Snow Patrol’s 2006 single ‘Chasing Cars’ has become the first song ever to be awarded the Nielsen Music 200,000 Plays Award for airplay across UK radio. This award recognises the cumulative plays of a song across all UK radio stations since release and the achievement of all involved in making the record a radio hit.
‘Chasing Cars’, first played on UK radio on 24th April 2006, has received the biggest support from the radio stations which now make up the Heart Network.
The Nielsen Music Airplay Awards were introduced in 2005 to recognise the success of radio plugging campaigns within the music industry. Levels of certification start with the ‘Impact Award’ for 5,000 plays on UK radio within the 8 weeks prior to release. Recognition is also given to songs which reach 10,000, 30,000, 100,000 and now 200,000 plays. All UK radio plays across Nielsen’s extensive panel of 275 UK stations, since January 2000, are included to calculate the awards.
The first song to receive the 100,000 plays award was ‘Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)’ by Spiller in 2005.
Gary Lightbody, Snow Patrol: “We are staggered by this news. It’s an incredible achievement and we’re all very proud of this milestone for Chasing Cars. Thanks to all who played it and helped to make it so successful”
“Come On”, the single April 13 release in Ireland & April 30 in the UK
The ‘Come On’ music video has been doing a tremendous ambassadorial job for the single and has just won the Best Music Video at Los Angeles Film And Script Festival 2012. This week in London, alongside being chosen as a Sundance London Short Film Competition contendor, the video will be screened at The London International Film Festival, April 18th 6:30pm at The Roxy in SE1. The Come On music video has also been added to Q Introduces playlist on Q TV and taken on by Soundnet, content providers for over 15,000 public venues, pubs, clubs, cafes and retail stores in the UK.
Preachers Son recently played a very successful industry showcase in London. As a result the single has received its first plays on BBC Radio 2 together with invitations to play BBC Radio and regional radio sessions.
‘Come On’, the first single from forthcoming album “10 Stories Tall”, was launched in Dublin last Friday April 13th. Leading Irish music magazine Hot Press reviewed the single as “a terrific, sub-three minute rocker with no let-up from beginning to end. Come On sounds like the result of a three-way collaboration between Jack White, the late Phil Lynott and (I’m not kidding here) ’70s glamsters, The Sweet”. Here at home RTÉ 2fm’s Dave Fanning has given the single several spins to date.
On the forthcoming album ’10 Stories Tall’ guests include: SJ Wai from the Dirty Epics, Richie Buckley, Kenny Wollesen (Tom Waits, Sean Lennon), Tabby Callaghan and Rori Coleman. The album was produced and recorded by three time Grammy Award Winner Marc Urselli (Lou Reed, Les Paul).
Festival Frenzy – catch Preachers Son live during the May Bank Holiday in Ireland:
Liberty Hall / Saturday 28th April / 11.30am – 6.30pm
On Saturday 28th April, it is expected that up to 800 Young Musicians aged 12 – 19 will descend on Dublins Liberty Hall to take part in The National Final of The Irish Youth Music Awards (The IYMAs).
Commissioned By Youth Work Ireland, and organised by Dermot Lambert & his Garageland organisation, this programme has quickly gained a foothold in the Youth Calendar, bringing the Irish music industry into the direct company of the country’s next generation of musicians, journalists, photographers, technicians and fans.
From its excited and giddy first steps in September 2007, The IYMAs has gone on to encompass all of the major youth services in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, either directly or indirectly.
The IYMAs popularity with youth leaders stems from the aim of total inclusion which is stitched firmly into its unique formula, enticing teamwork through shared goals, and avoiding all X-Factor critiques of young and nervous performers at over 25 regional heats – indeed there are bonus points to any team who can prove that no judges had been involved in their local heats!
A total of 20 young bands, singer songwriters, rappers, will perform one song of their own, and one song from one of their peers at Liberty Hall, amid a carnival atmosphere of workshops for songwriting, vocals, photography, artist management, recording, dj-ing.
At the same time, their friends will also have a chance to show their genius as each regional team will have collaborated on building a mini record company for their chosen artist – it’s on all these efforts that the National Award is presented to a winning team.
The IYMAs has received much praise for its marriage of youth programming with the seemingly glamorous world of the music industry, and has been commended for its educational qualities.
Guest speakers on the day will include Willie Kavanagh (EMI Records, Chairman of IRMA), Jackie Hayden (Hot Press), Liam McCormack (RTE TV), Mick Quinn (Award winning Rock Photographer), Aiden Lambert (Band Manager), Will Ryan (Music Business Barrister), Alan Hennessey (CEO Rapture Records), and many others…
Previous special guest performers include Royseven, Miracle Bell, Delorentos, Ham Sandwich – This years special guests include Darragh Cullen, Outside The Box and more…
May 1st sees the 13th birthday of An Taobh Tuathail and presenter Cian Ó Cíobháin will be ringing in the show’s first year as a teenager with an ‘anti-party’ of sorts. Instead of spinning uplifting tunes that you might associate with a party, he will bring you a selection of tracks that bring tears to your and his eyes.
Please email him at att@nullrte.ie or contact him on the ATT Facebook page with your track suggestions and the reasons why. Sometimes tracks that brings you to the vale of tears might be associated with particular memories. On other occasions, a certain dolorous bassline or a combination of minor chords might be enough to set you sobbing. The record needs not be particularly depressing or downbeat – it might just be so intrinsically beautiful that it moves you like no other.
Tune in to An Taobh Tuathail on Raidió na Gaeltachta at 9pm on May 1st for tear-jerkers ahoy!
WASHINGTON – US Organisations representing the music publishers and songwriters, major record labels, digital music services and cellular phone companies has announced an agreement setting mechanical royalty rates and standards that supports a slate of new cutting-edge business models to help consumers access and enjoy music.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) and Digital Media Association (DiMA) are … Read the full article on NMPA’s website
We’ve just launched a compelling new website – author societies.eu – to inform, entertain and stimulate debate on some of the issues affecting author societies now. We invite you to take a look.
If you visit the IMRO website (www.imro.ie) regularly, you’ll be up to speed on the work our society does here.
But we’re just one piece of the jigsaw. Every day across Europe, a network of author societies – just like this one – strives tirelessly to ensure their members, creators of the works we all enjoy so much, get a fair deal.
Our new platform ties the work of these 34 author societies together, putting into a shared European perspective the work we all do on a daily basis and what we set out to achieve.
Every week, you’ll be able to read more about the goings on of author societies across Europe. You can expect updates on inspiring award ceremonies and cultural events, fresh new studies, author-focused partnership agreements with industry, dynamic technological developments – and the legal changes affecting our work.
We hope that the site will be a real eye-opener, providing a real insight into the daily life of authors’ societies everywhere and a clear view of our overarching aims and what we stand for.
Log on today to find out more. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter too @authorsocietyeu
In 2010 IMRO launched an enhanced range of online services for members, all of which are available through the Members Only portal on the IMRO website www.imro.ie A considerable percentage of our membership are now using these services.
In keeping with our strategy of ongoing enhancements to the range of services available to members, the streamlining of the royalty administration process and our reduction in overall administration costs we are introducing a change to how we currently deliver our distribution statements to members. From April 2012, we will no longer produce paper statements for our distributions.
As per our current notification process, you will continue to receive an email from IMRO when your distribution statement is available online. Due to their “drillable” functionality, electronic statements provide members with much more performance information than could ever be offered on paper. If you wish, you may choose to receive paper statements; via the member details section of the member’s online area at www.imro.ie or in writing to IMRO. However, a €2 printing and postage charge will apply for each paper statement produced at a distribution.
The introduction of this change moves us much closer to paperless processes and the delivery of associated cost and service benefits to members.
A survey has revealed that Finns are ever-more supportive of authors’ societies, viewing them as essential to both Finnish culture and to authors themselves.
Here are a few of the survey’s highlights:
About 75% of Finns believe authors’ societies are both essential and working for a good cause.
Close to 80% of Finns agree that authors and musicians should be paid when their work is downloaded from the Internet, and even more – 82% – think that copyright royalties are essential for creators to persist in their creative endeavours.
Nearly 80% of those questioned think copyright royalties positively benefit Finnish culture.
Another positive insight from the survey – an overwhelming majority of Finns know Internet piracy is illegal. And only a small fraction, just 14%, think downloading illegal files is acceptable.
The survey was commissioned by LYHTY, Finland’s broadest association representing domestic artists, authors, and the content production industry. LYHTY is comprised of 14 organisations, one of which is Teosto – the Finnish Composers’ Copyright Society representing some two million right holders around the world.
Release Date in Ireland – April 27th 2012 on 1969 Records
Featuring the New Single “An Autograph For My Dad”
::: LIVE :::2012
April 7 – Beyond The Bookshelf Festival, The New Theatre – 43 Essex St E Dublin 2
May 5 – Festival of the Fires – Co.Westmeath
May 6 – Summer Sessions , Iveagh Gardens, Dublin 2 (along with The Human League, The Stranglers, & Undertones)
May 18 – Whelans (Upstairs), Dublin – Official Album Launch
More Shows to be added; check website for updates
If you try to calculate the amount of music that calls on you to listen to it, you might feel the need to retreat to the nearest cave in order to escape it. Between the deluge of online chatter and most of what you’re force fed on too many radio stations to mention, it’s no wonder that sometimes the best music gets lost, and no surprise that sometimes the best bands get forgotten about.
20 years ago, The Pale made their major label debut with Here’s One We Made Earlier, an album that introduced a band that, from then to now, has succeeded in blindsiding their audience with music that is equal parts eminently melodic and utterly singular. “I’m not good at focusing on the commercial aspects of music and trends,” says The Pale’s lead singer and main songwriter, Matthew Devereux
Therein lays not only the pleasure for the creative spirit but also the problem for the accountants. Inevitably, The Pale’s tenure on the major label didn’t last too long, and so began a number of years where the band (in effect, Matthew and multi-instrumentalist Shane Wearen) soldiered on. Albums you’ve probably never seen stocked in record shops – Cheapside (1996), Cripplegate (1997), Spudgun (1998) – were released in parts of Europe you’ve probably never been to. The band even changed their name to Produkt, under which name more albums were released to further rippling waves of unawareness.
The aim, essentially, was to retain credibility. “I was inspired by artists whose careers I’ve followed through the years, and I take rather earnestly my inspirations from people who didn’t follow contrived commercial interests,” says Matthew of his cunning but not necessarily financially rewarding plan. “I didn’t want us to be revealed as such, because if you go for the quick buck it very rarely works out.” Back then, he admits, he took what was essentially anti-commercialism to extremes: “I wanted The Pale to have a cult-like following.”
At this stage – cult-like following achieved – Matthew admits to barely eking out a living. Gigging, he remarks, provided the financial wherewithal for him. Shane, meanwhile, played music and taught web design. “I was involved in various different projects that mostly crashed and burned!,” he says. “When The Pale isn’t operative, I play music; yet whenever I go away from music I always veer back towards it after a month or two.”
Call it resilience (compulsion, even), but such a stance is so innate that it becomes part of the creative DNA. And so – without a nod to either popularity or profitability – The Pale carried on. Matthew and Shane admit that while they couldn’t get to grips with the often mercurial nature of the music industry, they still wanted to make musical statements.
“For us to get albums released in even one European territory was a victory,” comments Matthew. “My ambition was obviously not for The Pale to become smaller, but it seemed that we were just out of tandem with the industry, particularly in Ireland.”
The stakes, such as they were, had also gotten too high for The Pale. By the mid-‘90s music acts had to have a financial outlay. “We could go to the table,” recalls Matthew, “we could pull off a poker face and play a game, but we didn’t have the money to put into the pot.”
Yet The Pale refused to fold – “quite simply, myself and Shane have been designed to do what we do.” The frustrating part was that each time they released a new album, virtually everything “was reflected back to our early records and the cheeky chappie image we had back then. We, on the other hand, had been developing, maturing, changing.”
Which more or less brings us bang up to date. Developing, maturing, changing – these are crucial patterns for anyone, let alone creative types. What was paramount for the band, reveals Matthew, was gaining a broader education and the justified notion of an artist “chasing a masterpiece”, which he admits, “is the ignition for my ambition.”
Some people might think such a quest unwise, but there’s no doubting the validity of it. The past five years has seen two albums – The Contents Of A Shipwreck (2007) and Proper Order (2009) – continue The Pale’s pilgrimage for perfection. New album, I Woke Up And I Was Gone, sees the band reach out and grasp it. The album features a dozen beautifully measured songs that nudge the parameters of lo-fi pop/folk – nugget-sized and gem-like, charming tracks such as Company Of Wolves, It Should Be Illegal, The Boy With The Antlers, Hanging Around Airports and An Autograph For My Dad highlight the casual simplicity of perfect pop.
Coming from the pen of a man who cheerfully admits to once being too cerebral for his own good, the new album is a pithy, often poignant departure. “I feel guilty about how indirect or obscure I may have been about certain things,” says Matthew with a wry grin. “We suddenly found the drive again to make the music far more accessible, more direct. I had realised we needed to be. Back in the day, my youthfulness and aggression got in the way of looking for clarity.”
The new songs – largely written over the past three years while Matthew was based in Prague – are based on truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. “When I was younger I wanted the music to do different things, one of which wasn’t the kind of truth that I feel we’ve stitched though The Pale’s work in the past five years. I’ve realised, ultimately, that truth has freed me.” The feedback to this sense of directness has taken Matthew by surprise. “The more honest I was the more I connected with it. The idea that I can be so direct and that people are open-hearted to it is something I never expected.”
‘Roll down the window, throw away the plot…’, sings Matthew on It Should Be Illegal, one of the album’s many highlights. The lyric could well be The Pale’s new modus operandi – after over 20 years of working through life’s stuff and nonsense, it seems they have come to realise, finally, that less is more.
“It’s about everything in its right measure,” reasons Matthew. “I could never understand why some people I know would spend 12 years to be a brain surgeon. But now? Now I totally get it.”
Sunflowerfest is to return with a bang in August 2012, now in its third year and bigger and better than ever before, Sunflowerfest offers more for the discerning festival goer.
This years festival will have a little something for everyone, four stages of music, The Finn McCool main stage, The Campfire Stage, The Barn and brand new additions to Sunflowerfest, The Electric Disco Shed and The Moot, an arena of ideas where there will be debates, poetry, comedy and all things cerebral. The line-up will include the very best of local talent, but for the first time will include international guest artists across a broad range of genres, appealing to audiences of all ages.
The bands and artists confirmed to perform at this years event so far are; Duke Special | Republic Of Loose | Relish | Jape | Brass Roots | Silhouette | Dreadzone | Lanterns on The Lake | Wonder Villains | A Plastic Rose | Fighting With Wire | Lost Brothers | Tucan | Ben Glover | Walls (Kompakt) | Auntie Flo | Janice Graham Band | The Hot Sprockets | The Dead Presidents |The Barley Mob | Ryan Vail | Defcon | Kianni | Casion | Boss Sound Manifesto | Scroobius Pip | Magwere | The Bonnevilles | Katie and The Carnival | Elspeth | Seven Summits | Swanee River | Nasa Assassin | Radioactive Grandma | Payola | Ursula Burns | Rachel Austin | Roysta | Katherine Phillipa | The Unprotected | Six Miles North | Chris Campbell | Million $ Reload | Andre and The J Tones | Parachutes Over Paris | Dolbro Dan | Stereo War favourites | Intermission | Palookaville DJ’s | Red Rasta Soundsystem DJ’s | Homespun DJ’s | Twitch DJ’s
For the kids we will see the return of the Kidz Zone, The Enchanted Glade of Narnia and heaps of other cool stuff for families.
There will be quirky stalls at the craft and boutique village with gourmet food stalls from around the world. A new addition to this area will be the Love Music Hate Racism music tent, which will have some very special guests dropping in. Sunflowerfest will also have a field devoted to complementary therapies of all types where you can relax and get in touch with the spirit of the countryside, making Sunflowerfest a relaxing experience for all.
For those night owls there will be a late night Silent Disco and Cinema Tent, firm favourites from previous years.
Families are again very welcome this year and there will be a separate campsite provided.
Sunflowerfest 2012 will be announcing additional acts and a day-by-day breakdown shortly.
Sunflowerfest is a volunteer based festival. From its inception Sunflowerfest has been building a dedicated team of volunteers. This year there will be roles for around 100 volunteers. Anyone who would like to get involved with the festival can fill in an application form on the website. It is a very rewarding experience and a good way of learning new skills, meeting new people and being part of a fantastic experience.
