Total daytime airtime allocated to PLAY IRISH: 5 minutes x 5 days per week

Results:

* Over 60 Irish artists received day time airplay as a result of PLAY IRISH that may not have otherwise had access to it

* 10 artists made the station's playlist as a direct result of taking part in PLAY IRISH

* Some artists received their first day time play

* Others artists received their first every radio play

* Genres included, folk, rock, indie, pop, punk

* PLAY IRISH has inspired Galway Bay FM to introduce ‘Hot Irish’ – an additional 9 places ontheir playlist for Irish artists

Calling All Galway Artists/Bands...

Introducing PLAY IRISH - A new project to increase radio play of Irish artists/bands on Irish radio stations.

Are you ready to do something that will improve your chances of getting heard on radio in Ireland?

What ?

The Irish Association of Songwriters, Composers and Authors’ (IASCA) are about to launch a project to increase the amount of music from Irish Bands/Artists played on Irish radio stations.

The PLAY IRISH project will involve members of the local music scence in each county working together, and centres around a daytime local radio slot spotlighting music of all genres by Irish artists.
The wonderful folk at Galway Bay FM have agreed to pilot the project on Jon Richard’s show, and so we begin in your county.

Once established in Galway this will roll out into other counties and ultimately to national radio. This is a project by Irish Artists for Irish Artists.

Why ?

We know from talking to bands/artists like you that you are frustrated with not having any success getting significant airplay on Irish radio. Irish music is suffocating in a world of international heavyweights. Outside influences (e.g. reality tv shows; hugely funded marketing campaigns) determine what makes playlists on national and local stations in Ireland, and these influences are drowning out the chance for Irish Artists to get heard in their own country- both established and upcoming artists alike.

Unlike other European countries, there is currently no minimum quota in the Broadcast Act for Irish radio stations to play music from Irish Artists.
Radio is a business, and broadcasters believe they are delivering the music their listeners want to hear on their playlists. Too often these playlists do not include Irish Artists. (However, there are some amazingly supportive evening/weekend DJs on Irish stations who do play Irish artists and the must be supported and encouraged).

The aim of the PLAY IRISH project is to promote music from Irish Artists to the daytime audiences, maximising the number of people who hear it and may like it. We are a nation of many genres of music: pop, rock, folk, traditional, all of which have to be nurtured and supported - you don’t hear Poker Face being sung in stadiums at sporting fixtures!!!

All genres of music share a many of the same issues, so supporting each other is necessary.

We at IASCA have devised this project to work with radio, Irish Artists and people who work within the music industry (retail, venues, studios etc.), to change the status quo. But we need your help, to work together and support each other, and ultimately, to make this project work - now is the time to act.

Who?

IASCA is the new Irish Association for Songwriters, Composers and Authors. Launching for membership soon, we have been working behind the scenes; to build and launch IASCA, to improve radio play in Ireland for Irish artists; meeting with other artist support groups; joining forces with our European counterparts. IASCA will provide a voice for your concerns and issues as a member, and will have a private members area on iasca.ie where Irish artists of all genres can communicate and support each other.

This project is supported by First Music Contact, Breaking Tunes, Music from Ireland, Music Managers Forum, IMRO, RAAP, Galway Bay FM, HMV Galway, The Roisin Dubh and more.

When?

From April, at 3.30pm every day, on Galway Bay FM’s Jon Richards show, Jon will play a track by either a local or Irish artist and will promote any album/ gigs /news that artist has. This ‘spotlight’ has to be supported by all of usl introducing new and established artists to a wider audience.
The daily play will culminate at month's end with a half hour daytime show of continuous Irish music, something that does not happen during the day on any other Irish radio station.

How?

...can you/your band help and benefit from this project and make it a success:

• Join the IASCA Facebook page for project updates.
• Make sure you are registered and have your best music available to be heard on breakingtunes.com – this is where Jon Richards will be checking out local artists.
• Send your best song into Jon in Galway Bay FM, PLAY IRISH, Galway Bay FM, Sandy Road, Galway
  (Label it clearly, and include phone and email contacts).
• If you are not a member already, join a collection society such as IMRO and register your works, so they can pay you any royalties due from radio play. Music users such as broadcasters, venues and businesses must pay for their use of copyright music by way of a blanket licence fee. IMRO collects these monies and distributes them to the songwriters, composers and music publishers who created the songs. The monies earned by copyright owners in this way are known as public performance royalties.
• Also, if you are a performer or a session musician, you should join RAAP (Recording Artists and Performers). RAAP will ensure you receive royalties due to you for your performance on any tracks which are broadcast on the radio or played in public.
• Announce the project on your facebook / website / myspace /etc at the beginning of April so that your fans in Galway tune in and support Irish artists. (We will remind you of this nearer the time and try to let you know in advance which artist is being played each day.)
• There needs to be communication between the listeners and the show, so we all need to text in requests to Jon for that slot, and also review/comment on the song each day....Will announce the text number nearer the time.

Can you or anyone in the band can help out with any of the areas below? (Any project work can be exchanged for Artist advice or guidance from any of the music company’s involved.)

• Graphic Designer (poster/flyer)
• Poster and Flyer Printer (know someone that can do it for free/reduced price)
• People to put up posters and flyers in the shops and venues in Galway city and county. (C’mon everyone can do that.)
• Or even better, drop us a line and let us know what you do for a living and we’ll try come up with a way of incorporating what you do into the project. Get your band seen and heard by being part of the project team!
• Meet other people in your industry, support the project, spread the word. If the project is successful, it will increase the amount of Irish music played on radio both locally and nationally. It starts with you.

Please feel free to pass this on to friends as we don’t have a definitive list of Galway artists/bands. Contact us about any of the above at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it