A NEW PARTNERSHIP involving record store chain HMV and an Irish music organisation aims at getting more homegrown bands in the charts.
First Music Contact and HMV Ireland are joining forces for the intiative, which will involve bands signed up to FMC’s Breaking Tunes site.
First Music Contact is an Arts Council-funded national resource organisation for musicians in Ireland.
Breaking Tunes
Under the plans, bands will get to strut their stuff at a new Breaking Tunes Stage at HMV stores in Dublin and Belfast.
The Breakingtunes Breakingstage initiative will give Breakingtunes members a chance to plug their new releases in the two HMV flagship stores.
From 16 May, every Friday the BT acts (Irish bands signed up to the site) will be able to perform in the Grafton Street store at 1pm. They’ll also have their releases stocked prominently in the store.
Meanwhile, in the Donegall Arcade store in Belfast, Northern Irish acts on Breakingtunes will get to perform at 1pm on each Saturday.
Chris Keena, Head of Music at HMV Xtra-vision, said that the new relationship with FMC “puts our money where our mouth is” when it comes to the store supporting Irish music.
HMV will also become the main sponsor of the HWCH music festival and convention.
“As the leading Irish music retailer we have a responsibility to source local product to bring as many Irish bands direct to market through the FMC channel. There is a burgeoning domestic music scene that has been largely ignored by the bigger labels,” pointed out Keena.
It is hoped that more Breaking Tunes stages will be introduced to other HMV stores during 2014.
In addition, HMV will operate a pop-up shop during the FMC tour this year – a showcase for Irish bands in six counties around Ireland – so all the bands’ merchandise sales will help increase their chance to enter the charts.
FMC’s Angela Dorgan said: “First Music Contact is all about supporting musicians at the key ‘gear change’ moments of development and this support is essential and so welcome.”
The partnership launches in HMV Grafton Street on Friday 25 April at 1pm, celebrating the release of We Cut Corners new album Think Nothing, with support from Liza Flume.
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