MusicCork Industry Convention Launches at Cork Opera House

The speculation surrounding the upcoming MusicCork event in the southern capital was answered last night with its official announcement before members of the local music community at the Cork Opera House. Announced last week, the three-day industry event takes place May 10th-12th, at the city's Clayton Hotel, formerly the Clarion. Supplementary live events will take place across the city, including venues like Cork Opera House, Cyprus Avenue, Crane Lane Theatre and the Triskel Arts Centre.

Helmed by Indiependence Festival head Shane Dunne, with the assistance of Alexis Vokos (Delphi Label, We Cut Corners), Jim Lawless (artist management The Coronas, Fangclub) and eminent music barrister Willie Ryan, the event will gather three-hundred delegates from the label, booking agency and publishing spheres for a weekend of interaction with artists and professionals, both local and national.

Amid the initial twelve industry speakers announced yesterday were Geoff Meall, head of music UK at United Talent Agency, an agent with Muse among his clients; Ricardo F. Zambak of Red and Gold Management; Darcus Beese, president of major-label imprint Island Records; Sarah Casey of talent agency Leighton Pope; Steve Zapp of ITB, a booking agent with Biffy Clyro among others on the roster; and Adam Barker, director of business affairs at Universal Music UK.

Speaking at the launch, Dunne elaborated on the reasons for its creation: “We go to South By Southwest, Eurosonic, and all these things, and we thought that there was a need to do something like that here, a curated music industry event, in Ireland. We thought, 'let's do it', and Cork for me was the obvious option.”

Expounding on the event's goals, Dunne outlined his team's vision for MusicCork. “We wanted to bring high-end music industry professionals from the UK and the States to Ireland, and showcase the Irish music industry. A small networking event where these people could network with each other, but also network with people that are coming into these events. If you're a promoter, or a new band, you're going to get to hear their stories, but you're also going to be doing so in an informal environment. You're going to be able to have a pint with these people, and that's invaluable.”

Among scheduled events unveiled so far are pub trails, keynote speeches, and a networking breakfast. Showcase gigs in the city's venues, curated by guests including Nialler9, will bring together artists from all over Ireland and place them before delegates and the public, for which advance tickets will be made available on a limited basis.

Speaking before the launch went underway, Alexis Vokos spoke with Hot Press on the creation of the event. “We all go to international events, and you get a feel for what's useful about these events, and what's not, what makes them tick. We think Ireland is a great place and people want to come. We saw room to create a fun, useful, interesting event, and Cork is ideal for it. It's the right size, people are friendly, everything you want in a destination for a get-together.”

When quizzed on the incoming line-up of speakers and artists on the bill, Jim Lawless was keen to place focus on the event's position as an upcoming industry convention. “It's geared particularly to industry, y'know. Today, we're launching the names of people that are speaking, and that's why we're leading with the industry panels and keynote speakers, because that's really what the conference is about. Not that we're not showcasing, there is an element of that, but it's about the industry, and connecting people.”

The full line-up of announced speakers, as well as an early schedule, is up on the convention's newly-launched website, corkmusic.com.