First Music Contact Presents IRELAND MUSIC WEEK 1st — 5th October 2019 Message from the Director Welcome to the first ever Ireland Music Week! We are now officially “the festival formerly known as Hard Working Class Heroes”. We’re excited to embrace a new identity that reflects our strategic goal: showcasing export-ready Irish talent to the best of national and international industry. The soundtrack to Ireland’s future. The Showcase Since our inception in 2003, Ireland Music Week has given a platform to some of Ireland’s best-known acts, and carved out a strong, uncompromising identity. The competition for applicants this year was the toughest it’s ever been, with nearly 500 acts vying for just 50 slots. We’re confident the 2019 line-up represents the best of the best from Ireland’s deep bench of emerging talent. Ireland Music Week is also part of Keychange, a pioneering initiative which aims to see music festival line-ups achieve a 50/50 gender balance while investing in the next generation of female artists. HWCH was the first Irish festival to sign up to Keychange, and we’re proud to continue this as Ireland Music Week. The Conference For artists and arts professionals of all levels, Ireland Music Week gives them a chance to learn and develop their craft, and create new opportunities with agents, labels, bookers, music supervisors, and services from all over the world. From workshops and panels, to master classes and speed sessions, our conference gives artists and those who support them the tools and network they need to sustain a career in music. This year we’ve found a new conference home in Lost Lane, Dublin’s newest music venue, with workshops also being held in Studio 10 across Grafton Street on Wicklow Street. We’re also thrilled to partner with Spotify, on an all-day master class on how artists can make the most of the platform. Other additions to our core programming include a B2B conference track to facilitate the needs of AIM Ireland, launched by us earlier this year. Strategies for resourcing the independent music sector, retaining Irish talent, strengthening our creative industries, and enhancing Ireland’s global reputation, are all on the conference agenda this year. International Delegates We have an incredible slate of international delegates this year. I say that every year, but it’s even more true for 2019! It’s an honour to feature a keynote interview with music industry legend Jeanette Lee of Rough Trade, to learn from her career and revolutionary spirit. We are also thrilled to welcome Kees van Weijen, President of IMPALA (Independent Music Companies Association) for a keynote as we face down the barrel of the B word and will need our European friends more than ever. As usual, we have a strong showing from North America, including IMW newcomers Jennifer Reeve and Janet Lopez. As music supervisors for Neophonic, they have worked with every major studio and television network in the US, including some of HBO’s hottest shows. We can’t wait to introduce them to the next generation of Irish talent. With Brexit looming, we also concentrated on keeping the doors open to our nearest neighbours. While the full impact of how Brexit will affect artists and the industry is not yet known, it’s vital that we keep the conversation going and work together to sustain artists’ livelihoods in our shared music ecosystem. It’s also worth noting how easy it was to get gender balance in our delegate lineup. Take note other festivals, I’m looking at you Canada, Europe and USA and some closer to home. It’s our job to promote the music industry as a diverse and equal place to work. We must always do better. Navigating the Event Growing from a three-day to five-day event means we have a ton of new content this year—even we are having trouble choosing which sessions to attend! To help attendees prioritize their time, we’ve colour-coded the conference, based on the stages of artist development. ORANGE sessions are for emerging artists exploring opportunities, GREEN sessions are for artists who are developing a national profile and connecting with audiences, and PINK sessions are aimed at artists developing an international profile and expanding their team. Sessions that benefit everyone are BLUE. We hope this makes the conference a little easier to navigate. We have to confess that our motivation to colour code also came from minding the mental health of artists as they develop. We want you to understand that networks and information will be there when you need them through FMC and our many projects. So go to the panels that speak to where you are, and don’t be freaked out with the ones you feel you’re not ready for. They’ll all be back again next year. I would like to thank the board of First Music Contact and our amazing team: Darragh, Steve, Suzette, Liza, Jennifer, Kay, Emma, Milja and Pete THANK YOU Are you ready to discover the soundtrack to Ireland’s future? We look forward to meeting you in Dublin this October! Angela Dorgan Director, Ireland Music Week CEO, First Music Contact IRELAND MUSIC WEEK WEDNESDAY 02 OCTOBER Introducing AIM Ireland The Association of Independent Music (AIM) Ireland is a new trade body formed to advocate on behalf of independent Irish music businesses. We are delighted to program a day of talks and meetings to allow you to join and help develop the vision for AIM Ireland, following our launch earlier in 2019. First Music Contact and AIM in the UK received a pilot grant from IMPALA (The Independent Music Companies Association) to kick start AIM Ireland, and we look forward to having Kees Van Reijen, President of IMPALA address members this year. During his career Kees has worked for Universal Music as Executive Vice President, Managing Director of Mercury Records, MCA and Polydor, and Rough Trade. Kees is a huge support to us as we launch AIM Ireland, and join the global independent music family. IMRO estimates the Irish music industry contributed over €445 million to the economy in 2015, and supported 13,130 jobs. Both FMC and AIM Ireland believe these figures could be greatly expanded— if the right supports are put in place. Over the next three years, AIM Ireland will convene their membership to discuss the needs of independent music businesses, and strategies for growing our global market share. Membership is organized into six industry sector groups: Managers, Labels, Publishers, Production, Live, and Services, who hold sector meetings throughout the year. Get in touch with one of the Steering Committee members to find out how you can get involved, or simply attend the appropriate breakout session at IMW. We hope you will join the collective voice of Ireland’s independent music industry! Conference Colour Key: Orange - Emerging Artists Green - Developing a National Profile Pink - Developing an International Profile Blue - Everyone Venue: Lost Lane Main Stage 10.30-11.00 AIM Ireland Welcome & Opening Session Remarks by Angela Dorgan (CEO, First Music Contact), and Harry Martin (Chair, AIM Ireland) 11.00-13.00 AIM Ireland Breakout Sessions AIM Ireland members will meet in six sector groups to discuss the future aims of the organization and upcoming initiatives then reconvene in the afternoon for a plenary keynote by the President of IMPALA. Schedule: Time Lost Lane Main Lost Lane S/H Studio 10 11.00-12.00 Managers Labels Production 12.00-13.00 Publishers Live Services Venue: Lost Lane Main Stage 14.00-14.45 Keynote: Kees van Weijen, President of IMPALA Kees Van Weijen, President of the Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA), will discuss the current strength of the independent music sector globally and in Europe, the importance of a strong music ecosystem in a small domestic market, and how IMPALA can help AIM Ireland grow Ireland’s independent music sector. Formed in 2000 by prominent independent labels and national trade associations, IMPALA’s mission is to grow the independent music sector, return more value to artists, promote cultural diversity and entrepreneurship, improve political access and modernise perceptions of the music sector. Speaker: Kees Van Weijen (President, IMPALA) 15.00-15.45 Resourcing, Developing & Funding Ireland’s Independent Music Sector Local to global: How can the Irish independent music sector go worldwide? The Irish independent music sector continues to be a blaze of activity. Every single year, we see more and more acts, businesses and individuals coming to the fore. The talent is there – and we’re seeing the business acumen to help that talent to grow and also step up. But what is required to turn what’s happening at home into a global story? We’ve seen huge Irish success stories emerge over the last decade so geography and culture are not a barrier. What are the steps the sector itself can take? What kind of supports are required for the next wave of Fontaines DC, Villagers and Lisa O’Neill? Can government and industry agencies actually provide that or is DIY the only option? What’s the role of bodies like FMC and AIM in all of this? Moderator: Jim Carroll (Editor, RTE) Speakers: Keith Brock (Senior Development Advisor, Enterprise Ireland), Angela Dorgan (CEO, First Music Contact), Harry Martin (Director, Domino Records; Chair, AIM Ireland), Paul Pacifico (CEO, AIM UK) 16.00-16.45 Workshop: Re-imagining A&R for Industry Are you ready to discover the future of A&R? Meet the team behind Andrson, a new, audio AI-based music discovery platform, and learn how Andrson can help you discover new artists, save you money on your A&R spend, give you access to bespoke analytics, and deliver faster monetization for your artist roster.