Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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205. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if the administration costs payable to a maximum of €83,000 for the management of the music industry support package is in addition to or to be included within the €1.7 million allocated to the package. [8012/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I introduced the Music Industry Support Package in 2020 to help meet the needs of the whole of the music sector in these unprecedented times. This was the first time this type of support was offered to the music industry and it was designed to cover all music genres and had three components, song writing, album release and recording.

The administration of the schemes was managed by First Music Contact on behalf of my Department. Under the terms of a Performance Delivery Agreement there is a maximum amount of €83,000 payable to FMC for the management of the €1.7 million Music Industry Support Package. All payments made to FMC are strictly on the basis of receipted administration costs.

The administration costs for the Music Industry Stimulus Package of €83,000, are included in the €1.7m allocated to the Package. The costs include panel assessments, manager for the schemes, accountant, digital, legal, banking, and audit charges. The management of the three schemes from setting up systems, mentoring applicants, management and assessment of applications, payments of awards and managing reports and outcomes of schemes involved staff other than the MISP Manager and these other human resource costs are being covered by FMC.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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206. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the criteria used to select a body to manage the music industry support package. [8013/21]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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207. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the amount paid to an organisation (details supplied) for administration costs relating to the management of the music industry support scheme; and the breakdown of the money spent. [8014/21]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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208. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No. 248 of 15 December 2020, the process by which an organisation (details supplied) was selected. [8015/21]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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209. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if an organisation (details supplied) is wholly owned and funded by the State; and the position regarding and status of its legal relationship with the Arts Council, Culture Ireland and her Department. [8016/21]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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210. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason a body with experience in the international showcasing of Irish musicians was given the responsibility of managing an entirely domestic €1.7 million package instead of a body with experience distributing grants domestically or with a statutory role to do so, such as the Arts Council. [8017/21]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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211. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No. 248 of 15 December 2020, if other bodies were considered for the management of the €1.7 million music industry support package before an organisation (details supplied) was selected. [8018/21]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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217. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No. 248 of 15 December 2020, the definition of administration costs referred to. [8024/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 206 to 211, inclusive, and 217 together.

I introduced the Music Industry Support Package in 2020 to help meet the needs of the whole of the music sector in these unprecedented times. This was the first time this type of support was offered to the music industry and it was designed in a time of crisis and at short notice to cover all music genres.

First Music Contact (FMC) is an independent private company limited by guarantee and is the lead national music organisation for resourcing musicians and the independent music sector in Ireland. My Department has a well established working relationship with FMC. It is an organisation funded by the Arts Council on the basis of its proposal for programming activities each year as by my Department through Culture Ireland for international promotion of musicians under the terms of a Performance Delivery Agreement. Fifty percent of FMC’s funding is raised through self-generated income, private funding and sponsorship.

FMC has operated in the domestic music sector in Ireland for 25 years. FMC has had weekly advisory meetings for Irish artists and their teams for the past 20 years, delivered Ireland Music Week for 19 years, the Breaking Tunes music portal and community for domestic artists is 10 years old this year. This is additional to international facing export work, presented under the title Music from Ireland, which is now in its 16th year of operation. For all of these reasons FMC was considered to offer a cost effective way of administering the MISP last year when there was no capacity in my Department or the Arts Council to manage such schemes in the given timeframe.

FMC therefore fulfilled the criteria of having in depth knowledge of the music industry, a history of managing applications from musicians and their agents, many years of mentoring artists and an understanding of national and international factors in music support and promotion.

As there was no financial gain to management of these schemes and the only costs being covered were limited and receipted administrative costs there was no requirement for an open process.No other body was considered to be able to match FMC's experience, and capacity to deliver in the tight timeframe with cost efficiencies.

Under the terms of the Performance Delivery Agreement between my Department and FMC for the management and delivery of the Music Industry Stimulus Package, a maximum of €83,000 was provided for administration purposes from the €1.7m allocated to the Package.

A breakdown of total administration costs relating to the fund are as per the table below.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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212. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No. 248 on 15 December 2020, if the review of the pilot music industry support package schemes promised in her response is currently underway; when it is due to be completed; and if she will publish the results of the review before deciding to continue the pilot. [8019/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The Music Industry Support Package Schemes is under review. All successful awardees under the schemes being administered by FMC are required to provide outcome reports which are being furnished to my Department.

The schedule for completion of the work by the successful applicants has been impacted by COVID related restrictions and therefore the work for which the awards were allocated is not yet complete. It is my intention to compile the final review in a timely manner and the results will be published. MISP was a pilot initiative, which I introduced at a time of need when no such supports had previously been offered to the music industry and so the outcomes of these three pilot schemes are critical to informing any future support systems for the music industry.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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213. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if measures were taken beyond requesting a voluntary declaration by panellists to ensure no conflict of interest when adjudicating the music industry support package. [8020/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The names and biographies of all panellists were published on the FMC website in advance of the launch of the Music Industry Support Scheme. All panellists were required to declare a conflict of interest in any application, should one arise. Any panellist who did declare a conflict of interest was excluded from the relevant applicant's adjudication.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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214. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the amount of each music industry support package scheme that was paid respectively to a company and an organisation (details supplied), to public relations or communications companies and to artists. [8021/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Yangaroo is a music distribution company based in Dublin. I understand that it is the only company of its kind in Ireland available to the independent music sector which delivers songs to radio, press and industry from one portal.

When releasing music, it is important that artists are able to distribute as widely as possible. Distribution has a significant cost but is recognised as a vital cog in stimulating activity in the sector. Accordingly, I understand that First Music Contact (FMC), who is managing the Music Industry Stimulus Package on behalf of the Department, negotiated a favourable reduced rate with the company on behalf of all successful applicants to ensure wide distribution of the supported album releases.

The album release scheme for which €280,000 was awarded is the only scheme for which Yangaroo services were negotiated. I understand that to date, FMC has paid €14,000 for Yangaroo services on the basis of 28 redeemed vouchers of €500 each. As the remaining 28 album release awardees present vouchers for use of Yangaroo services, FMC will provide payment to that company. The total payment on this basis will not exceed €28,000.

The total paid to artists by way of grants for Songwriting Camps is €443,122 and the total paid to artists by way of grants for Album Recording is €897,102.53

The breakdown of the amount paid to individual public relations or communications companies out of those grants will be extracted and included in the final report by FMC to my Department but this is not available at this stage as not all activity under schemes has been completed owing to ongoing Covid restrictions.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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215. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No. 253 of 15 December 2020, the definition of administrative error in her response; the way it was allowed to occur; the way the matter was investigated; and if she will publish the results of the investigation. [8022/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The Music Industry Stimulus Package was managed on behalf of my Department by First Music Contact.

I am informed that the administrative error referred to in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 253 of 15 December 2020 , which involved a band being named as a successful applicant under the MISP Songwriting Scheme, was a simple human error, which arose as the band had been named in an application submitted by another individual.

I understand that the error only occurred when the results of successful awardees were being listed on the FMC website and band names were being selected for use rather than applicants' names for publishing purposes. Once the error was identified it was corrected and a public apology was issued by FMC to the band.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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216. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason no open competition took place to select a body to manage the music industry support package. [8023/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I introduced the Music Industry Support Package (MISP) in 2020 to help meet the needs of the whole of the music sector in these unprecedented times. This was the first time this type of support was offered to the music industry and it was designed in a time of crisis and at short notice. to cover all music genres. It had three key components, song writing, album release and recording to ensure support across the wide range of talent working in the industry from creation to recording and promotion.

First Music Contact (FMC) is the lead national music organisation for resourcing musicians and the independent music sector in Ireland. My Department has a well established working relationship with FMC. As it is an organisation funded both by my Department for international promotion of musicians as well as by the Arts Council, FMC was considered to offer an effective way of administering the MISP. FMC has considerable experience in managing applications, and expert knowledge of the music sector, and my Department considered that it would be best placed to administer the Music Industry Stimulus Package in an efficient, timely and cost effective fashion, having regard to the immediate pressures being faced by the sector.