Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is no difficulty, in that we all agree with what the amendment is trying to achieve, but it comes back to the fact that a broadcaster is competing with a streamer. I just happened to look up the Top 10 charts at the moment and they are predominantly dominated by men. Harry Styles is in it and Elton John is even in there. The difficulty is that if we enforce a rule to the effect that radio stations must play 50% of female artists - I am very much in support of playing more female voices - or we put in a requirement, the danger is that the listener will then go to Spotify, or somewhere else, to listen to what they want. I have yet to be convinced that this is the best way to encourage more female voices to be heard. I am not saying I am opposed to it but we may be inhibiting local radio stations in particular if the requirement is to meet a specific quota, rather than looking at other ways of encouraging female voices in particular or, in some areas of the arts, encouraging male voices.