lympog
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interesting little read
can be found here or here...
part one
can be found here or here...
It was a hot topic at the Hot Press-run Music Ireland event at the RDS last year and again at the recent IBI conference. It was a surreal moment. The IBI broadcasting conference had been in full swing all morning. Everyone was getting hungry. We were just about to bring the Q&A stage of the Airplay for Irish Artists session to a close. Lunch beckoned. I put it to the floor: is there one final question? Willie O’Reilly, chief executive of Today FM, put his hand up.
“I blame you,” he said. He was serious too. But what was he talking about?
This. I was appointed to the chair of the IRTC in 1993. At the time, very little Irish music was being played on Irish radio and in particular on the big independent stations here. We had written and campaigned extensively about the issue in Hot Press. Now, as a way of tackling it head on, in my new role with the IRTC, I succeeded in winning the support of the Board, for the introduction of a 30% Irish music quota.
The first response of the Association of Independent Radio Stations – the representative body of the existing commercial stations at the time – was to make a complaint to the EC, on the basis that the measure was anti-competitive.
We knew, however, that there were quotas in effect in France and Portugal and that these were justified on the basis of language – and so we began what turned out to be a lengthy dance with the EC to establish the terms on which a quota could be introduced here and immunised against successful attack.
The chief executive of the IRTC (and now of the BCI) Michael O’Keeffe and I engaged in detailed negotiations with Brussels – and we prevailed in the end on the basis of a cultural exception.
It took some persuasion, but it was accepted eventually by the EC that music was an essential part of Ireland’s cultural heritage and its national resources – and therefore that it was valid to put measures in place to protect it. And we agreed a definition with the EC of what constituted Irish music.
It was generally regarded as a very good result for musicians, songwriters and bands. All that was needed now was careful implementation.
The hope was that a spirit of détente would prevail and that stations would make the effort, bring themselves up to the 30% and get on with life. But as far as enforcement was concerned, the big moment would come when the incumbent operators engaged in negotiations to renew their licenses for a second time – a process that began in 2002 or thereabouts.
If the 30% requirement was pressed home, then the assumption was that we’d be listening to radio stations today and marvelling at the amount of great Irish music on them.
The agreement with the EC occurred late in my time with the IRTC and so, as it happened, it fell to others to bring the measures into effect. Whatever course the story took in the interim, this much can be stated for certain: a sense of grievance has been festering again among Irish musicians and bands regarding the lack of exposure afforded to them, and to Irish music in general, on Irish radio – and especially during the vital daytime peak listening period. Lately, it has spilled over into the music industry too, with managers and record companies also expressing a sense of mounting dissatisfaction.
The issue was hotly debated at the Hot Press-run Music Ireland in October of 2007. The panel discussion at the IBI conference, at which Willie O’Reilly pointed the finger at me and said “J’accuse” was effectively a follow-on from that Music Ireland set-to.
What Willie had to say was that, in looking for a quota of 30%, I – naturally I was pleased that he gave me all of the credit! – had set the music industry and musicians in particular, against the radio industry. And he made the point that during the morning discussion a far more reasonable position had been advanced by Dave Pennefather of Universal Music, who had asked for even 5% of airtime for new Irish music. Dave had also offered the opinion that quotas don’t work – which was music to the radio industry’s ears.
It had been a long morning, and so I answered on the spot by appealing – I hope with some degree of success – to our broadcasters’ sense of pride. People who have been given radio licenses have a huge amount of power vested in them by the BCI. Why should they take their cue from stations in the UK, the US or Australia? Are we not confident enough in ourselves to want to create our own stars – musicians and bands who will go forward to take on the world from a position of strength because of the support and encouragement they have received from the Irish independent commercial radio sector? And with that, we adjourned for lunch.
part one