‘We’ll never have another Sinéad O’Connor unless Irish radio gets its act together…”
Irish Artists Unite and call on the Minister to make changes on the airwaves after the stats were released last week on Irish Radio’s failure to support domestic Irish artists, specifically women who make music in Ireland.
The Irish community of music artists, supporters of music and fans alike have rallied behind the petition online asking for change on the airwaves.
Well known DJ Annie Mac, Artist Aideen Barry, Artist Jim Fitzpatrick, Singer songwriter and woman behind Irish women in Harmony Ruthanne, Artists Ailbhe Reddy, Pauline Scanlon, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Mary Coughlan, Niamh Dunne, Biig Piig, Wallis Bird, Aoife Scott, Aine Tyrrell, Krea Music (Wyvern Lingo), Winnie Ama and many other women from Ireland’s music scene, join the call for action.
Irish radio only supported 19% of Irish artists in its Top 100 Songs played across Irish radio in 2023!
In comparison the UK played 48% of its domestic artists! Irish women in music only accounted for 3% of the Top 100 most played songs of 2023.
COMMENT FROM LINDA COOGAN BYRNE – FOUNDER OF WHY NOT HER? & DATA ANALYST:
“Ireland is, without a doubt, in a Golden Age of creativity with incredibly diverse musical talent apparent across all genres. This needs to be reflected in the radio stations in Ireland. It is my continued hope that these data reports will lead to long-term change and ensure that listeners have musical choices that reflect the diverse talents on this island.
We need legislative change and we need it now. The future of Irish music depends on it. Only 19% of Irish music by Irish domestic artists and bands played across Irish radio’s Top 100 songs in 2023 is not good enough.
Positive change can happen quickly – as we’ve seen from UK radio stations’ response to their data – when unconscious bias is revealed – efforts are made to ensure greater parity. But for whatever reason, still unknown to us, the gatekeepers in Irish radio have not stopped excluding women and people of colour from the playlists. Why?
The majority of domestic Irish music that they continue to playlist is from white male artists. Despite the many musical diverse and female talents out there. Token gestures and one-off competitions on radio stations to pick a local band to shower with a few plays, will not lead to lasting structural change. “