With a little help from my friends

It’s a simple fact that the majority of the recent crop of Irish stars have emerged through the independent sector. Damien Rice, Mundy, Damien Dempsey, Nina Hynes, The Frames, Saville and many more have all adopted the DIY route to success.

While this option has many advantages over being tied to a major record company, there is a potential downside. More often than not it involves taking complete control of recording, production and marketing functions – which means a lot of extra work for the artist or a band who would rather be devoting as much time to making music as possible.
The good news, then, is that the industry these days is becoming increasingly geared to the needs of independent-minded artists and there is plenty of help out there – much of it available free of charge.
Let’s say you’re a budding singer-songwriter or you’re in a band and you need information on how to progress your career – where do you begin? You could start with the Federation Of Music Collectives (FMC), an initiative funded by the Arts Council to facilitate local music activity around the 32 counties. FMC helps through training, funding, information and contacts, and also offer an instrument-lending library for outreach and educational programs.
As Angela Dorgan, CEO of FMC explains, they also provide a service whereby they pass on demos from all over the country to different labels and publishers here and in the UK. “We’ve had some notable successes in the past,” she points out, “including Simple Kid, Turn, Ten Speed Racer, Future Kings of Spain, 8 ball, The Thrills, Nina Hynes, Tycho Brahe and lots more.”
The FMC also deals with individual musicians through one-to-one consultancies and provides over 20 factsheets (available on their web-site www.fmc-ireland.com). FMC, who produced the first ever Music Education Directory for Ireland, have an 8,000 entry online searchable database with contact information on everything from venues to record companies in Ireland, and the UK.
“The website has proved hugely popular,” says Angela Dorgan. “We received 30,454 downloads and searches in the month of January 2004 alone.”

Paying the pipers
IMRO is another important body, which helps out musicians and songwriters, both directly and indirectly.
In essence they are the national organisation whose role it is to administer the performing right in copyright music in Ireland on behalf of its members – songwriters, composers and music publishers – and on behalf of the members of the international overseas societies to which IMRO are affiliated.
IMRO’s function is to collect and distribute royalties arising from the public performance of copyright works.
The organisation is also prominently involved in the sponsorship and promotion of music in Ireland.
Every year it sponsors a large number of song contests, music festivals, seminars, workshops, research projects and showcase performances. Indeed, IMRO is now synonymous with helping to showcase emerging talent in Ireland.
In a new development, IMRO will soon be offering a range of online services to members. According to IMRO Marketing Manager, Keith Johnson. “It can be difficult for songwriters to keep track of what they write and the current status – say whether it’s published or not. This service will enable them to keep track of payments as well.”
And in yet another innovative development, IMRO are also planning to provide online micro-sites for each member. It’s just one more in a growing range of services provided for members by what is one of the most important music-related organisations in Ireland.

The Golden Board
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.
For example the Music Board is involved with Celebrating Irish Music And Film, a promotional DVD/CD with the Irish Film Board on behalf of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism for use during Ireland’s Presidency of the EU in 2004. The Board is also actively involved with the St. Patrick’s Festival Music Village March 2004, promoting up-and-coming bands as support to headline acts – details to be announced soon.
Recently the Board was involved in MIDEM the international music industry music marathon, which took place in Cannes in January 2004.
“The Irish music industry was well represented there,” says Maura Eaton CEO of the Music Board “Over 60 individuals registered, representing over 40 companies – it was the largest Irish contingent ever to travel to do business in Cannes.”
The Music From Ireland stand was hosted by Enterprise Ireland, with support from the Music Board of Ireland, and the Northern Irish Music Industry Commission.
“Almost every participant registered at the Irish stand has intimated that they came home having successfully negotiated agreements,” says Eaton. “It’s an indication that MIDEM is a valuable and rewarding event for anyone with the right plan of action, and of course, good product.”

Complete Control
Radio play is enormously important in the Irish context and has been vital in establishing new acts in recent years. Music Control monitors music airplay in Ireland and Northern Ireland, covers 32 radio stations and provides a wide range of reports and charts. It also produces the Official Airplay Chart for Ireland based on plays on a daily and weekly basis. The chart is compiled each day, culminating in the weekly chart released each Monday.
Music Control uses a unique patented electronic fingerprinting technology, ‘Medicor’, developed for the sole use of Music Control and catering to the specific needs of the music industry. But, in order for a title to be tracked, Music Control requires a copy of all versions released to radio stations.
“We are trying to get artists and bands at all levels or genres to send us their music so we can make our charts more representative of everything that is being played,” says Music Control’s Feidhlim Byrne. “This would allow us to create more charts, including a definitive Airplay Chart based on Irish product.”
There is no cost to anybody sending in their music and to make it easy, Music Control have set up an e-mail address [email protected] to which artists can send music directly.
“The only cost to them is if they decide to use our service and receive tracking reports for marketing and promotion purposes,” Byrne emphasises. Otherwise, you can have your radio plays counted for chart purposes – for free.
A Positive Trend
Being independent usually means you have to organise the manufacture of your CDs. It can be a daunting prospect for those inexperienced in the process – but there are solutions at hand.
Trend Studios is the market leader in the manufacture of music CDs so they know all the potential pitfalls – for example, did you know you could release a CD, sell thousands of copies and still not show up in the charts? That won't happen if you talk to Trend.
Over half of Trend’s business comes from artists making their own CDs, and from small independent record labels. The artists whose CDs are manufactured by Trend include: Jerry Fish & The Mudbug Club, Brian Kennedy, The Stunning, The Frames, The Four of Us, Kieran Goss, Josh Ritter, Christy Moore, and many more. (Their web-site www.trendstudios.com is crammed with info and well worth a visit.)
Unlike some other operators in the market, Trend are not brokers or agents who may be getting your CDs pressed in some eastern European country. They have their own in-house pressing plant, which ensures that if you need fast re-runs when you have a hit on your hands, Trend are close enough to oblige.
As they make their own CDs, Trend are also extremely competitive on price.
But it’s not just about pressing-up CDs when you need them. One of the most important steps in bringing your finished mix to CD is the sometimes mysterious procedure known as mastering. But what exactly is mastering and how does it improve your recording? Mary Kettle, Studio Manager with Trend explains the process:
“Mastering is essentially the final creative process in bringing out the best in your CD and making it sound as good as anything else on the radio. It’s about bringing your music to life and giving it that extra punch to make it stand out from the crowd.”
Trend bring the combined years of experience of their top-flight mastering engineers to any project. The mastering team at Trend, which also includes Ger Williams and Garrett Duffy, have produced a free demo CD, The Power Of Mastering which illustrates the difference professional mastering can make to your music. If you're still not convinced, Trend will master one of your tracks free of charge! For further details visit www.trendstudios.com/mastering.htm
Trend Studios, A2 Canal Bank, Hume Avenue, Park West Industrial Park, Dublin 12. Phone: 01-616 0600, fax 01-6160601. e-mail: [email protected] web: www.trendstudios.com

The Master Race
Based in Enniskillen Co. Fermanagh Mid-Atlantic Digital is Ireland’s only purpose built mastering facility with over 2000 sq. feet of studio space and deluxe “on premises” accommodation for its out of town clients.
Robyn Robbins, founder member of the legendary Silver Bullet Band, who backed Bob Seger in his 1970s and 1980s heyday, runs MAD. Since setting up the facility seven years ago, he has built up an extensive client list including artists of the calibre of Damien Rice, Mundy and Pugwash. Another project he is closely involved with is the mastering of a planned Christy Moore boxed-set tracing the Irish legend’s musical history from his early days up to the present.
According to Robbins there’s a lot of confusion among musicians and even studio engineers about the process of mastering.
“They often don’t know what it is, how it works, or even why it’s necessary,” he explains. “Mastering bears little relation to the quality of your recording engineer’s mix. It is a completely separate process. While a recording engineer knows how to make a great song, it takes a mastering engineer to make that song sound great, whether it’s playing on a CD or vinyl, on the radio or through a car stereo system.”
In another development, MAD have recently begun to master for surround-sound and DVD authoring. “It’s the natural extension to our business and it allows us to do documentaries and rock videos,” Robbins explains. “We’re the only authorised Dolby 5.1 mastering house in Ireland and we have put in a surround studio and have a production team in place. It’s the future”

Design Of The Times
You reckon you sound good? Maybe it’s time you looked great too. Christopher Jennings, a New York-born graphic artist and designer is Creative Director of Design Joint based in Drogheda, Co. Louth At Design Joint, Jennings oversees the creation of record cover design, CD/DVD package design, logos, tour posters/programmes/T-shirts and website design.
Jennings has over 13 years experience working as a Designer and Art Director for the music industry and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts (NYC). He’s delivered design solutions for music companies such as Atlantic Records, Arista Records and 20th Century Fox Records. Here, he worked on projects by Genesis, Ray Charles, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Crosby, Stills and Nash, as well as reissues through the Atlantic Remasters and Stax/Volt series.
Whether you’re an act just starting off, a band on the cusp of commercial success or someone very high profile indeed (Juliet Turner, for example, whose new album Season of The Hurricane art work Jennings designed), you can depend on Design Joint to make a crucial difference.

The Missing Link
Despite ever-changing music industry trends and styles, there continues to be a demand for quality new songs for recording artists, from top-name stars like Celine Dion, Tina Turner, Tom Jones, Cher, Ricky Martin, Britney Spears, Garth Brooks or Faith Hill, to up-and-coming new acts who depend on finding the right material or most suitable co-writers to work with. Of course, getting songs placed with top name acts is no easy task even for major publishers with the best connections, and where SongLink scores is that can provide many opportunities to place material with local stars or new acts around the world.
SongLink provides the most up-to-date and accurate “who’s looking” information to music publishers and songwriters, with hundreds of satisfied subscribers all over the world, many of whom have successfully placed songs and made valuable new industry contacts through SongLink’s second-to-none leads service.
SongLink founder David Stark also visits the main US music centres – New York, Nashville and Los Angeles – on a regular basis, and over the years has built up relationships with thousands of publishers, writers, A&R executives, producers, managers and their artists. David also has excellent contacts within all the main industry associations, such as ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, PRS, British Academy of Composer & Songwriters, NSAI, APRA, SOCAN, etc – so he knows what’s going down. Songlink is his way of letting you know too.

Free At Last
The Freedom Creative Music Centre and Freedom Studios in Midleton County Cork in 2001 were established to provide a facility where bands, songwriters and musicians can record what they want and how they want – and do it the way theye want it recorded.
“The concept is to allow them the freedom to be creative with their own music – hence the name,” founder Tony Hunter explains. “I’ve had first hand experience of recording in studios myself and found that the end result was usually not what I expected or wanted. Freedom Creative promises that the musicians and performers maintain control of their own production.”
Hunter stresses the need for bands and musicians to be well rehearsed and prepared when they arrive in the studio. “They need to be able to play their parts individually and solo if needs be, in case they have to redo a bass or guitar part for example.
“Also,” he adds. “They need to decide if the priority is to demo the band, if they want to promote themselves, or the song, if they want to showcase their writing and arranging skills. Each requires a different approach.”

I’m With The Band
Need a man with a van to get you to the gig or to rehearsal studios? Bandwagon provides transport in the Dublin at a reasonable price. “A lot of the people I drive would be on a tight budget,” offers Bandwagon’s Jason Perry (aka JP!). “So if there’s stuff to be done like lugging gear after the show, I’ll give them a hand.”
Bandwagon caters for the transport needs of a wide range of well known and up and coming acts including The Jimmy Cake, Paddy Casey, Tycho Brahe, JJ72.
“I mainly operate in the Dublin area,” says JP. “But if a band want to travel to the country I can usually help them out.”

South Bound
Need a small run of CDs at a reasonable cost? South Coast Media Services offer a low cost solution to those requiring a relatively small amount of CDs.
“Primarily my customers are in the country music market,” says Padraig O’Driscoll of South Coast Media Services.
“I tend to cater for the local one and two-piece bands, people who can’t afford to put a serious amount of money into producing a CD. I don’t have a minimum run and we try and produce good quality covers which are digitally printed in high quality print.” In the last few months, according to Padraig, business has trebled – so clearly this is a service that people have been crying out for.

For an extensive repertoire of who's who in the Irish music industry, the Hot Press Yearbook will be in the shops March 2004