IRISH UNSIGNED BAND PETITION (1 Viewer)

[Hallo Spaceman]

Silver Addictive have launched a petition to the Arts Council requesting an equal opportunity for Irish unsigned bands to apply for financial support. To date the criteria for grants/ awards and schemes excludes bands from applying for funding, last year the arts council banned outright, bands from applying for the music recording scheme. Every year unsigned bands spend millions on rehearsal rooms/ studio time/ equipment hire/ musical equipment/ venue hire/ transport/ manufacturing/ design/ photography/ Advertising/ sound engineers/ printing, not mention bringing in punters for Bars ect.... you get the point. Please follow the link below and sign the petition. please forward to anyone who would be willing to support Irish unsigned bands. Petition reads as follows:

“Unsigned bands are artists too.”

The Arts Council has received €61 million in funding from the Irish government, an increase of 16% or €8.5 million on last year’s budget. The Arts Council is the sole dispenser of grants and bursaries for the Arts in Ireland. The criteria, however, for all schemes and bursaries exclude one sector of the arts from applying for financial aid, unsigned bands.

Unsigned bands in Ireland are the financial backbone of the Irish music industry, contributing over €120 million a year to the exchequer and to various areas of the music industry.

We, the undersigned wish to petition the Arts Council to review their grants and awards system in 2005 to include this currently excluded sector of the industry. We also want the Arts Council to acknowledge the contribution of unsigned bands to furthering Irish arts by creating bursaries specifically aimed at unsigned bands. To date, these bursaries have catered for individual artists only.


http://www.petitiononline.com/silver04/petition.htmlhttp://www.petitiononline.com/silver04/petition.html

Thank you.
Silver Addictive

 

[Hallo Spaceman]

bump

 

[Hallo Spaceman]

New easy to remember link

www.artscouncilpetition.tk

 

[cassette/tape]

New easy to remember link

www.artscouncilpetition.tk

i dunno...
there's already too many terrible bands in ireland...

 

[Hector Grey]

surely the dole is kinda grant. especially for doing fuck all all day., unless you have an actual job, in which case, it's no longer about the music and you should be fucking ashamed of yourself.

 

[cassette/tape]

surely the dole is kinda grant. especially for doing fuck all all day., unless you have an actual job, in which case, it's no longer about the music and you should be fucking ashamed of yourself.

i totally agree.
people would get all wanky on this grant and start using trumpets and 3/4 time and stuff.
and they'd be no songs about being totally, like, hard done by and stuff.

 

[avernus]

3/4 is out, its all 10/8 now. dont you know.

 

[billygannon]

Apparently if an Irish band gets Arts Council funding they have to release at least one song that gives a positive reflection on Ireland and the Irish economy and they have to have at least 40% of their liner notes in Irish.

They also must have their album sleeve designed by Jim Fitzpatrick and make at least two thorough references to Irish mythology in any of the associated artwork, liner notes or the music.

 

[Super Dexta]

this was on the news today
2fm news and all.

 

[cassette/tape]

this was on the news today
2fm news and all.

kudos to the silver atticted-to-self-promotion though for this selfless fighting for the cause...

 

[avernus]

heheh

 

[the bongo]

...and they have to have at least 40% of their liner notes in Irish.

They also must have their album sleeve designed by Jim Fitzpatrick and make at least two thorough references to Irish mythology in any of the associated artwork, liner notes or the music.

that all sounds a bit too much like some of that new irish metal stuff.

 

[Hallo Spaceman]

Thanks to all who've signed www.artscouncilpetition.tk so far.

 

[avernus]

saw some chick from this band on the front page of the independent doing some sort of "I'm a fucking model" pose with a gibson explorer - advertising their gig or something. It was pretty pathetic.

 

[JohnnyRaz]

Apparently if an Irish band gets Arts Council funding they have to release at least one song that gives a positive reflection on Ireland and the Irish economy and they have to have at least 40% of their liner notes in Irish.

They also must have their album sleeve designed by Jim Fitzpatrick and make at least two thorough references to Irish mythology in any of the associated artwork, liner notes or the music.

How much for a picture of pearse on the cover?

 

[brianMy Remorse]

i saw that too actually!
quite a good publicity coup to pull off though, gets their name out there.

and yeah 10/8 all the way, its even better than 2x 5/4.

 

[avernus]

i saw that too actually!
quite a good publicity coup to pull off though, gets their name out there.

and yeah 10/8 all the way, its even better than 2x 5/4.

Another good publicity manoeuver would be to pose topless in the Sun.
Thats probably their next move.

 

[d.o.b]

i say fair play to the people involved with this petition (don't know or mind what band they are in) for getting off their holes and trying to do something which actually might benefit many a struggling broke alternative band/musician out there (and in here).

it''s shocking that they consider ALL irish rock bands as 'too commercial' and therefore ineligible for a grant when they've been giving grants to trad and (i think) jazz artists/bands for years who have the potential to be (if they aren't already) highly commercial in what they do..

it smacks to me of laziness on their part - i.e. they couldn't handle the extra admin involved in going through applications from every dodgy band in a shed in the country. but i say tough! it's their job to come up with a system which works and which will support modern music of all kinds - music and rock music being a legitimate art-form that demands respect and support.

ah that feels better.

 

[#10-7]

i say fair play to the people involved with this petition (don't know or mind what band they are in) for getting off their holes and trying to do something which actually might benefit many a struggling broke alternative band/musician out there (and in here).

it''s shocking that they consider ALL irish rock bands as 'too commercial' and therefore ineligible for a grant when they've been giving grants to trad and (i think) jazz artists/bands for years who have the potential to be (if they aren't already) highly commercial in what they do..

it smacks to me of laziness on their part - i.e. they couldn't handle the extra admin involved in going through applications from every dodgy band in a shed in the country. but i say tough! it's their job to come up with a system which works and which will support modern music of all kinds - music and rock music being a legitimate art-form that demands respect and support.

ah that feels better.

they can't hear ye, ye big lick.

 

[taubstumm]

i say fair play to the people involved with this petition (don't know or mind what band they are in) for getting off their holes and trying to do something which actually might benefit many a struggling broke alternative band/musician out there (and in here).

it''s shocking that they consider ALL irish rock bands as 'too commercial' and therefore ineligible for a grant when they've been giving grants to trad and (i think) jazz artists/bands for years who have the potential to be (if they aren't already) highly commercial in what they do..

it smacks to me of laziness on their part - i.e. they couldn't handle the extra admin involved in going through applications from every dodgy band in a shed in the country. but i say tough! it's their job to come up with a system which works and which will support modern music of all kinds - music and rock music being a legitimate art-form that demands respect and support.

ah that feels better.

oh that it were that simple.

the arts council ostensibly exists to prioritise professionalisation of the arts (or rather it did until the abandonment of the arts plan and the olive braiden coup d'etat, but that's another kettle of fish). they don't decide whether certain artforms are 'better' than others, so it's got nothing to do with whether something is 'too commercial' or not.

the specific artists' bursaries have the objective of promoting artistic excellence and innovation (these subjective ideas are decided by peer review, mainly). these are the kinds of grants that silver addictive seem to be talking about. (they're also the kinds of grants that are most likely to eventually be abandoned by the arts council, but that's a side-issue.) it's certainly not 'laziness' on the part of the arts council, who are underfunded and under-resourced already, but do a huge amount of work.

if silver addictive are actually serious about this (rather than just serious about their own p.r. opportunities) then they should already know that they would very easily be able to get money if they wanted it; the problem is what they want it for. if they wanted it to set up a community music access collective or something like that they'd probably be able to get some money. if they want it to pay for fancy new drums with built-in cannons or to tour around the states playing 'showcase' gigs and licking arse then they're not going to get it.

many 'unsigned' bands don't realise that they are already being funded by the arts council, just not directly: the f.m.c. are funded by the arts council, and any band can go in and ask them for free help and advice. many venues around the country are subsidised by the arts council and this means that playing there is easier as a result. imro is part government funded.

yes, nasty arts council. only giving out money to organisations that help create professionalisation and sustainability in the arts, and not paying for my new amp. those pricks.