. So as soon as soon as cheap digital PC based
recording is of a high enough quality to replace live room s, m ixing desks, tape
m achines, three sound engineers, a m astering engineer. As soon as you can
replace that and do it yourself, it changes the econom ics of the industry
fundam entally and m eans that artists can sit and hom e and w rite and record
their songs, release it and if there is enough of a m arket, they will m ake a lot
m ore m oney per CD and they will be in total control of it. I think that that
change in recording technology in the last 5 or 6 years has been the m ost
im portant change.
4.3 - Global Change
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) points to new sales
patterns emerging presently. Sales of domestic artists reached 93% in the US and 40% in
Europe in 2001, but sales of American artists are beginning to decline all over the
world.46
In France, 17 out of the top 20 selling albums for 2003 were by domestic acts. The
growth in domestic sales in France has come about from the support received from the
government. French artists receive social security, unemployment benefits and subsidies
for touring and rehearsing. French radio stations also have an enforced quota; ensuring
40% of airplay is French music. The closest equivalent in Ireland is Today FM, as
45 See interview with Matthew Magee, see appendix, interview 2.
46 www.ifpi.com
44
Ireland’s only independent national radio station is taking its own initiative, and aims to
include 25% or more Irish music in their schedules.47 A 3.5% tax is levied on all concert
box office sales. This revenue supports new artists and music exports. The idea is to take
money from American artists, who make substantial amounts of money in France, and
give it back to French artists.48
This system has been adopted in countries such as Turkey and French-Canadian Quebec
to moderate success. In The Netherlands in 1997 the government enforced a rule whereby
orchestras must play at least 7% Dutch music 49
A similar feeling of support towards domestic music has caused MTV Asia to change its
music strategy completely. International acts have been shunned and about 90% of music
played in each of the countries of Asia is by domestic acts.50 Even supposedly established
companies like MTV are now realising that they no longer have the media control in all
their subscriptions.
The last decade has seen an increase in the popularity and sales of domestic music. This
has been one of the most noticeable major global trends in the music industry. Local
repertoire has increased its share of music sales from a worldwide average of 58% in
1991 to nearly 70% in 2001.51 This global trend has been seen in one way or another in
all of the world’s regions except Africa and the Middle East where local artists hold only
a small share of the market.52 The economic situation in Africa has meant that American
corporations have had a difficult time trying to find profitable markets there.53 The
figures there reflect global changes, and Ireland is no exception to these changes.
47 Brian Adams, Today FM ’s head of music, Keep the Home Fires Burning, www.hotpress.com,
05/11/2003
48 www.bbc.co.ulc/music
49 ibid
*°ibid
31 Music Board of Ireland - Shaping the future, part 2, p8.
52 Ibid
53 www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice
45
4.4 - Ireland
Irish artists, per capita, represent an output almost thirty times the world average. But
they have 26% of the home market, which is low compared to international standards.54
This is mainly due to the fact that Irish artists are operating in the very big English
speaking market, and due to factors involved in the Irish economic boom, young people
have more money than ever before, and are therefore targeted by the media giants and
advertising.
The Irish market is growing strongly. Between the years 1991-2001, the value of
recorded music sales in Ireland more than doubled.55 These growth rates are far in excess
of worldwide sales. The fact that Irish artists are so successful abroad is more noteworthy
in view of the small size of the Irish market. Irish artists do not achieve high sales in
Ireland before they enter foreign markets, as the country is just too small. There is
considerable scope for Irish artists to expand their share of the domestic market.56
I ’m not sure exactly the reason why, but the am ount of people w ho are into
m usic by Irish acts seems to be getting bigger all the tim e. It’s now com e to a
tim e w here people are starting to question w hy these acts that are playing all
the big gigs in Ireland aren’t getting the international attention w e’re sure they
deserve. A nd everyone is sick of the glossy plastic pop that seem s to be
everyw here.57
In 1996, the number of left field operators could be counted on one hand.58 Within about
three years, Irish musicians began to realise the advantages of advances in home
recording technology, along with the public’s renewed appreciation for the honest
musician, who will travel to play to the small crowds. They realised that you could reach
an audience without the support of a major record label. The recent group of Irish success
54 Paula Clancy and Mary Twomey: Clusters in Ireland: The popular music industry: An application of
Porter’s cluster analysis. p36
55 Music Board of Ireland. Shaping the Future, p 18
56 ibid, p8
58 Peter Murphy, Hotpress Magazine, Feb 17 2003.
46
stars have come from the independent sector. Artists such as Damien Rice, Mundy, The
Frames, Nina Hynes have come through the do it yourself route, and have huge fan bases
in Ireland, and increasingly for some, worldwide.
Major label costs are so high that artists need to sell between one and two million CD’s to
be profitable.^9 A report on the English industry said that this figure leaves a large market
for independents open. This report also states that 40% of UK platinum releases in 2002
were independent, and that independent retail is booming.
The internet has lessened the dependence of Irish artists on record companies and
retailers. Artists can now produce and release their own CDs, market them through the
internet along with any other media they can access. Where the massive labels factor
sales and merchandising from live performances as a small part of an artist’s sales, the
independent artist in Ireland can value this as reaching markets which are otherwise
unreachable without the interest of big labels.
I t’s a relatively sm all m arket where you can m ake a relatively big im pact ju st
on the back of gigs, word of m outh; press. A handful of articles in the right
papers can m ean that you don’t really have to have a big m arketing and
advertising budget at all. You can reach m usic fans for a m inim al outlay, in a
w ay that you co u ld n ’t in a country even ju s t a bit bigger than here.60
Damien Rice is the best example of this. His album was home-produced on a basic studio
setup. It was self-released and self-financed, under his own record label, DRM, Damien
Rice Music. He marketed it through gigs and his website, along with word of mouth and
eventually, mainstream media. He sells CDs and merchandise at his gigs and through his
website, where he checks in regularly, and there are frequent updates of news and gigs.
You can listen to his music, read press material about him, and find out about tour dates
and general news. This was all done without the aid of a major record label and its huge
resources and finance. Of course, it should not be forgotten that the principal reason for
59 www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/
60 Matthew Magee, interview
47
his success must be attributed to the music he has written, but his example stands to show
that it all can be done, and will undoubtedly be repeated. It is hard to quantify how many
people are undertaking the same route, due to the personal nature of it. But if the amount
of websites61 advising and advocating this process is anything to go by, then there are a
lot of people out there recording music on their own.
Independent m usic is quite progressive in Ireland. T he new spirit of
independence is em pow ering those artists w ho have the talent and are clever
enough to develop it in their own way. So I ’ve no doubts that;the trail blazed
by the like o f T he Fram es, Dam ien R ice and others will im pact on The
North. In fact it’s already happening, and it’s a very exciting tim e to be
involved w ith m usic here.62
In 1999, independent labels accounted for 23% of recorded music output in Ireland. Of
these independent labels, one quarter of them operate as sole traders, and a third do it on
a part-time basis.
Sales o f m usic C D ’s fell by nearly 1% in Ireland last year. This decline m ay be
because of a general global recession, com peting form ats for entertainm ent
spending and the lim ited appeal of the increasingly pop-focused output of
m ajor labels63
It is estimated that by 2005, spending on recorded music in Ireland will increase to 175
million euro, even though IFPI reports that the European market has fallen back to year
2000 levels, following two years of growth driven largely by local repertoire.64 So
logically, if a lot of money is going to be spent, there is a good chance it will be spent on
local repertoire.
61 Cluas.com, fmc-ireland.com, irishunsigned.com, hotpress.com
62 Johnny Davis, BMG talent scout NI, Hotpress interview 7th may 2003.
63 Conor Brophy, Recordable CDs; the biggest threat to Irish record sales, Sunday Tribune, 14 Sept 2003.
64 www.ifpi.com
48
4.5 - Conclusion
Global trends indicate that changes are occurring. It is certain that there are masses of
individuals in countries the world over who appear to share tastes tending towards music
made at home. Some countries have installed legislation which openly supports the
domestic product. The Music Board of Ireland reported that “in 2001, as much as
€115.5m was earned by artists who draw their inspiration from traditional sources.”63
This is an encouraging figure, and is reason enough to support Irish music at home. If
Irish music comes from tradition, and in turn becomes tradition, inspiration is there for a
more music, more money, and a rich and healthy industry.
6S Music Board of Ireland, The Economic Significance o f the Irish Music Industry
49
C hapter 5
T h e F u t u r e f o r I r e l a n d ’s M u s ic : A C o n c l u s io n
50
C h a pter 5 - T he F uture
fo r
I r e l a n d ’s M u s ic : A C o n c l u s io n
T he increasing need of m ulti-national corporations to m ake large am ounts of
m oney adds a different kind of pressure to the artists: that of becom ing a
global success.66
5.1 - Global Trends Turning Inwards
Over a hundred years ago, there was no music industry of any real substance. Music was
a simple pastime which would accompany dance and set stories in a magical tone. In
Ireland, the musician would travel from town to town, and if he was lucky, someone
would remember one of his songs and perhaps pass it on to another singer on one of his
travels. Few musicians managed to amass any wealth, because there really wasn’t much
fortune to be found.
Today, music forms a multi-billion dollar industry which is controlled by a handful of
entities, where boards of directors have the power to turn the lowliest street busker into a
world-recognised star. Companies have the power to filter images of their product into
every facet of modem media. Yet in a substantial cross-section of society, people appear
to be tiring of this product for the masses.
On a drive-time radio chat show, T he Last Word’ the president of IRMA (Irish Recorded
Music Association) spoke about the current state of the Irish music industry and said in
particular that the public opinion is one of anger towards the ‘fat cats’. Public comment
into the programme backed this up with the general consensus that the music industry has
lost sight of talent and culture and is ‘too much of a business’. Comparisons were made
to football, comments made on the loss of music’s art, money becoming too important,
and corporate claws running and choosing everything 67
66 Competing in a world market, BBC World Service website, www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice
67 The Last Word, Today FM, 5/04/04
51
With heightened levels of awareness to do with globalisation, people are willing to look
outside of the mainstream. The worry for many is the loss of individualism, and in the
face of huge media and commercial powers, people are experiencing new awareness of
their own culture. This is all reflected in the happenings of the music industry.
As we have discussed, the trend is to look more towards the domestic markets, and to
support the talent that is found at home. It is concluded from the findings in this study,
that people all around the world and more to the point, in Ireland are looking more for
genuine art in music. This very concept has been lost in pop commercialism, and for
those who have found it, it is hoped that good Irish music will continue to grow in
popularity.
5.2 - Technology Advances
The digital revolution of the last fifteen years has changed many aspects of music as well
as modem life. The internet, digital communications, and developments in the technology
of music have all contributed to leaps in the possibilities for artists worldwide. Although
it may be argued that these same developments have caused the giant corporations only to
grow more powerful, it remains to be seen what the end effects will be.
For the moment, the advent of better affordable sound recording software means that not
just those with expensive recording studios can record music. Artists have the
technology, the time and the creative control to ensure that their works reach listeners
untainted by commercialism. Yet communications today allow sufficient interest to be
raised to support industry for these artists. Websites can sell CDs for free where
distribution and retail deals would not be an option for the small business of an artist.
Much is possible from the desk of the home-based computer, from recording to design, to
production and sales. It is possible, perhaps not to surpass the media giants, but certainly
to bypass them and succeed in varied ventures.
52
5.3 - Independent Business Model
In Ireland, the infrastructure for a contained music industry outside of the channels of the
major corporations is expanding. The number of independent Irish acts that have become
successful without the support of a major record label is encouraging. This method is
becoming easier due mainly to affordable home recording equipment and the widening of
distribution channels. Also, distribution services can be obtained by the independent artist
from outer sources. There is much support through television and radio which has aided
many independents in rising to the top of Irish album and single charts. Irish gig
promoters have realised the popularity of these acts and in turn, the independent fan-base
has increased almost to the stage at which these artists can challenge international acts on
a domestic front.
Organisations such as IMRO and other governing bodies are working constantly on
creating and updating support bases and infrastructures for up and coming artists, as well
as a good tradition among acts and established industry experts to provide support and
encouragement for new members and artists.
5.4 - Problems nearing Solution
It is well recognised by now that the Irish music industry has long exceeded its support
structure. The government in response to public and industry pressure in 1995 set up a
task force to investigate the industry and its workings. Almost ten years later, the Music
Board of Ireland has come up with reports containing strategies to develop and support
the industry. Should these strategies be implemented in the coming years, the industry,
being fully supported will open up employment and opportunity for companies and artists
in a well-structured independent industry. It is completely feasible that the domestic,
industry should rival international business from major record companies.
53
Recommendations
As this area is very new and not well researched as of yet, there is a lot of areas in which
one could expand knowledge. This study focuses on a small part of the industry and there
are many other areas to examine. The area is so big that topics like technology, piracy,
and production and distribution could all form dissertations in themselves. But what has
come out of this is that there is a serious structural shift in the music industry and Ireland
is seeing vast changes. There is room for further investigation in to the independent
business model. For someone who could come up with a clever and feasible business
plan to facilitate these changes, there could be very exciting entrepreneurial times ahead.
The Irish music industry is alive and vibrant, and a promising prospect for the future.
54
L it e r a t u r e R e v ie w
Most of my literature came in the form of reports and quite factual papers. There were no
books actually covering the topic I have discussed in my study. The area, which is quite
new in itself, has not been well documented. The industry itself is not documented widely
either, so factual information came from a few sources and the rest of it from a wide
variety of source, including articles, many websites, interviews that I conducted myself
and interviews conducted by others.
So here is an outline of any actual books that I came into contact with. All sources are
available in the Bibliography section.
•
Music Board of Ireland, Shaping The Future, A strategic plan for the
development of the music industry in Ireland: This report by the music
board of Ireland includes information about the Irish music industry, and
strategies to develop it. It also includes information relating to the global
music industry and some comparisons with Ireland. In this way, it
provided me with a lot of facts and figures along with global and domestic
trends. The information related to 2001.
•
Music Board of Ireland, The Economic Significance o f The Irish Music
Industry: This report was useful only to an extent, as it was purely
economical and specific. But it did provide a good overview of the
industry and its economics. The information related to 2001.
•
Paula Clancy and Mary Twomey, The Popular Music Industry: An
application o f Porters cluster ananysis. National Economic and Social
55
Council. Research Series, Paper No.2, November 1997: This research
paper is one of three papers conducted to explore Porter’s industrial
clusters in industries in Ireland. The other industry papers were on the
dairy and software industry. The music industry is explored under the
structure of Porter’s Diamond Model. This book provided me with a little
information on the structure of the music industry and a little bit on its
occurrence’s since the 1970’s. The rest of the information would have
been useful but because the paper was done in 1997, most of the
information is invalid as a lot has changed since then.
•
FO RTE, Access all areas, Irish music: An international industry, report
to the minister fo r arts culture and the gaeltacht: This report related to
figures and information from 1995, so it is very outdated. The group
involved in this report were essentially the forerunners for the music board
of Ireland. So for much of the information in this report, I obtained
updated similar information from the music board of Ireland reports. Yet it
was still useful in industry infrastructure information and comparative
figures.
•
Tony Clayton-Lea & Richie Taylor, Irish Rock: This book was
published in 1992. It gives great information about the development of
rock music in Ireland from the early 70’s until early 90’s, when it was
published. This book proved the most useful book for Chapter 1, where
the history of Irish music is discussed.
The rest of my literature mostly came from the internet, which proved to be only source
where I could get hold of up to date information. Details of these sources are available in
the Bibliography section.
56
R esea rch M eth o d o lo g y
The questions I set out to answer in this dissertation related to the general music industry
structure and development, but I also wanted to discover what the industry would be like
for someone who wanted to enter into it or setup a company in the near future. When I
decided upon study of the area of the Irish music industry, my thoughts were that there
would be plenty of information available and previous research to obtain information and
direction from. On further study, I realised that this area is very fragmented in its
information and difficult to quantify overall. This made it all the more interesting as most
of the information I found was relatively new to me.
Initially, I got a better feel for the industry than [ already had from reading anything I
could get my hands on, and speaking to people who knew a significant amount about the
industry and music in general. For an academic industry outlook, I went on a laborious
trawl through libraries and library catalogues in search of books on the Irish music
industry and on its developments and trends. This proved harder than I had first thought. I
found little comprehensive literature on the Industry or its developments through any sort
of a timeline. My academic literature consisted of The Music Board of Ireland reports,
an Irish research paper from 1997 and for the history, a book called Irish Rock.
My first area of study was the history of the Irish music industry. This was the most
laborious as the information was very fragmented. But through various sources, I pieced
it all together. The rest of the information to a large extent related to the last fifteen
years, and this area is not very well documented either. The source I found most helpful
was the internet. This is because most of the reporting on the music industry comes in the
form of articles, reports and opinion, as it is an ever changing industry.
Some way into my study, I found out about the Music Board of Ireland, a body set up to
support the industry and act as a forum. The board conducted two reports, namely;
Shaping the Future: A strategic plan for the development o f the music industry in Ireland,
57
and The economic significance o f the Irish music industry. These reports proved the most
useful as their area of study related more closely to mine than any other material I had
found. Many facts and figures from these reports are included in my study. As this was
so interesting to me, I interviewed the CEO of the Music Board of Ireland to gain some
further insight and expert opinion.
I decided that in light of the fragmented and limited nature of solid written information,
expert industry opinion would provide far more than 1could personally ascertain through
any amount of secondary research. I considered questionnaires and focus groups, but
decided that the information obtained from either would not give sufficient information to
arrive at any sort of a conclusion, and that the results would be too limited or specific as I
was researching mainly the major trends and changes in the industry. The interviews did
indeed prove most useful in gaining a lot of information and up to date industry opinion
and trends.
The first interview was conducted with Ms. Maura Eaton, who is CEO of The Music
Board of Ireland. This interview provided concise information about the Irish music
industry and how it has developed over the last ten years. I gained information about how
the industry may be supported in the future and why it needs this support.
The second interview, with music journalist Matthew Magee was most interesting. He is
incredibly knowledgeable about the whole industry, its trends and its business manner.
My final interview was with Nick Carswell, who is a producer and song-writer from
Dublin. I felt I needed to speak to someone on the technical side of music production and
the music process; royalties, publishing etc. As someone around my own age, I found
Nick had also made some of the same observations about modem music that first spurred
me to choose this topic. So overall, the interviews proved to be an excellent source of
information and opinion, which tied in conclusively with my secondary research.
The way in which the first interview was conducted, occurred differently as I had
planned. I had put together a detailed and very structured set of questions for Ms.
Eaton,(see appendix 1) but as the interview progressed, I didn’t get a chance to ask most
58
of the questions. But as it happened, almost all of the questions I had set out were
answered anyway through the course of the interview. So although it was not as
structured an interview as I had planned, it probably worked out better in the end. In
interview 2, with Matthew McGee, I took quite an unstructured approach. This themadc
and more idea based interview worked very well, as Matthew talked at length about
topics that I had asked about, and his answers were very structured and within them,
answered everything I wanted to know and a lot more. A third interview took place in
early May with Nick Carswell. He asked that I not transcribe the entire interview due to
the sensitive nature and confidentiality of details discussed.
So through reports, industry opinion and many articles and information obtained from
various sites on the internet, I set it all together to achieve a proper understanding of the
industry, its trends, and its possible future path. All of the data collected during this
research was collected in 2004. Many articles and interviews that are mentioned come
from before this, but dates are available in the referencing.
59
A pp e n d ix 1
M au ra E a to n -
CEO Music B o a r d
o f I r e la n d
Maura Eaton is the CEO of the music board of Ireland. She did an Arts Administration
course in UCD. She came to the music board of Ireland from the Arts Council, where
she was Music Officer for three years. Before that she was working mainly with
contemporary classical music and Irish composers, conducting some research in the area.
She was always interested in music, on a personal level as a singer. She sings in choirs
and has recorded with Daniel O’Donnell!
She was on the board of MCPS, which is the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society.
Although she was involved in cultural policy making in the area,
she was always following the development of the Irish Music Industry throughout the
90’s. The music board of Ireland combined policy making, which is really her area, and
her interest in the industry.
She was involved in putting together the Music Board of Ireland’s strategic plans, and is
in constant consultation with the government and the industry as to its future.
INDUSTRY EXPERT INTERVIEW 1:
An in depth structured interview was carried out with Ms. Maura Eaton, CEO o f the
Music Board o f Ireland. The interview took place at the offices o f the music board on the
4th May 2004 and 11.30am. The interview took approximately 50 minutes.
HD: How was the Music Board o f Ireland founded, by whom and when?
ME: Well I’ll just tell you where it came from first. As I said, I’ve been involved in this
kind of business since I did the Arts Admin course in UCD, which was in 1991 or 1992.
60
So, throughout the 90s there were a number of reports on the music industry in Ireland,
all of which called for the establishment of the music board, so it took an awful long time
for it to be set up. It was set up in May 2001, with modest funding.
HD: Yes, How exactly is the MBI funded and financed?
ME: The MBI was set up with modest funding, fifty percent from the government and
fifty percent coming from the industry itself It was set up for a three year interim period,
which is coming to an end in May. But I will tell you about that in a minute. I’ll tell you
now what we were set up to do.
What we were set up to do was to devise policy, to advise government on the appropriate
support for the development of the music industry. And also to provide a kind of forum
for the music industry itself Because, as you know, the industry has always been quite
fragmented. And in fact, the first minister of culture, Michael D Higgins, when the
industry approached him with the idea of setting up a music board, I mean, he said - it’s
too fragmented, and there’s too many different kinds of people who would need to get
together. And that is when the IB EC music industry group was set up, which in a sense
was kind of a forerunner of what we have now.
HD: That was the FORTE report was it?
ME: The FORTE report was actually commissioned by Michael D Higgins, set up by
him. In fact he set up another one, which was called PIANO, that was for classical music,
and 1organised that one. That was one of my research projects. And so, as I say, I’ve
always been kind of, even if it was being in a parallel way, I’ve been kind of following
the music industry itself, throughout the last ten years or so. But so, that’s really the
point of the board.
HD: And how have you done it?
ME: So how have we done that, in terms of policy, that’s where our “Shaping the Future”
document comes in. We set out what we think the gaps are, what needs to be done, how
61
we would do them and how much it would cost. Now how much it would cost isn’t in the
report but we gave a percent of that to the minister. You know, as regards being a forum
for the industry, our board would represent people from different sectors of the industry,
from the major record labels, copyright, artists, promoters, you know, we’ve got a good
range.
HD: Would you have been in consultation with a lot of organisations for those reports,
there }s a lot o f research obviously?
ME: Yes, yes, yes, yeah. Well I mean, first of all, there was kind of a public call for
submission, which to be quite honest, I don’t think is, will give the best results. I think
it’s very good because everybody feels involved. You know, anyone can send in an email and that’s grand. But you know, you don’t really get, kind of, in depth information
out of that. Its usually people saying things like, oh there needs to be more radio play, or,
oh its terrible this and this, you know, without saying how it might be done or with what
structures would need to be put in place. But never mind. But I would have also met with
people from the industry, key people in the industry as well. Obviously the board has a
lot of expertise. Em, so yeah, we consulted widely.
HD: And ju st back to the funding , who exactly from the industry funded it?
ME: Well as I said, it’s fifty-fifty, government and industry, and the industry being the
IBEC music industry group. So that’s effectively PPI and IMRO. In terms of funding.
HD: And how had the budget been effective?
ME: Well, it’s a very modest budget, just enough for administration really. For staff,
although the original idea would have been to have more staff, it quickly became
apparent that you cant really have staff unless you have a programme budget, so that they
can be doing something. So, what myself and the Chair felt very strongly about, and the
board agreed, we’d keep the overheads down, and use, you know, as a modest budget,
use it to implement some of the programme activities. And that’s what we’ve been doing
for the last while. But I’ll tell you more about that in a minute.
62
HD: And at what point did the industry exceed the support?
ME: How, what do you mean?
HD: Well, the music board o f Ireland talks about being the support fo r the industry,
and at what point , was it during the 90ys or when, at what point did people start saying
that this industry is developing at such a rate that it needs support. There seems to have
been no need fo r such a board until a certain time, when people began to call for it So,
really, ju st time wise, when was it called for exactly?
ME: Oh, very early on. I mean it was around 1992 or 1993. A group called the jobs in
music campaign was started, and they called for the music board at that time.
HD: Wow, so itfs over ten years!
ME: Yeah, the FORTE report probably consolidated that. That was the kind of best. I
mean its all very well saying, we need a music board, but it needs to be backed up with a
coherent argument and all the rest of it. So the FORTE report did that. Where I think our
report is different to the FORTE report is in that we, we don’t just kind of make
aspirational recommendations about what should happen. We kind of say how it should
happen. You know, and as I say, we’ve a costing on that as well. Which we did not
publish, because that goes out of date very quickly, so it would date the report. And in
fact, when people might say that a lot of our recommendations are like the ones in the
FORTE report. That’s because we feel that none of those things were really properly
addressed in the meantime.
HD: And so how has the Music Board of Ireland gone about implementing these
changes?
ME: We don’t have the budget to implement the 8 or 9 initiatives that we recommend.
So it took me a long time to persuade the board to do what we could on our small budget,
you know. Because, there is another school of thought, which would say that until
you’ve got a really good budget, there’s not point in starting to do really small things.
And that’s a very valid point of view. From a government point of view though, unless
your using the money that you have, your not showing a need for additional funding. So
63
you have to try and get that balance between the way commercial people think and the
way the public sector thinks.
So, in terms of MIDEM in January in 2004, we worked with Enterprise Ireland to up the
PR on the stand, so we had a dvd, we the music board has it own promotional dvd, which
kind of shows statistics from the reports and that but we also funded a dvd to kind of
show off the company’s participating. Now that’s only a small thing, and it sounds, kind
of so what, but I think in terms of starting, or year one of the strategy. What could we do
to add on to what was already there. We felt that what the company’s participating
needed was something to... so that the passer by would link these small Irish companies
with big Irish stars. You know, a lot of people might not know that U2 or The
Cranberries are Irish. So what we were doing through our little presentation showing big
names to catch people’s attention and then also showing something to do the with the
country.
HD: So it’s ju st purely to promote the Irish industry?
ME: Yeah, we also took an ad in the MIDEM news. You may say, so what, but you
know, everybody else is doing it, and if your not doing it as well, you kind of miss out.
We also had a senior person over from the department over to launch the seminar, the EU
seminar which took place last week. So again, once you make an announcement, then
that’s a reason for having something written in the daily news. And so on and so forth. So
they are only small things, but things that we feel we could build on in the future. And
that the participants certainly felt beneficial, so that was kind of the publishers and small
record labels. Then there were the artists, to focus on those. We were involved in the
St.Patrick’s festival in March, to have a showcase event. And so there were kind of two
levels, we had a kind of straight showcase event for kind of young bands, and we also
kind of placed more experienced bands as support acts to the headline acts that were
taking part during the St.Patrick’s festival. It was a whole selection process and it was all
above board and all the rest of it. Again the idea being that these are people who need
exposure. If we work with another organisation, we can get them that. And some of the
young bands in the showcase evening, already, some of them, somebody appeared in
64
RTE, somebody got cd interest. We didn’t just get them up on stage to perform, but we
also had a panel of industry experts there, so the bands all met those afterwards. Again a
very small thing, but that’s how the industry works, it’s all based on these kind of
contacts.
HD: And so the report talks a lot about that, and that bands don’t have access to that
exposure that they need . Do you think that into the future, after the board’s term, and
if you get another, that more will be done to get these bands exposure?
ME: Well that’s a whole other topic in itself, so we’ll come back to that in a minute, and
I’ll finish talking about the other things. The last thing of kind of starting to roll out these
initiatives is this EU conference that took place last week. I proposed that to the
department, that music should be part of the official presidency programme.
Unfortunately there was somebody else in Brussels doing the same thing at the same
time. So the two ideas kind of came together. So once you get the EU to agree that its
part of the official programme, then there’s EU funding. That meant then, obviously it
was the departments gig, but you know we were one of the organisers, so again, you
know when you’re working on a limited budget, I think it’s very important to work in
conjunction with other events or organisations, because otherwise, you can’t do it by
yourself. This was a big event last week, we had industry people, financial people, people
from ministries of culture throughout Europe. This was in Dublin last week, to discuss
ways of financing the music industry.
HD: And what came out o f this event, what conclusions about the music industry were
reached etc?
ME: Well there were two objectives and as I say the conclusions are just being kind of
finalised at the moment. And I can’t actually tell you what people spoke about because.
It’s not because it’s secret, but actually because I was one of the organisers and I was
running around, and I didn’t actually get to sit down and listen to it myself.
But the idea was to kind of have, well it was based on discussion rather than people
giving speeches so one of the discussions was around support policies for music and that
would have looked at how the public sector can support music. How the EU can support
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music as an industry rather than as a cultural activity because that’s the way they fund
film. So there will be proposals going to the EU commission, the wrap up meeting of the
presidency, which is sometime in May. The other session was about how banks and
financial institutions can come up with more appropriate models of funding, because they
don’t see music as being a good investment.
So do you think it is important for everyone to see it as an industry in itself?
ME: Yes, it’s so fragmented and also in terms of finance, it’s so difficult to get started
with finance because it’s an unpredictable business and it’s not a sure bet and you know,
whereas you might get funding to start up a sandwich making industry or something , you
wont get it. Its very difficult to predict.
HD: What difficulties have arisen in trying to implement strategies to help the
industry?
ME: Mainly funding. The difficulties the board faced was that number one it was set up,
but that doesn’t mean it’s got the full support of the public service behind it. And when
the minister sets it up, you have to spend a long time convincing the civil servants that
this is a good idea. There was a very sudden economic downturn in 2002, so the film
board, the arts council, everybody’s budget was cut. So it was not a good time to be
looking for an increase in funding. Also, there was the, this kind of change taking place.
In the past statutory bodies were set up but there was some kind of a committee or report
group set up to look at statutory bodies across the board. And they recommended that
there was enough. And when we were set up, one of the ideas was that then we would be
set up as a statutory body. That’s not what happens anymore. So the timing was all a little
bit wrong. But never mind, you have to make the most of it. I spent a lot of time last year
in meetings and boards etc.
HD: So, itys a slow process gaining the support
ME: Yes very slow, very slow.
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HD: So what major lessons have been learned from the plans about the industry?
I think it’s too early to say that. I think it takes five years to fully plan and implement and
evaluate. And I don’t think we can evaluate our whole plan, because we don’t really feel
it’s been implemented yet.
HD: The board is the only thing of its sort at the moment in the music industry is it not?
Yes, we would compare ourselves to the film board. The two main problems that we
encounter are that people don’t see the point of state support of the music industry
because they think either it makes a lot of money or they think of the big names or its
something you do in your spare time. We feel we have made an economic case. Here’s a
starting point. If other industries get state support on the basis that they haven’t reached
their full potential, well we are saying that we are the same. The same as board bia or
anything else.
HD: Can I ask you some questions about the domestic market and it’s state?
ME: Well as comes out in the report is that there are two things that come out. One is that
we have a very good share of the world market, at 2.3% in 2001, which is amazing. On
the other hand, Irish artists have a very low domestic market share at 26%. Whereas in
Germany it would much higher, but they wouldn’t have the world market that we have.
So we have the benefit of speaking English and having the world at our feet. And we also
then have the competition from all of the other English speaking artists and the American
and British industry are very strong. So that’s where we have to be realistic. We can’t
expect the figure to suddenly go to 40%, but they could have an awful lot more. And we
feel that if the support sector was strengthened, then one thing would lead to another, in
terms of the record companies, the publishers, producers, the Irish artists could use them
more instead of going abroad as they sometimes do. And also that they could, that a
bigger market could be created for the product.
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HD: Does the music board o f Ireland look at the whole Irish independent sector. There
are a lot o f bands there ... ?
ME: Absolutely, yes, we haven’t actually, apart from MIDEM, done anything for the
independent sector, because its one of the things we feel that if we were to get into it, we
would like to get into it in a big way. For instance, should there an overall association for
independent labels, like there is in the UK for instance. And that is something that the
music board could do. Now I know there is an independent music publishers or music
producers association in existence but I’m not sure how much funding they have.
Anyway, certainly something like that needs to be done. In terms of one of the other
projects that I was involved in recently, now it wasn't a music board of Ireland project
but the music board did it. The CD to mark the Irish presidency of the EU, now that
purposely focused on the type of artists that you are talking about. Young up and coming,
Irish, independent, the new wave, not established artists. So that’s been very successful.
HD: Do you think that these artists, o f which there is an increasing number, can
succeed without the ‘big fiv e ’?
ME: It’s very hard to know, I think that’s changing. As we see the big five getting
smaller all the time. They are not taking on as many people, they are dropping big names
and we know all of that. You know everybody talks about the growth of the independent
sector and the opportunities on the internet and all of that, but in theory that’s there, but I
don’t know in practice, I think people still want to be signed because its still about
money, and if you really want to make it big, you have to have a big budget, and the
small companies just don’t have that. So I think you can get so far with an independent
label, but I don’t know about becoming worldwide. On the other hand you can keep your
own identity and your own kind of music made which isn’t always the case with people
focused on the global market.
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HD: Do you think it is vitally important for Irish artists to become successful
internationally ?
ME: They have to, if they don’t make it internationally they wont make a career, because
there isn’t a big enough market for them.
HD: You do think that Ireland is just too small
ME: Yes, it is just too small.
HD: Do you think that new independent labels can develop and come up with
something new and succeed domestically?
ME: Well yes, that’s what we can see, that is what is happening. We can see the pressure
the majors are under and at the same time the independents are growing. The bit I cant
answer is, is it possible for an independent to become as big as, I don’t know, it hasn’t
happened yet. Maybe it will never happen. But I do think that maybe with proper access
to start up finance blah blah blah, these people could go further than they are going at the
moment.
HD: Do you think there are going to be a lot of new jobs created in the next few years}
in music management and independent sector services?
ME: We are seeing at the moment that the major’s are cutting staff all the time. Pm sure
you know, half of Warner’s gone there recently in the offices in Dublin, so on the one
hand there is losing jobs, but I do think that at the smaller level it is growing, there is a lot
of live performances, a lot of as you say independent labels, stuff happening. We think
that there can be an increase in employment, but I think that it’s going to be a large
number of small companies rather than a small number of large companies. So I think
that that’s where people will find work.
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HD: Do you think that there is a new business model that can be worked on in the
independent sector, and that there is something new that has been created and can be
developed?
ME: Well I think that this is an opportune time to come up with something like that
because people are interested in this alternative way of going about things, but it hasn’t
quite as you say found the successful model yet. Or if people have the idea, they can’t get
the finance. We’ve seen a lot of money going into the manufactured bands but not into
the young artists. It’s all about budget really. These independent artists are spending a lot
of time working. The Irish market is small though. It’s hard to make it.
HD: Well I hope you are successful with obtaining a second term from the government
fo r the board , and thank you for your time.
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A ppen d ix 2
I n t e r v i e w 2 - I n te r v ie w e e P r o f i l e
M atthew M cGee
Matthew has been working for the Sunday Tribune since 1998. He has been their main
music writer since 2000. He does music features, interviews, CD reviews, live reviews.
He also talks about music on the radio on newstalk fm.
INDUSTRY EXPERT INTERVIEW 2:
An in-depth unstructured interview was carried out with Matthew Magee, music
journalist fo r the Sunday Tribune, in the Henry Grattan on Baggot St., Dublin, on April
22nd 2004. Interview took approximately 50 minutes.
•
Portion’s of the interview were deemed off the record by Matthew, and for the
sake of continuity, it is indicated where these sections took place, and then the
interview continues o n ...
HD: What major trends have you noticed in the music industry o f late?
MM: I think the most important thing that has happened is really on the technical side
rather than the business side. So I mean, some people say majors are losing share to
independents. 1don’t know if they are or not, but certainly there is a resurgence in
independently released music and I think there is a resurgence in Ireland of artists owning
and controlling their music and being in control of their careers. And you see bands who
were with majors and no longer are who self record, self release, self finance, and end up
reaping rewards from that that they could never have reaped with a major label. The
Frames did that and they have been the template for everybody else to do it. Mundy did it
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and he actually had to get back recordings made under the major label record contract in
order to do it with 24 Star Hotel. Damien Rice has been the most successful
internationally in doing it, entirely self-recording, self-financing. More recently Jerry
Fish who, I think an emotional fish signed at the time the biggest ever recording contract
signed by an Irish act in the late 1980s or the early 90’s. So he has done it recently
himself as well. And interestingly, The Frames just signed a contract with a major for
their next album due out in autumn, so it might be worth looking into that. 1 think it’s
some sort of licensing or distribution deal, but they have signed up to a major. It may be
just in America.
They very much were the template for everybody else. When they released For the Birds,
it was a very high risk thing for them to do at the time and I think they were very worried
about how it might turn out and it ended up being fantastic for them because if you record
and release your own music, say for the fifteen quid that the record costs, your going to
get eight or nine of that rather than one or two. So it is a fantastic thing if you can get the
sales. And I think it would be very interesting if they are moving back into a major label
infrastructure, to ask why is that? They were the first of this generation of Irish musicians
to do that. Now they are the first to go back into a major label so why are they doing it.
Anyway, all of which is to say, that I think the most important contributing factor to that
change has been cheap recording. So I don’t think it’s anything to do with internet or
internet distribution or cheap CD’s or anything like that. I think the most important thing
is the fact that artists no longer need hundreds of thousands, or millions, or tens of
millions of euro to record and make a record in the first place. What a recording contract
is, is basically a very very punitive bank loan, so record labels are basically banks that
take very high risks. And the way that they finance taking very high risks is by making
the loans under very high penalties. So they will lend you two million quid to make a
record, and hope that you make that two million quid back and hand it over to them and
then make another five million quid which they get a share of. So that’s the business
model. So say you do that, you hand them back their two million, it’s called recouping,
then there’s another five million made, you split that under a different formula, so the
record company is now in profit. At the end of that you’ve given them back the loan,
72
under the terms of a normal loan, you shouldn’t be in debt, but they still own the master
recordings, they own the songs, they own the performances, they own every possible
right. If you’ve also made a publishing deal with them, they own every possible right to
the material, so you’ve gone and paid back the loan and yet the record company ends up
in ownership of all your stuff. So that’s a system that’s punitive to art. I think what
people like Mundy found was that when you don’t have control of your music, you don’t
own it, a record label might not back you, and you can’t do anything about it. If you want
the music back it’s hard, because you don’t even own it. This is what people have been
reacting against, and have been for 30 or 40 years. The history of recorded music is one
of dodgy contracts, bad deals, artists trapped in record company’s that have fallen out of
love with them and there’s nothing you can do about that, because you still need to find
250 grand to hire abbey road to make your album. So as soon as soon as cheap digital PC
based recording is of a high enough quality to replace live rooms, mixing desks, tape
machines, three sound engineers, a mastering engineer. As soon as you can replace that
and do it yourself, it changes the economics of the industry fundamentally and means that
artists can sit and home and write and record their songs, release it and if there is enough
of a market, they will make a lot more money per CD and they will be in total control of
it. And I think that that change in recording technology in the last 5 or 6 years has been
the most important change.
So it’s more the production means than the distribution methods that has been
important? People talk so much about the internet...
I think the internet is largely irrelevant. The internet is important to major record labels
because they say they lose a lot of money, they say, in illegally downloaded music that
isn’t bought, but the question is, I don’t think its fair to count the number of songs that
are being downloaded, add up how much that would cost in the shop and say that is how
much money is being lost. Because obviously people are going to download for free more
readily than they are going to buy in the shops. But there’s no doubt it has had an impact
on them, so it is important in some regards. But I don’t think it has much relevance in the
increasing independence of Irish artists. One thing is it’s a fantastic and cheap way of
73
keeping in contact with people who want to keep a tab on the artist. Fifty quid a year for a
server and stick whatever you need up on the website, that’s handy but it’s hardly a
sizeable shift in the industry. I think cheap recording is. I think it has played a huge role
in freeing artists from major labels, it has its downsides, but Irish independent music in
particular has seen the upsides. And because it’s a relatively small market where you can
make a relatively big impact just on the back of gigs, word of mouth, press. A handful of
articles in the right papers, can mean that you don’t really have to have to have a big
marketing and advertising budget at all. You can reach music fans for a minimal outlay,
in a way that you couldn’t in a country even just a bit bigger than here, so I think that’s
why the effects have been seen so clearly here, rather than maybe more so than markets
like Britain which still tend to be dominated by actual independent labels rather than
artists run one-offs like Mundy’s Camcor or Damien Rice. What they do is make the
record, master etc and then they can contract out distribution, by RMG or some record
labels for a fee. Distribution is impossible on your own, and if you are looking to get into
other territories, you do more comprehensive deals like this. You can take your finished
product, and license it to somebody. They will take a slice of your cover price, but in
some markets it works out. If you go abroad, you’re not going to go to Australia and
distribute your CD yourself. It may be worthwhile licensing to markets where you
otherwise would not have been able to go.
HD: How do you rate the success o f independent Irish artists overseas?
MM: Well, of all that crop of independent Irish artists, Damien Rice has been the most
successful internationally. Of all of them, he was the only one who did that, selfrecording, self-producing... .OFF RECORD....so he’s really the only person who’s
totally taken the production aspect of the diy route to the extreme. His album is rough
sounding in places; it’s not the best recording ever. I mean the vocals get distorted
sometimes, I mean you wouldn’t listen to it going; that’s the best recording in the world
ever, but it’s very warm and rich sounding, and it sounds very natural, and that’s what the
international market has gone for. It’s the quirky sound of Damien that I think the
international market has gone for. He’s made far more impact than any of the others.
74
Bell XI and The Frames support him in America. He moved in to a bigger business
infrastructure very quickly. As soon as it looked like the record would get some sales in
the UK, which was the first non-Irish market to go for him, there were licensing deals for
there, and for America and then for other territories. He quite quickly moved into a
business infrastructure that could take care of things on a bigger scale, because there is a
very low limit to how much you can take care of yourself. So doing it yourself is a great
way to get it off the ground, but then you have to be aware of when you need to start just
paying other people to do some of the stuff. Because you are a singer or a guitarist or
whatever and you not a business man so I think it’s important to realise that point and be
prepared to move on to it...
HD: Have records companies changed their package to ju st distribute or change their
services.
In terms of the major labels, Fm always puzzled by the fact that the major labels will sell
a product for fifteen, twenty, twenty-five euro. We all know the cost of the materials. The
actual CD in your hand is tiny, it costs nothing. When you are printing them. Even when
you factor in the transport, the distribution, the delivery, it doesn’t cost a lot of money.
Yet the companies still regularly report losses, quarter after quarter. They are mostly
publicly quoted companies, and you know a lot of them, they say they lose money. You
know, the record industry has been in crisis for over twenty five years. And it makes you
wonder where all the money’s going. Certainly this is an objection that artists have. I
mean when everything a record company does so, for example, when the press are taken
to London to see a gig, or to Paris to see a gig, when you go to the record company
offices and there’s a bowl of fruit, a plate of sandwiches when your doing your interview
or you go to a hotel, and they go do you want a beer, and you go yeah cracking. The artist
is sitting there going cracking, the record company is buying us beer, but no, the artist is
buying it. Everything, every expense is put down to an artist, a loss that is then to be
recouped against their earnings. So even though that artist doesn’t know it, he’s just
bought you a cup of coffee. He’s just bought you a sandwich. He had no say, and he had
no control over that expenditure. So, people have always been saying that record
companies need to look at the excesses of their spending. There was a book
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recently.. .OFF RECORD.. .But one of the problems, I do think there is a problem with
the record companies being public companies, their shares traded on the public markets,
because public markets expect quarterly growth, I think their expectations are unrealistic.
You can’t go to the market as Sony and say, well from now on, our business has reached
the correct size. We’re just going to keep running it as good business. There will
probably be no more growth in our business. We’re making a profit, we will always make
a profit. We promise we will never lose money again, but we’ll probably never make
more money than we are now, because there’s only so much music we can sell. You go
out there as Sony music executive and say that and your share price will be one percent
of what it is today tomorrow. So it’s just not what the markets want to hear. So it’s a
constant push for growth. And I think part of the reason, one of reasons the expectations
are unrealistic is because the last fifteen years have seen a period of crazy growth for
record company revenues because of the CD and because of there being another format.
And for the past fifteen years, everybody has been buying what they’ve already bought
on record, on CD. And that’s a very long process. I think it does take fifteen years to get
round to doing that. So record companies are being paid twice for music that was was
paid for once. I mean you only have to pay a guy a few quid to master it and put it on CD.
And I think that has falsely inflated revenues, earnings, profits. And I think it has falsely
inflated market expectations, which record companies now have to try and live up to.
And I don’t see how they can, beyond inventing another format and fleecing us all again.
A special audio CD, or they tried to do it with mini disc. Maybe they will move to a dvd
based system where you can fit more information on, or certainly the online delivery
means lower cost because there is no printing and distribution. But the music is the same
price. A song on Apple’s iTunes has just gone up by up to 70% in some cases. It’s gone
from, I think your basic tune price has gone from 99cents to $1.25 just a few weeks ago.
So that’s another problem that the record companies have to deal with, which his a non
musical problem. And something which again is by passed by independents because they
don’t have to worry about it.
HD: The record companies speak o f losing money, so you think it may not be as big as
they speak of?
16
I don’t think anyone believes that record companies aren’t. It’s in record companies
interest to make as large as possible, the amount they say they are losing through piracy.
And I don’t think anyone believes they are losing as much as they say they are losing, I
certainly don’t. It’s a complicated business and there’s lots else for them to be worried
about, one of which is unrealistic investment expectations. Certainly they shouldn’t be
losing money, the lack of the business of back catalogue replacement is a reason for
revenues to fall, but it shouldn’t be a reason for profits to fall. I mean, they should be able
to run their business profitably on new music, without resorting to having to generate
back catalogue sales through format changes. So there profitability shouldn’t fall. You
can reduce revenues but keep your percentage of profitability the same. They should be
able to do that, but they don’t seem to be.
OFF RECORD
HD: So how do you see the manufactured pop music world and its actual processes
and do you think it will change?
MM: The plastic pop is still produced in a very traditional way. The A&R guys go out
and scouting for talent, listening to tapes and CD’s. They sign people up, into very
controlling contracts. It’s even more essential in that world than it is in the maybe guitar
based, more organic, rock music type of world. To be honest, that’s the thing that record
companies are very good at reproducing. Simon Cowell, who is a very senior executive at
BMG, apart from being TV star and all of that, he is very good at the business of
producing, and maintaining the profile of and making careers for pop acts. It’s a skill I’d
not like to have but it’s a difficult thing to do and he’s very good at it, and that’s a skill
that major record labels still have. But it’s very difficult to replicate outside of that. I
mean there is room for the small independent people, like the Svengali’s, Louis Walsh,
like Pete Waterman, who just learned how to do one thing, and just do it very well. But
they are totally dependent on the support of those major labels to do everything else.
Louis Walsh can pick and groom the guys and maybe source songwriters or whatever,
77
but he can’t distribute records you know or come up with global marketing plan
campaigns. They are with BMG and Simon Cowell is the guy he deals with there, and
that’s the record companies strength so as far as I know that’s all still quite traditional and
likely to remain so because those acts are based on getting very quick saturation,
exposure to the kids who are looking to buy the records. Because you’ve got to work in a
very short time span because you become yesterday’s news very quickly and in order to
do that you need to be prepared to invest massive amounts of money right from the start.
Now the returns if you are successful are massive. It’s a high risk situation, but it’s a high
reward situation also if it works out. Because you keep a vastly greater proportion of the
price of the CD than you do if you’re the record company to an independent artist, so
there are huge returns but also huge risks as well. So that’s unlikely to ever change as
being the preserve of the major labels. The processes are applicable to more organic acts
and some of them do spend lots of money on videos and tours.
You’ve seen little production and song writing teams set up like Max Martyn, who was
Britney’s initial song-writing and production mastermind. The matrix made Avril
Lavigne’s last record, people like Cathy Dennis. And so American companies are
outsourcing everything. It’s a very expensive high tech gig, but they don’t have to pay for
all the recording etc. It is a very hard thing to do well. I mean Westlife isn’t about the
music for the record company, they don’t care, so outsource it and let someone else do all
that work. Anybody will tell you in the industry that when you see the artists name as a
co-writer, what will happen is the people who actually wrote the song will get paid even
more money for it if they are prepared to let the artist have a credit. We can’t know for
definite if that happens, but I’d be very sure.
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A p p e n d ix 3
I nterview Profile 3
Nick Carswell
Nick Carswell is a well-established musician, who has been performing and playing
piano in various hotels and piano bars around Ireland for over ten years. He also fronts a
band called Yellowbelly who are currently in recording in Dublin and Glasgow.
Nick is a songwriter, and is currently in negotiations with several publishing companies
for his own songs. He also has a production company called Biased Productions in which
he produces music with a collaborator. Biased Productions is in constant talks with
English and Irish publishers, and has sold a number of songs and television jingles.
Nick is a qualified sound engineer. He is generally very knowledgeable about the music
industry and is particularly knowledgeable about songwriting, publishing and music
industry processes.
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A p p e n d ix 4: A c r o n y m s
Official organisations mentioned throughout have been made clear in most cases but for a
better understanding of their main function, here is a list of the main organisations and
bodies that I included. Also some may not have been actually mentioned but I consulted
them for information and used them to gain a better understanding of certain areas and
the organisation’s function and relationship with the rest of the industry.
IMRO: Irish Music Rights Organisation: IMRO is a national not-for-profit organisation
that songwriters, composers, and music publishers join. IMRO collects and distributes
public performance royalties. Music users such a broadcasters, venues and businesses
must pay for their use of copyright music by way of a blanket licence fee. IMRO is a
member of the international bodies CISAS (International Confederation of Societies of
Authors and Composers) and GESAC ( le groupement Europeen des Societies d’Auteurs
Compositeurs), and has reciprocal agreements with over 60 others collection societies
worldwide.
IRMA: Irish Recorded Music Association: IRMA is a not-for-profit organisation set up
by record companies and other related companies as a sort of forum for issues and
discussion.
IFPI: International Federation Phonographic Industry: IFPI is a worldwide organisation,
representing the recording industry.
MCPS: Mechanical Copyright Protection Society: MCPS is a membership organisation
affiliated with other organisations around the world, and members receive mechanical
royalties for manafacturing overseas. MCPS Ireland also issues licences for
synchronisation (integrating copyright music into films and television).
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MPAI: The Music Publishers Association of Ireland: became the parent company of
MCPS Ireland in March 2001.
ASCAP: American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers: American performing
rights society.
CMC - Contemporary Music Centre: Irish national archive and resource centre for
composers and new music.
FM C - Federation o f Music Collectives: An umbrella organisation providing support
and information for music. Encourages the growth of new music collectives and support.
M PAI - Music Publishers Association Ireland: A representative body for Irish
publishers.
NIMIC: Northern Irish Music Industry Commission: Aiding the music industry and
involved in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
R.A.A.P - Recorded Artists & Performers Ltd: Administering broadcast income in
Ireland and around the world.
PPI - Phonographic Performance Ireland: Collects money for the public use of recorded
music in public places.
Music Board o f Ireland: Acts as a forum for the industry and forms strategies for the
development of the industry and liases with the government.
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B ib l io g r a p h y
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Clayton-Lea, Tony and Richie Taylor (1992) Irish Rock. Ireland. Gill and
Macmillan publishing.
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82
W
e b l io g r a p h y
www.artscouncil.ie
www.bbc.co.uk
www.bemuso.com/resources/musicbiz.html
www.cluas.com
www.browseireland.com/music
www.irma.com
www.imro.com
www.irmatrust.com
www.hotpress.com/archive
www.fmc-ireland .com
www.cluas.com
www.wired.com
www.irishunsigned.com
www.netunes.com
www.musicboardofireland.com
www.mcps.co.uk
www.musicjoumal.org
www.musicdish.com
www.musicnetwork.ie
www.musicexportnorway.no
www.mckenna.dk/historyofmusic.htm
www.stolaf.edu/peopLe/hend/VictoryMusic/ThelrishSessionl.htm
www.damienrice.com

- TRAP@NCI - National College of Ireland

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