Sir – Well done to Johnny Duhan for his piece (Sunday Independent, 1 November) publicising Minister Alex White’s hypocritical stance on Irish music. Either Minister White has little power in office or lacks the will power to push through legislation on an airplay quota.
One of the key promotional tools to put the musical artist into a financial earning position is repeat radio airplay.
The musical artist must pass through the electoral equivalent of a political party convention, or run independent, and canvass radio stations and/or DJs for possible airplay.
The higher the amount of exposure, the greater the chances of success. A campaign on the internet/social media without radio/TV/media coverage limits the degree of exposure on the politician’s electoral patch and without it, there is a negative election outcome.
Minister White will campaign only in the constituency where he is running for election. The musical artist must do likewise. The constituency boundary for most Irish artists is Ireland, but the misconception is out there that because of global internet access that the constituency boundary is much broader.
Every musical artist is a small enterprise and they need to garner the electoral equivalent of the vote – that is, customers -who will purchase their musical works, thereby achieving a paid/earning position.
I wonder how Minister White would like to try getting elected in a constituency without having a reasonable idea of the quota he needed to reach for successful election.
Irish airplay for Irish artists is an issue, and quota legislation is a must. There are many musicians trying their musical entrepreneurship skills, because of technological advances, yet there are a limited number of national and regional radio stations thus limiting airplay.
Internet radio is still, relatively speaking, in its infancy. Income from YouTube and Spotify is negligible for most of us small operators. So the focus must be kept where it is most effective in producing the most positive results for the artist – on Irish radio and TV.
As all of us musical cows in the growing herd try to squeeze into the small gap that is the available airtime, we need that gap to be as broad as possible to maximise our chances of success.
A proud, confident quota for airplay enshrined in legislation would be a fine gesture to the idealists of 1916 who shaped our history.
Jerome Taheny
As Published in Irish Independent 8/11/15
