Songwriters consider legal action against RTE

With the level of public disquiet mounting about the way in which the winning song 'Every Song Is A Cry Of Love' by Brian Kennedy was chosen, the Secretary of the Music Publishers Association of Ireland, Johnny Lappin, has written a scathing open letter to RTE, condemning the national broadcaster for what he calls "the greatest sham of all."
Lappin, who is one of Ireland's most experienced music publishers, pulls no punches, in a letter (full text below) that goes on to ask ten searching questions about the manner in which the contest was run by RTE. He says: "RTE’s Euro Song entry procedure was a disgraceful insult to the numerous songwriters who put considerable time, effort and money into their entries only to have them treated so dismissively by RTE."
According to Lappin, RTE had said that the songs would be judged by a panel comprising former Eurovision winners Brendan Graham and Shay Healy, and Paul Brady – who is perhaps Ireland's most successful individual songwriter. However, it later emerged that a screening process had taken place, with the effect that the three wise men would hear only a small fraction of the songs that had been submitted.
To add further fuel to the fire, the acclaimed songwriter Thom Moore – whose songs have been recorded by many of Ireland's leading artists – has also entered the fray with a damning critique of RTE's treatment of the entrants.
"I am one of the people who felt encouraged by the participation of Shay, Brendan, Paul, et al, enough to write a new song and submit it," Thom Moore states. "Not only did I not ever receive confirmation of the fact that I had delivered it (by hand, one day before the first deadline), but none of my friends who submitted entries did either.
" IT WAS ALSO SUBMITTED UNDER A PSEUDONYM," he adds (in capitals!), "to avoid any of RTE's well-demonstrated malice towards certain people (including me, presumably for my sins in 2001)." The latter is a reference to the fact that a song of Moore's was previously eliminated from the contest as it had been entered, in a different form, for the Dun Laoghaire Song Contest six months previously.
"I believe the station, and others involved in this fiasco, have a number of serious questions to answer," Johnny Lappin charges, "and I know these questions need answering sooner rather than later, as I believe there are a number of Irish publishers and songwriters contemplating taking legal action on the grounds of what they perceive as the fraudulent aspects of this year’s event."
Read Johnny Lappin's open letter and Thom Moore's response