Hosted by IMRO and MPAI, join us for an in-depth and practical discussion on navigating the modern music industry, featuring leading experts in publishing, law, and artist development.
Taking place on Wednesday, April 29th at IMRO, Copyright House, this seminar will explore the realities of building a sustainable music career — from understanding copyright and contracts to protecting your work and maximising long-term value..
This session brings together top-tier industry professionals to provide real-world insight into:
Willie Ryan is a music lawyer and qualified Irish barrister who specialises in music and entertainment law. He represents a wide range of artists and companies, including Hozier, Johnny McDaid, Noel Hogan / The Cranberries, Kingfishr and Amble. Primarily an artist lawyer, Willie advises clients on all aspects of the music industry, from management and producer agreements to recording and publishing deals.
He has extensive experience in music-related litigation, particularly in high-profile copyright infringement disputes. Willie was part of the legal team in the landmark Ed Sheeran “Shape of You” trial in the UK and has advised on other major cases, including the One Direction “Night Changes” dispute, as well as numerous multi-jurisdictional copyright matters involving international catalogues and rights holders.
Beyond music law, Willie is a highly experienced defamation and production lawyer. He acts as a defamation advisor to RTÉ and has worked across over 20 seasons of Callan’s Kicks. He also serves as production lawyer to The 2 Johnnies and advises Blindboy Boatclub on broadcast and podcast output. His film and television credits include the critically acclaimed Kneecap and the Academy Award-nominated An Cailín Ciúin.
Willie is co-founder of INNI and the SoundWaves music and podcast conference, and producer of the Subterranean Sessions television series. He sits on the Copyright Law Review Committee, lectures widely at third-level institutions, and has spoken at international conferences including Eurosonic, Mondo NYC and Output Belfast. He is a board member of AIM Ireland and also manages rising artist Moncrieff.
Ed Condon is Director of Legal & Business Affairs for Warner Chappell Music. Based in London, Ed’s primary focus is signing composers and songwriters to Warner Chappell and providing legal and business affairs guidance across the publishing business.
He also sits on various external committees and industry advisory groups, bringing a broad perspective on the evolving music landscape. Ed has significant collecting society experience, having previously spent six years in the legal team at PRS for Music.
Steve Lindsey began his career in music publishing in London in 1985 with Chappell Music (later Warner Chappell). He went on to become General Manager of Go! Discs Music in 1988, working with artists including The La’s and Beats International.
In 1990, Steve joined Island Music as General Manager and Creative Director, where he worked with globally renowned acts such as The Beautiful South, Massive Attack, Pulp, and Irish artists including U2, The Cranberries and Gavin Friday.
He relocated to Ireland in 2001 and founded Elevate Music, which represents works by artists such as Aslan, Westlife, Rubberbandits and IFTA-winning composer Niall Byrne. Steve also sits on the board of the Music Publishers Association of Ireland and is a regular speaker on publishing, including the Hot Press MIX lecture series.
