Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
WHEN YOU TURN on the radio, do you keep an ear out for Irish music – or does it not matter?
Some believe that there simply aren’t enough Irish bands played on radio here. Others think that if Irish tracks are good enough, they will get played.
Then there are playlists.
And licence commitments.
And quotas.
We talked to some of the players in the radio game, and some musicians themselves, to find out if Irish radio stations do play enough homegrown music – and if not, what can be done about it?
What are the most-played songs on Irish radio?
According to the PPI, of the 50 most-played songs on Irish radio in 2013, six were by Irish bands. The six tracks were by two Irish bands: Kodaline and The Script.
This was the sixth most popular track in Ireland, and the top one by an Irish band:
And this was number 40, and the fourth most popular Irish track (the other two in between were also by Kodaline).
I think every person who has control over the music they play on the radio wants to break a new band and support them on way up… that’s the dream, that I could help someone who is really talented get out there.
Louise McSharry (formerly of this parish) presents the Louise McSharry show on RTÉ 2FM from Sunday to Thursday, 8-10pm.
Unlike some of the daytime shows, she doesn’t have a purely playlisted two hours, and chooses the music herself.
She listens to everything she gets sent, and considers everything equally, “whether you’re an Irish band or Ariana Grande”.
“I don’t really hear from that many Irish bands,” she pointed out. ”If I hear something online, I will seek the band out”.
She was one of the first people to play Kodaline on the radio, in a previous job, and would like to see more Irish bands sending in their music for consideration.
Naturally, she can’t play every track that’s sent in. “My show it has to be accessible,” she pointed out.
I can’t sound completely alien to the 2FM playlist. So I can’t play anything that’s hardcore or opera, no matter how good it is unfortunately. If it doesn’t fit in with the show, it doesn’t fit in with it.
Within that remit, she’s still able to cross different genres, and bands that recently featured include Faune and Tvvins.
One issue is playlisting, where the songs for shows are all chosen in advance. “I think a lot of people don’t know that about radio,” said McSharry.
Because of playlists, “you can send your CD to every radio person in the place, but probably 80% of people don’t have say”.
“We’re definitely encouraged to play Irish music where possible,” she said of 2FM.
At the same time, we have to consider our listeners first and foremost and what they want to hear. As much as I like to play Irish music, I can’t just play Irish music for the sake of it. It has to be something the listener is going to enjoy; something they want to hear.
For McSharry, “the best thing you can do ever is make someone say ‘oh, they’re really good’ and go off and find out more”.
She said there “some really good quality stuff coming out of Ireland at the moment”, but what about the idea of having a specific quota for Irish music?
“I think that there are positive factors and there are negative factors,” said McSharry. “I don’t actually know how well it works in terms of what songs get played.”
“You don’t want to wind up in a situation where it is tokenistic,” she cautioned. “People see right through that. Listeners want to hear good music.”
The show that only plays Irish music
If every artist relied on radio we’d be screwed. If your music is good enough, a big label is going to pick you up and you are going to be played on radio.
A number of shows around the country are dedicated to Irish music – generally they are on in the evening or at weekends, and can be on community, local, or college radio stations as well as commercial stations.
Totally Irish is a dedicated weekly Irish music show on 98FM, a commercial station in the capital. Its presenter, John Barker, said that on the station, 23% of its Irish music output is played between 7pm and 7am, with 30% across total broadcast day.
The station “regularly exceeds those percentages”, he said. Its most recent daytime playlist has five Irish acts on it: Hozier, Riptide Movement, Original Rudeboys, The Coronas and Kodaline.
“I think it depends on the station and the style of music – certain stations have a licence and have to play a certain style of music,” he said of choosing Irish music for 98FM.
“A lot of the music I play on the show wouldn’t get onto mainstream radio,” continued Barker.
“I don’t think the bands involved would always expect that. But for the likes of Daithí or Le Galaxie, it would be really important for them to get daytime airplay on commercial stations.”
He said that some artists can make a career without radio – such as BriBry, an Irish singer-songwriter whose videos receive upwards of 500k views on YouTube. He has been able to tour abroad based on this success.
Barker would play a huge amount of independent artists on his show, and says 98FM hasn’t placed any restrictions on what he can play.
“The overall thing is the Irish music scene is growing – it is getting bigger and bigger and more popular,” said Barker. “I think the Irish public and media have more confidence in it these days.”
“All people will think about is they will think about the number, whether there’s anything creative they can do with it,” said Maher of quotas. “Rather than the radio station sitting down and deciding ‘we have problems with sourcing Irish music’.”
Simon Maher has a long history in radio, having worked in Phantom when it was a pirate, and right up to its latter years as a commercial station. He runs 8Radio these days, as well as lecturing.
In the late 1990s, Phantom FM played a lot of Irish bands. “They were purely on the basis of we were all going to the gigs anyway, and these were the bands you would see regularly. From our perspective, it just made sense,” said Maher.
They never worked in terms of percentages, and Maher doesn’t feel that having to play a certain percentage of Irish music is a good idea anyway.
“I don’t think that having a commitment based on quantity works at all,” said Maher.
In a “particularly bad week” in the late 2000s, Phantom FM played a song by Neon Neon in its ‘Irish’ selection, as it referenced Delorean cars, which were built in Belfast.
He believes it changes your way of thinking, so that playing Irish music becomes a “contractual obligation”.
At Phantom, they looked at all the new music – Irish or otherwise – on a weekly basis to build the playlist from. “We always worked on the basis that if something was good enough, it was good enough to be played as an international song,” he said.
When they moved to a commercial licence, they undertook a commitment to play a certain amount of Irish music. By default, you would hear more of the Irish music at night.
But while “75% of time it was easy”, the other 25% of time it could be a struggle. Then it became a situation where “rather than give acts a chance we’re putting a song on because we need to fill a quota”. “That wasn’t always right,” said Maher.
If they played Irish bands that weren’t up to scratch, it wasn’t doing the station or the band any favours.
As the station became more commercial, the music had to become more accessible, which must have had a knock-on effect for the type of Irish bands they could play.
Maher believes that if bands have a live presence, this can help radio listeners have a better connection if they hear them online.
At 8Radio, “we’ve made a decision at the very start that if an Irish song was good enough, it would get absolutely the same amount of airplay as big international tracks on the A list on a given week”, said Maher.
He said they have had no trouble with this, mainly because they are less constricted by musical style and can choose from more ‘leftfield’ options. Irish bands like Spies, Carriages and David Turpin have all been on the station.
When are we going to take pride in our own music by really supporting it, by playlisting it?
Could the secret to getting more Irish tunes on the radio be a targeted initiative?
IASCA is the Irish Association of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, set up in 2010. It is run by Sinead Troy, and among its work is the Play Irish project.
Part of Troy’s work with Play Irish is finding out “what the problem is” with getting Irish bands on radio.
France is the only country in Europe with a specific quota for national music. In Ireland, there are voluntary commitments under the Broadcasting Association of Ireland (BAI) licences.
Troy has met with the powers-that-be in various stations. “What I’ve discovered is what defines Irish music is different in every station,” she said.
In some stations, it can be if you have an Irish member in the band – One Direction can be construed as Irish – or if you record a single in an Irish studio.
Another issue is that if bands are not on Radio Monitor, airplay monitoring for the music industry, they won’t be logged.
Irish stations that have come on board for Play Irish so far include:
They have agreed to choose Irish artists, and promote them across platforms, while the band promotes the radio station, and IASCA promotes the station and the band.
Talking to DJs showed Troy that many of them want to do more than they are allowed to do. “Very rarely on daytime radio can people go outside of the playlist,” she said.
But for Troy, it is “all about the daytime airplay”:
It’s multiple plays that sell music and create the environment that creates jobs. Once an Irish band gets on the radio – everything starts to change.
“I feel radio don’t take a lot of risks and I don’t think they’re very proud of Irish music. I don’t think they own it,” said Troy. “And I don’t think Irish people get a lot of access to Irish music.”
Looking to the Canadian model for inspiration, IASCA has come up with one definition of what constitutes Irish music for radio stations.
The system allows for bands not originally based in Ireland to gain points in order to allow them to be considered ‘Irish music’, based on certain connections to the country, such as an Irish publisher.
“If stations take on the definition, it will automatically increase the Irish music they are playing,” said Troy. “They can no longer fall back on One Direction.”
She has found “a lot of negativity out there about Irish music – coming from station owners, or the board, but not the DJs”.
Her next project is a digital platform for releasing albums to radio stations, which could be used by independent bands.
The focus is on getting people to ‘buy Irish’ with music, just as they would with Irish food.
I know we’re going uphill but I also know we’re moving.
Troy has also worked at teaming up Irish music DJs with those making playlisting decisions.
“I’d love to just think radio stations would take this on as a bigger thing than Irish music – as an employment thing and a pride thing.”
Mark Geary is a longtime musician who described his experiences with getting radio air play:
That feeling that your local talent is no match for cool bands from the UK or further.
That feeling that you’re not cool enough, not now enough. Of course when we all go abroad and tour, you’re amazed at the level of goodwill and a feeling your appreciated because you’re Irish.
He said that another angle on this is “the type of choices, musically you’re forced to make”.
“Why do most bands you hear on the radio sound the same, interchangeable heads and fingers? Well, because they’re faced with a decision – will this song be played on the radio, does it have ‘ hooky ‘ chorus? If it sounded a little more like… Maybe we have a chance.”
“I’ve seen labels and my own management sweat over what I’m going to give them, because radio still means so much,” he concluded.
Musician Niall Jackson said:
The whole question of Irish radio play for Irish acts outside of the watershed (that is, before 9pm) is a sham. A rigged game. A complete and utter one.
He said that “most of these stations are reaching their ‘Irish’ quota with complete and utter contempt for anything new, exciting or more importantly unpaid for”.
It has been said that even recording a song in Ireland qualifies it as Irish to meet quota standards, meaning bands like REM, Muse, Rihanna, Madonna get to fly the Irish flag when it comes to ‘Irish’ radio play.
He believes that “you don’t get play-listed unless you play the game”, which is “paying a PR company a lot of money to get your act on daytime radio”.
“If not you may just accept that, unless some freak song comes along like Hozier’s ‘Take Me to Church’ with an accompanying groundbreaking video, then you are going to be ignored. Even then, Hozier was a while in development,” said Jackson.
“All of the Irish bands you hear on daytime radio are lauded for their brilliance not because they are better than what is happening in Whelan’s or smaller venues on any given night of the week but because they are paying or being paid huge sums of money to get there,” he asserted.
“I believe if the bands you and I go to see week in- week out, were given half the chance of being play-listed, Irish people would willingly lap it up,” said Jackson. “It would in turn lead to gigs being better attended, albums being better sold and artists being better paid.”
He also pointed out that IMRO ensure that Irish bands are paid when their songs are played, which is a further benefit of radio play.
“Until such a day exists when radio station managers stop thinking about the bottom line and start thinking about breaking the mould this won’t change,” said Jackson.
Noel Gallagher said it best (and I hate Oasis) when he said that the Sex Pistols or The Clash would never get played on the radio today as there are now to many meetings and focus groups for them to be accepted, but back in the heyday of radio you didn’t ask your demographic what they wanted to hear, you showed them the way and in the process we got our John Peels and Dave Fannings. Somewhere along the line listeners became customers.
He singled out night time DJs for flying the flag for Irish acts, such as Dan Hegarty, Paul McLoone, John Kelly, Cathal Funge and until recently Donal Dineen.
Better still we have some amazing acts such as Villagers, We Cut Corners, James Vincent McMorrow who transcend being kept out of the limelight with sheer talent, but what of Girl Band, Girls Names, September Girls, Cian Nugent and the countless other acts, successfully touring around the world, blissfully ignored outside the witching hour of our vague bland alternative/playlisted radio.
With all this in mind, we asked some of the radio experts what advice they would give bands who want to get played on radio.
The main takeaway from this? You don’t need to print out a fancy press release or send a CD to get your music listened to by DJs.
Louise McSharry’s advice:
In the same way that a director might say to an actor – ‘you’re very good but you’re not right for the part’, sometimes you might have a great song and it might not be right for the show or station.
John Barker’s advice:
There are a lot ways to get your music out there – get on to music blogs, plug your songs on Twitter.
What’s your opinion on this topic? Tell us in the comments.
Poor reflection of the people of this country when clowns like ‘Ming’ can be backed or voted for in anything other than a dope smoking contest
He’s a disgrace. Genuinely, in a country f notoriously bad politicians, he’s the worst.
Ming would win any dope contest.
Flanagan only revealed his quashed points because he was going to be exposed any way
He’s a disgrace. Genuinely, in a country f notoriously bad politicians, he’s one of the worst.
Are you for real mike? The worst we have? Flynn?? No?? By all accounts he’s a bit of a moron IMO but he’s by no means the worse politician we have…..Reily is far worse IMO.
Flanagan , Wallace etc etc etc – the question is what type of people voted for these looneys? Like what planet are they from?
As opposed to what other td’s in the dail?
C’mon FF…isn’t that right Martin??!
When has a druggie ever told the truth?
Red thumbs are from either FF supporters or journal readers that don’t get the sarcasm…
it must be terrible for an upper class twit like shatter to have to deal with working class people.
Lol Mings working class?
I hate that muppet, has a position in stare governance and goes to work dressed like he’s chilling in his sitting room. Shows zero respect for the people he was elected to serve.
Ming is working class now is he?
I genuinely think that that comment is a gross insult to all working class people.
Doesn’t Ming give a large chunk of his salary to charity each month …anyone else here do that. Does Shatter ? yet the ego with the Dessie O’Malley hair calls Ming self serving. Hilarious !!
Mick Wallace was also very vocal about the same subject to-day but Fine Gael won’t pick on Wallace because his tax evasion would have to be brought into the discussion, and Fine Gael don’t want a light shone on that after $hatters party was caught for 9 years of evasion themselves (Now thats what I call self serving)
Martin- you’re like white noise…..just droning on…..
I was wondering what little FG puppy would turn up. And look who it is, must be short of staff up in Merrion sq today. Maybe you’d like to comment on your parties tax evasion this time, you always seem to try your best to avoid the topic once its brought up.
Tax evasion you say Martin. It was actually theft on a massive scale Mick Wallace confessed to. And the very fact that, not only is he still at liberty, He’s still a sitting TD, FFS! If this particular situation doesn’t convince the rest of the civilised world, Ireland is a corrupt, little, third world backwater, then nothing will!
…..on and on……..
Shatters diversion plan is working like a treat!
I agree both him and Fine Gael got off practically scott free without another word said. Now its all forgotten about.
Vincent, you were noticeably absent when it was admitted that the troika would be here for another 20 years. Amazed you even decided to show yourself.
Jason- I can but aspire to have nothing else to do but read your musings day in, day out….Nice that you missed me, though. Touching.
Ming Flanagan is an ass hole
Don’t flatter yourself too much Vincent, I missed the opportunity to watch you swallow your own words in front of those who told you the troika will be here for a long time much more than I missed you. But I’m sure you will be willing to admit that the FG line which you happily repeated was completely wrong, yes?
Jason, I’m not sure what is more disturbing- you’re incredible desire to talk down the country, your strange interest in guns on Facebook or your stunning naïveté when it comes to international finance. Probably the gun thing, in fairness. I will say its pretty pathetic that you feel the need to extract some type of vindication from something that’s been common knowledge for an age. The Troika will be out of Ireland in real terms by the end of this year. Ongoing monitoring and advice is a quantum leap away from the status quo now, whereby the Troika basically sets our budget. As long as you owe someone money they’ll be watching your finances. I’ll also remind you that it was FF who brought the Troika in in the first place. So I’m interested as to where your sad triumphalism comes from? You need to grow up, a bit. And best move on from the guns, thing. A bit juvenile, y’know?
I will give you one thing Vincent, you would fit in quite well in the Dáil among the FF/FG benches. You lack an argument of any real substance so instead you try to smear those who oppose you by bringing irrelevant personal information into the discussion. I have to admit that I am quite disappointed in you.
You called it wrong when you obsessively championed the idea that we would be saying goodbye to the troika at the end of the bailout. Now you’re singing a different tune and won’t admit that you called it wrong and resort to personally attacking your opposition for deflection. You’re slipping Vincent.
Ming must apologise publicly for his unfounded allegations and his double standards…
Get Flash to sort him out. Flash HA Aaaaa. Bet ye kids dont remember Flash.
He saved everyone of us
Go flash go. Go flash go.
He cited the Constitution, which says that members of the Oireachtas have immunity from arrest, but not for less serious offences.
am I reading this correctly… they have immunity from arrest for serious offences?
Hi Weirdo, this comes from the civil war era when it was feared people may be arrested on spurious charges in an effort to prevent them taking part in a crucial Dail vote. Why it is still required in this day and age is completely beyond me.
my understanding is that at the time that the constitution was written this was a safeguard that was written into it to prevent the Minister for Justice/Gardaí interfering with the democratic process by preventing any TD(s) going to vote in the Dail by arresting them while on their way to vote. It actually makes sense when you think about it particularly given the era in which the constitution was written.
The real issue as ever is that the good intention has been completely twisted by its abuse by Oireachtas members who see it as a route to get off drink driving, speeding charges etc. Now we need to review the laws on abuse of position and power but I guess any review of that would be unpopular in certain circles.
Because they still trade in civil war politics I presume!
The current constitution dates from 1937, a full fourteen years after our Civil War, so that excuse isn’t valid.
The constitution is designed to maintain the rule of law in good times and bad.
Nevertheless, it’s not immunity for everything – just when a member of the Oireachtas is travelling to and from the house. It doesn’t keep you from getting penalty points, and there have also been several Oireachtas members sent to prison in recent memory. Joe Higgins during the bin charge protests, for example.
thanks guys
all very informative answers
A justice minister with a personal grudge against the Gardai VS a stupid dope smoking hippie. Our public representatives. No wonder the Dáil is a shambles
Leaving aside my opinion of Shatter in respect of his handling of certain other matters, I completely agree with him on this one. Flanagan should be pursued on this one.
Seems like all they’re all the same. Self serving
Hooks and crooks the lot of them
It’s looking like that alright. It’s getting to the stage where I don’t believe a word out of any of them
Two Clowns who won’t be re-elected
Amazing that Shatter can lash out at a person over penalty points but is unwilling to say bugger all about a top current priest in Ireland that for 13 years enabled sex perverts to run riot on kids while saying nothing to the Gardi!
Convenient blindness and convenient silence when Shatter and his government to boot, feels like it!
…And they are still letting the top priest in Ireland get away with his disgusting past, allowing him to lecture the rest of us – while still wining and dining him, shaking his had occasionally!
Absolute sickening!
it never ends Biggins :(
The double-standards?
Your dead right!
@biggins, he can only lecture you if you choose to listen.
This article is about penalty points, take your agenda elsewhere.
The point about Shatter, is the double-standards.
That clearly has gone over the head of some here.
No wonder these FG fools still get elected with such short-sightedness still around!
Do you think he’s wearing fake tan in that photo?
Alan shatter, is that his porn star name?
doubt it couldnt imagine shatter getting anything up
The report should have been carried out by the Ombudsman not the Commissioner.
Who are these people who like Alan Shatter? The man is hated by Gardai, and is a terrible politician. He has nothing but his pay packet on his mind. Who are these red thumbers? Iona institute people? Or maybe youth defence? Hmmm
Shatter by name, Shattered by nature.
Shaney I would give you a thousand thumbs up for that comment if I could. Sums him up completely!
That muppet Shatter should be more worries about the crime epidemic on our streets, the lack of Gardai, the poor out of date law system and his attitude in general. Maybe legalise the weed while he is at it. Ming is one of the few politicians I like. Speaks sense 90% of the time. I would happily have my points cleared as would most people I imagine. I don’t agree with the points system anyway. Just another money earner with little substance.
I had to read that in a nasely tone.
Gist is, if you make trouble around here then we’ll focus on you.
Got it.
Cat calling dog hairyhole
Shatter has 15 properties and is doing his best to keep the country filled with low skilled immigrants just to fill them. I consider that pretty self serving. Rents arent going up in dublin just becausevthe banks aint lending.
TD,s who commit crimes and breach the Laws of Ireland should be prosecuted!
In fact, anybody – TD,s or otherwise who break the Law who be prosecuted!
Minister Shatter needs to address the serious problems in the legal world in Ireland!
The fees of Barristers are far too high and need to be reduced substantially.
Does anybody support this point of view?
Will An Taoiseach explain what he intends to do with the Lowry tapes?
Legal fees ? Shatter’s fees for his family law practice….
“As a solicitor who also acted as counsel for clients in court hearings, he charged some clients an hourly rate of some €635 including VAT in 2007 at the height of the boom, according to engagement letters seen by the Irish Independent.”
Publish the full report names Ect we need more gossip
Flanagan is nothing more than a schoolyard snitch. Got caught out over the penalty points then “whistle-blew” in an attempt to make himself look honorable. Should have just kept his mouth shut and apologized.
this country just gets worse the people that voted for this clown and his ilk deserve everything they get unfortunately we all pay the price for these gombeens it’s about time people in this country woke up and voted for someone not because mammy or daddy voted for them or they promised to build a road they should not be voted in for local issues but for national issues until this changes we will continue to see these clowns in the Dail think of the bigger people when voting
This “independent” enquiry was conducted by the Gardai in relation to penalty points!
Gardai investigate Gardai!
Does Minister Alan Shatter expect us to believe this “inside” report?
Clearly there are many conflicts of interest in the administration of the Law in Ireland.
What about “chinese walls” in the administration of the legal profession.
One partner acted for a seller, another partner in the same firm acting for the buyer, another Partner acting for the developer and builder.
These “Chinese walls” are legally permissible by the Law Society!
Is this fact correct??
Correct! Blackwash.
Worst JM in history and that’s saying something.
Gearoid
I think its time for you to slip back into the gutter. Your contribution adds nothing but a reflection of your intellectual deficits and should be removed.
have your say