Irish Trade Board abandons music biz

The Irish Trade Board have announced that they’re abandoning their support for a large section of the music industry here.

Already the industry has suffered as a result of the state agency’s decision to mount a scaled-down and cheaper presence at MIDEM 2003 in Cannes. Hot Press has learned, however, that it’s likely to be the last time that the Irish Trade Board/Enterprise Ireland is involved in mounting an Irish stand.

According to Senior Development Advisor Michael Kenna: “I’m afraid it’s become more and more difficult to justify the sort of spend that goes into MIDEM. Between the registration fees, the stand, design, rental and so on, we were talking about an overall cost of £130,000.”

In what may seem like an affront to many of the companies and artists who are actively involved in taking Irish music into the international market, Kenna insists that “There just aren’t that many independent labels or companies in Ireland that are able to sustain that sort of investment. There’s maybe half a dozen companies in Ireland of a scale that has any relevance.”

That argument receives short thrift from Johnny Lappin who, as Secretary of the Music Publishers of Ireland, is a regular participant at MIDEM.

“The government give €10 million a year to the film business via The Irish Film Board but do nothing whatsoever for the music industry,” he charges. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I can’t think of any Irish film that’s brought as much money into the country as U2, Enya or The Cranberries.

“The other thing that’s worth pointing out is that while southern Irish companies receive what is only a fairly minor subsidy, their northern Irish counterparts are paid to go to MIDEM by Invest Northern Ireland. They take their music industry seriously, we don’t.”

While acknowledging that it makes sense for companies to attend MIDEM, Kenna points out that they only come under the Irish Trade Board remit if they employ 10 or more people and have a minimum €1.3 million annual turnover.

“The companies operating at that level are very few and far between. There are other industries that demand more of the limited resources that we can provide. The industries that have a potential to grow.”

Kenna is specifically critical of the majors and their lack of input into events of this kind.

“You’d have Sony Sweden taking a role there as a representative of Sweden,” he expands. “You won’t have Sony Ireland down there or any of the other major labels. When there’s a new Irish artist coming on stream, they invariably sign to an overseas label – and who can blame them because that’s where they’re going to get the support and the money and the investment? It just means that there’s no growth that we can look to in the music industry.”

This is one area where himself and Johnny Lappin are in agreement.

“A question I’ve repeatedly asked Dick Doyle from Phonographic Peformance Ireland is, ‘Why are the major labels not represented at MIDEM?’”

In another astonishing rebuke, Michael Kenna lambasts the majors for what he claims is a lack of marketing expertise.

“The industry is not drawing in the level of young professionalism that might help it grow,” he argues. “If you’re not doing the business, you can’t afford the overheads.”

*The Irish companies presently signed up to attend MIDEM are Bardis Music; Beaumex; Ceol Music; Circin Rua Records; Clo Iar-Chonnachta; Dolphin/Dara Records/; Elite Music Management; Owl Records; Music Board of Ireland; Rosette Music/Music Publishers Association of Ireland; APT Recording; and Dream Records.