Rough Magic are hosting a panel on the Irish music scene from the early 90’s to the modern day as part of a series of panels programmed to co-incide with the revival of the much lauded “Digging for Fire” by Declan Hughes, showing in the Project Arts Centre this month.
“Near Wild Heaven- The Music scene 1991-2013” will take place in the Project Arts Centre on Saturday 20th April from 6pm to 7pm. Speakers include Irish singer and songwriter Paul Brady, music broadcaster and legend Dave Fanning, Irish Times music blogger and journalist Jim Carroll, broadcaster and composer Ellen Cranitch and composer Bill Whelan. The discussion examines the Irish music scene in the early 90’s to the modern music landscape.
CISAC welcomes the European Court’s judgment to uphold their appeal against the 2008 European Commission decision onauthor’s rights
CISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, welcomes the decision of the General Court of the European Union today to uphold their appeal against the 2008 EU Commission decision (COMP/C2/38.698). In doing so, the allegation that CISAC and their member societies had engaged in a concerted practice in order to restrict competition has been finally rejected.
“This is a very important decision for authors and their collective management organizations throughout the European Union,” said Olivier Hinnewinkel, director general of CISAC. “It allows us to get back to the job of ensuring the 3 million creators and rights holders that we represent obtain a fair income from the use of their creative work, and to continue developing licensing models that meet the market’s needs.”
The Contemporary Music Centre is presenting two concerts in Dublin City Libraries this month as part of One City, One Book. This year, James Plunkett’s “Strumpet City” has been selected for Dublin City Council’s One City, One Book initiative, a project which encourages everyone to read a book connected with the capital city during the month of April each year. To celebrate this, CMC have programmed two concerts celebrating the influence of Dublin City, which is at the heart of Plunkett’s novel, on Irish composers.
Curated by Irish Composer Benjamin Dwyer, the concert programme will be performed by Miriam Kaczor (flute), Evelina Ndlova (electric piano), Vincent Kennedy (trumpet), alongside a choir of eight singers (Robyn Richardson, Sarah McCourt, Zosia Kucyńska, Heather Fogarty, Richard Bridge, Richard Shaffrey, Robbie Blake, Pascal Kennedy) conducted by Maragaret Bridge.
The two concerts, which have FREE ADMISSION, take place between 1pm and 2pm, in the Central Library (Ilac Centre) on 24 April, and Rathmines Library on 25 April.
The concert programme features works by Irish composers: John Buckley, Hamilton Harty, Michael Holohan, Donal Sarsfield and Vincent Kennedy. Harty’s In Ireland (1918) was written in the same decade as the Dublin lockouts and reflects a flavour of the music written at this time. Buckley and Sarsfield present their versions of popular tunes. Holohan with a strong affinity to Dublin celebrates his city with two works adapted for these concerts. Kennedy who recently completed an orchestral work Dublin – An Overture to my City writes a new piece especially for these concerts entitled s-Trumpet City, in which he will perform solo Trumpet.
All concerts are FREE admission but booking is essential.
Sound is the new album from Niall Connolly – an album of songs written from the perspective of a life less ordinary. The Cork songwriter has spent the last six years in New York City, breathing deeply and soaking up the myriad influences of one of the world’s greatest and most vibrant cities.
The album was recorded with Connolly’s regular live band, featuring performances by Manchester-born songwriter, Warren Malone, Brandon Wilde (Black Bunny, This Way), Len Monachello (All Night Chemists, This Way) and Dennis Cronin ( Lambchop, Josh Rouse, Camera Obscura, Vic Chestnutt).
Similar to many great Irish songwriters, Connolly has always managed to convey the personal in a manner that allowed his listeners to feel included; to take something from his songs that we could call our own, while also feeling that we were sharing an insight into a life worth considering.
Sound takes us in new directions, however. Years of touring the US and Europe, meeting new people, confronting different cultures, has brought both the songwriter and listener to a point where we are now sharing these songs with a far larger number of people.
In the words of the songwriter: “Some of the songs are imagined biographies, or rather chapters of biographies of people I’ve never known. The album is full of curiosity – about the lives, personalities and circumstances of the fleeting encounters with countless people. The people who, in a way, make all the things I do worth doing.”
Whether it is his observations on the financial wasteland of the West (‘Lily of the Mohawks’) or the erosion of common decency around our world (‘Come Back to the Table’), Connolly, writes intelligently and with extraordinary clarity about some of the issues of our day.
Far from lecturing, however, Connolly’s songs contain hope and no shortage of a dry Irish wit. Take ‘Brooklyn Sky’, where ‘Mohammed and Jacob and Jesus are all kicking in the basement playing Bluegrass tunes’. In an imagined world where this can happen, surely anything is possible?
Niall returns to Ireland in April for a series of gigs, followed by more UK and USA dates to promote Sound.
It’s back! International Record Store Day will be celebrated in independent record stores across the world on Saturday April 20th. 2013 is the sixth annual Record Store Day and this year’s musical extravaganza will be Tower Records biggest one to date!
The floodgates will open from 9am on April 20th at Tower Records on Wicklow Street and in Easons, O’ Connell Street in Dublin. Exclusive Record Store Day releases on order and expected to be lining the racks include Nick Cave Animal X 7”; The Band The Last Waltz Triple LP; Kate Bush Running Up That Hill 10” Picture Disc; White Stripes Elephant Double Colour LP; Elliott Smith Alternate Versions from Either/Or 7” Vinyl Single; Notorious BIG Ready To Die Double Gold LP; James Blake Retrograde/Overgrown Double A Side 12”; The Verve Verve 12” EP; The Flaming Lips Zaireeka 4 Disc Colour 12”; The Beta Band Los Amigos Del Beta Bandados 12”; Dazed And Confused OST Double LP and many, many more. As with every Record Store Day order, Tower Records won’t know what swag has been sent in until the boxes are ripped open a day or two before the event, so records are also on order from heavy hitters including David Bowie, Pulp, Paul Weller, The Cure, Bat for Lashes, Django Django, Frank Zappa, Husker Du, MGMT, REM, Pink Floyd, Sigur Ros and heaps more.
This year, Dublin’s biggest independent record store will host Tower Live on Record Store Day, a nine hour festival of live sounds at the Madison club immediately next door to Tower Records on Wicklow Street. From 1pm ‘til 9pm, music fans will be able to enjoy a pint (if they’re over 18!) and free live performances from a host of acts including The #1’s, Owensie, Blink Yackety, Gyspy Rebel Rabble, The Urges, The Hot Sprockets, The Eskies, Sweet Jane, Ghost Estates, Twilight Sad and more. Our younger music fans (under 18’s) will be more than welcome to attend Tower Live on Record Store Day at Madison until 6pm. To access Tower Live on Record Store Day at Madison, fans will need to get a wristband from the main counter in Tower Records Wicklow Street and Easons, O’Connell Street. Wristbands are free and allow holders to come and go as they please. ID may be required for Over 18 wristbands, so bring one! Under 12’s must be accompanied by an adult and all Under 18’s will be required to leave Madison at 6pm. There will also be acoustic performances throughout the day in the Wicklow Street store plus plenty of tricks and treats on the day for all the Tower Records fans who turn out in their hundreds to celebrate their favourite record store!
Exclusive updates and record arrival announcements at Tower Records Dublin Facebook page and Twitter!
I’M Your Vinyl is vocalist/guitarist Dana Donnelly and multi instrumentalist Ken Mc Hugh. Together they write bright, uplifting, melodically beautiful songs that showcase their love of rich cinematic overtones coupled with hypnotic and seductive beats.
After spending two years honing their sound with numerous gigs in Ireland and New York they have just completed the recording of twenty songs. A body of work that will be condensed into their debut album.Performing live, creating videos and writing new songs are things they like the most.
It has been noticed that bubbles, bicycles, hats and sparkly trousers seem also to have a strong influence.
Through I-tunes, they release the debut single “For You” on the 16th of April with the debut album set for Irish release in September.”For You” is available now on pre-order.
Dublin/Belfast three piece, Alias Empire, are set to release their second album, ‘Safety in Numbers’, next week. The follow up to their Choice Music Prize nominated debut, ‘Unexpected Falls’, sees the band expand into a bigger sound and push further into combining electronic programming, samples and synths with guitars, live drums and vocals.
The release will coincide with an Irish tour where AE bring controlled chaos to their unique audio/visual live shows. You can catch the guys live over the next few weeks at the following venues:
Fri 19th April – De Barras, Clonakilty
Thurs 25th April – Róisin Dubh, Galway
Fri 26th April – McGarrigles , Sligo
Sat 27th April – Twisted Pepper, Dublin
The rise of music subscription services and the promising growth of emerging markets are among key highlights of IFPI’s Recording Industry in Numbers 2013, the essential statistical analysis of the recorded music market worldwide which was published this week.
The Recording Industry in Numbers (RIN) provides a comprehensive picture of the key trends in today’s global music business, with in-depth statistics and analysis covering 49 markets worldwide.
“Recording Industry in Numbers also reveals the sheer diversity of the modern music business. Notable highlights in this year’s edition are the increasing role of subscription services and the growing importance of emerging markets in driving the industry’s recovery.”
Among the finalised industry data published in this year’s edition:
Overall global recorded music trade revenues increased by 0.2% in 2012, the first year of growth since 1999. All the revenue streams IFPI tracks (physical, digital, performance rights and synchronisation revenues), with the exception of physical sales, increased in 2012. A total of 22 countries saw market growth in 2012, including nine of the top 20 markets.
The world’s top 20 markets table shows that the US remains the world’s largest music market; digital sales success in Sweden has made that country the world’s 12th largest music market (up two places on 2011); India has also moved up the rankings.
Digital channels now account for 35% of overall industry trade revenues, while physical sales now represent 57% of record companies’ income. Downloads remain the biggest source of digital revenues, with combined unit sales of track and album downloads up by 11% in 2012.
Music subscription services are seeing rapid growth. Music subscription and ad-supported streaming services now account for 20% of digital revenues globally, up from 14% in 2011. Subscription and ad-supported revenues combined now account for almost one third (31%) of all digital music revenues in Europe.
Emerging markets are helping fuel the industry’s recovery. Brazil, India and Mexico have seen market growth respectively of 24%, 42% and 17% since 2008. In 2012 revenues in India reached an all-time high while Latin America was the fastest growing region of the year.
Albums continue to hold their appeal, accounting for 56% of recorded music sales value. Digital album downloads grew faster than singles and vinyl sales hit their highest point since 1997. Consumer usage on streaming services shows that the album format remains very relevant. Many of the year’s best-selling albums generated a large streaming volume across all tracks included on the album.
Sources of music licensing income are also on the rise. Performance rights revenues (from broadcasts and public performance) were the fastest growing sector in the recording industry in 2012, accounting for 6 per cent of recorded music revenues. Revenues grew by 9.4% globally, to US$943 million. Income from synchronisation deals – music used in TV adverts, films and brand partnerships – were also up. These grew by 2.1% to US$337 million in 2012.
Recording Industry in Numbers 2013 is free for IFPI members and can be purchased from IFPI’s website for non-members. Full details of packages and prices can be found here.
Near Media Co-op are presenting a celebration of traditional music from across the EU this weekend with events schedules for Clasac Theatre, Clontarf and the Unitarian Chuch, St Stephens Green this weekend. The events take place in partnership with Dublin City Council Arts Office as part of the Arts Council’s EU Presidency programme and will feature traditional musicians from Germany, Hungary, Basque Country and Ireland.
Performance 1: Live at Clasac
The Harz Mountain Yodelers (Germany), Bidaia (Basque), Oltan Szabó & Katalin Juhász (Hungary) and Perfect Friction (Ireland).
Date: Friday April 12th Doors: 7.30pm Show: 8.00pm
Venue: Clasac Theatre, Alfie Byrne Road, Clontarf
Admission: Free
This performance will be broadcast live simultaneously on Near FM 90.3 (Dublin), Radio Corax (Halle, Germany), Antxeta Community Radio (Basque Country) & Civil Radio (Budapest)
Performance 2: Live from Unitarian Church
The Harz Mountain Yodelers (Germany), Bidaia (Basque), Oltan Szabó & Katalin Juhász (Hungary) and Perfect Friction (Ireland).
Date: Saturday April 13th Doors: 7.00pm Show: 7.30pm
Venue: Unitarian Church, Stephens Green, Dublin 2
Admission: Suggested donation accepted
In addition Near Media Co-op and partners will be meeting on Sat 13th April in the Northside Civic Centre in Coolock to research, develop and plan activities leading to a transnational showcase and celebration of Traditional Music in the EU. The preparatory meeting will allow partners to prepare an application to the EU Creative fund 2014.
Rough Magic are hosting a panel on the Irish music scene from the early 90’s to the modern day as part of a series of panels programmed to co-incide with the revival of the much lauded “Digging for Fire” by Declan Hughes, showing in the Project Arts Centre this month.
