Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I have read and considered it and we have had some discussion around it. There is no doubt that there are problems faced by those involved in the music industry in Ireland in accessing the airwaves. Ireland is recognised worldwide for its rich cultural heritage and our extremely talented musicians and composers are central to this. Unfortunately, those involved in the Irish music industry are struggling to make ends meet due to the lack of radio airplay on some stations. It is extremely difficult for Irish music to compete with the multinational culture and music companies. We are sandwiched between the music that comes out of Britain and the United States, some of which is very good, and dominated by that music and the global media and all that goes with that.

The reality is that the broad spectrum of Irish music in Ireland is given very little consideration on radio and, in some cases, gets only 10% of airplay. Ireland is bursting with talent, and in this economic climate, we surely need to be tapping into this great creativity, encouraging and nurturing our musicians, songwriters and performers. Ireland’s music industry supports 11,500 jobs nationwide and is worth close to €500 million annually to the economy, which is an important factor. We need to provide real investment into that creative industry. A proper percentage of airplay is crucial for Irish music to develop and maintain a strong industry and further growth in that sector.

Many countries in the European Union and outside it have been able to introduce national music quotas of up to 40%, but there are problems with that. We have seen recommendations from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland on a minimum quota for Irish culture. Sinn Féin supports Irish culture and art being promoted in Ireland and across the world. We want to see more artists being able to make a living for themselves in this country. My party colleague, Liadh Ní Riada MEP, comes from a family with a very rich tradition and involvement in the music industry. Her late father was Seán Ó Riada. She corresponded with the previous Minister with responsibility for communications, Alex White, asking that Irish music and culture be given greater support by Government. Our party believes that the promotion of the Irish language in broadcasting is essential to the language as a whole. In the North we have been supporting an Irish language broadcast fund that supports the production of excellent television, radio and online broadcasts. In this State, TG4 has achieved tremendous success in producing Irish language content, drama and documentaries with very limited funding, and that has been important in it reaching young people in particular.

However, while Sinn Féin supports advancing this Bill to Committee Stage, it requires further scrutiny. We see some pitfalls in it. I would not be as dismissive as some previous speakers of it. The Bill needs to be developed. For example, what constitutes “musical compositions that relate to some distinguishing element of the culture ... of the island of Ireland”? That is a broad definition and further work needs to be done on that.

Our party wants to see all different forms and diversity of the music of Ireland being supported. There are many examples of international musicians who have based themselves or have come to live in Ireland and who have made successful careers for themselves by performing locally and signing with Irish record labels, and in doing so they have undoubtedly contributed to the music culture of the island. Would these artists be supported or discriminated against under this Bill? There needs to be tied up. There are also examples of international acts which are based abroad whose Irish heritage is a prominent element of their music. Would those artists benefit from this legislation or would it work the other way? We do not want an outcome that is too purist or exclusive in that we have to leave people with a choice but we also want to give Irish music maximum support. We believe this Bill should be supported to progress to the next Stage but we want assurances that it will be based on fairness and diversity. The definitions and quotas need to be further examined and developed.

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