Industry bodies
Across Ireland and the UK, there is a host of industry bodies and membership organisations that exist to support the development of your business or musical career. Find out more below and get connected. If you would like your organisation to be listed, please contact news@musicconnections.com
Association of Independent Music (AIM)
AIM is the not-for-profit organisation representing and supporting the UK’s independent music community, which makes up over a quarter of the UK’s recorded music market. AIM’s members range from the largest, most-respected record labels and associated music businesses in the world to DIY or self-releasing artists and the next generation of entrepreneurs in music – including 4AD, Black Acre, CTRL Music, Dirty Hit, Domino Recording Co, Hospital Records, Killing Moon Group, FAMM, Ninja Tune, Numbers, Transgressive, Secretly Canadian, Supernature, Warp, and XL Recordings.
Breaking Tunes
Breaking Tunes is a leading online music portal dedicated to showcasing Irish bands and artists. Targeted at the broader music industry and fans, it serves as both a discovery platform and a vibrant community for music across the island of Ireland. For over a decade, Breaking Tunes has been a crucial resource in the sector, providing monthly updates and insights. It is managed by First Music Contact, ensuring it remains at the heart of the island’s music scene.
BPI (British Phonographic Industry)
The BPI champions UK recorded music, safeguarding the rights of its members and of the artists, performers & label members of collecting body PPL. Its membership includes over 450 independent labels and the three ‘majors’, which overall account for 85% of legal domestic music consumption and 1 in 10 streams served globally. BPI promotes British music through its events, reports, public affairs & communications, and overseas through its trade missions and the Music Export Growth Scheme. The BPI administers The BRIT Certified Awards, co-owns The Official Charts, organises The BRIT Awards, and is also home to The Mercury Prize.
British Council Northern Ireland
The British Council builds connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language. We work in two ways – directly with individuals to transform their lives, and with governments and partners to make a bigger difference for the longer term, creating benefit for millions of people all over the world. The British Council’s Music team works with over 100 countries to connect British musicians, educators and industry people with their counterparts and audiences around the world, providing opportunities to share knowledge and experience different cultures.
Ceol Éireann
Ceol Éireann has been established to provide funding, assistance, production, and dissemination for creative music in Ireland and abroad. Drawing inspiration from the success of Screen Ireland in the audio-visual sector, Ceol Éireann aims to create a system where Ireland and its wealth of creative musicians can shine on the international stage, as they have done so effectively in the past.
Ceol Éireann is committed to supporting creative artists through various means, including financial and legal advice, mental health support, funding programmes, and career guidance.
Contemporary Music Centre
Based in Dublin, The Contemporary Music Centre (CMC) is a relevant, resourceful and recognisable force in the documentation, development and promotion of Contemporary Music in Ireland. An all-island initiative, the CMC meets the needs of a wide variety of interest groups: composers, performers, musicologists, teachers, students and reaches a range of audiences including music enthusiasts, other artforms, children and young people in its support to Contemporary Music.
Featured Artists Coalition (FAC)
The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) is the UK trade body representing the specific rights and interests of music artists. They are a not-for-profit organisation, serving a diverse, global membership of creators at all stages of their careers. The FAC is formed by artists, for artists, and places this ethos at the centre of all they do. They are an inclusive community that advocates, educates, collaborates and researches on behalf of artists, coming together to provide a strong, collective voice within the industry and to governments domestically and abroad.
First Music Contact
First Music Contact (FMC) is the leading resource organisation for the popular music sector across the island of Ireland, with significant local, national, and international impact. Funded by the Arts Council, FMC has been dedicated for the past 28 years to supporting and showcasing the careers of popular musicians and music professionals across the entire island. They provide essential resources, training, skills development, and showcase platforms to help artists advance their careers and creative output. FMC operates with a philosophy that places the musician at the centre of the music industry.
FMC drives key projects that support artists at every stage of their development, ensuring their services are available to musicians throughout the island. They run Ireland Music Week, the annual music showcase festival and conference, with funding from Culture Ireland and The Arts Council. Additionally, FMC manages Music From Ireland, the international Irish music export office, also funded by Culture Ireland. Their services include free one-on-one consultations and planning sessions, available to musicians at any career level across the island.
Improvised Music Company (IMC)
Based in Dublin, Improvised Music Company (IMC) are a resource organisation for Irish and Irish-based jazz musicians, and a specialist promoter of jazz, improvised and ethnic music in Ireland.
Today IMC actively support and promote the Irish jazz scene in every aspect of our work and have a hands-on involvement in many aspects of music-making throughout the island, including festival programming, concert promotion, touring, education and audience development.
Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO)
IMRO administers the performing right in copyright music in on behalf of its members (songwriters, composers, and music publishers) and on behalf of members of the international overseas societies that are affiliated to it. IMRO’s core function is to collect and distribute royalties arising from the public performance of copyright works. With a global scope, we represent creators along the chain of creation. At IMRO, we are committed to creators. We stand up for music and the people who make it and perform it. A community for creators, we listen, advocate, educate, invest, and engage to shape a culture of musical worth. We help music creators to adapt to change and receive full and fair return for their work.
Independent Society of Musicians (ISM)
The Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) is the UK’s professional body for musicians and a nationally recognised subject association for music. Since 1882, they have been dedicated to promoting the importance of music and protecting the rights of those working in the music profession.
Moving On Music
Moving on Music is Northern Ireland’s premier not-for-profit promoter, dedicated to jazz, folk, roots, traditional, classical, and experimental music. Established in 1995, they are an independent charity offering a diverse array of music and education services across the region.
They coordinate tours, run Belfast’s only jazz festival, Brilliant Corners, and host a variety of first-class events throughout the year. Their outreach includes educational projects and the regular experimental night, Handmade Music.
Elsewhere, they manage the Music Agency and Development project, Middle Aisle, further supporting and nurturing musical talent. Moving on Music is committed to innovation and originality, believing in the transformative power of music and striving to provide life-changing experiences through their activities.
Music From Ireland
Music From Ireland, the all-island music export office run by First Music Contact and funded by Culture Ireland, coordinates and funds the Irish presence at international events. They promote Irish acts to global delegates through ten major international showcases including South By Southwest, Primavera and more each year.
Music Managers Forum (MMF)
The Music Managers Forum (MMF) is the world’s largest professional community of music managers. Since its inception in 1992, the MMF has worked hard to educate, inform and represent UK managers as well as offering a network through which managers can share experiences, opportunities and information. Its membership stands at over 1100 managers based in the UK with global businesses and a wider network of over 2700 managers in the USA. The MMF engages, advises and lobbies industry associates and wider industry on issues that are relevant to managers.
Music Producers Guild (MPG)
The MPG is a non-profit organisation that represents professional Record Producers, Recording Engineers, Mixers and Mastering Engineers from all backgrounds as well as Recording Studios to make sure that their voice is being heard within the music industry. Run by members for members, the Guild is led by five elected directors in a voluntary role.
Music Publishers Association (MPA)
Music publishing generates over a quarter of the UK music industry’s £2.6 billion in export revenue. As well as safeguarding and championing the interests of their publishing members, the MPA aims to promote the value of publishing to the wider music industry, creative industry, government and the general public.
Musicians’ Union (MU)
The Musicians’ Union represents over thirty thousand musicians working in all sectors of the music business and has campaigned on behalf of its members since the organisation was established in 1893. As well as negotiating on behalf of its members with all the major employers in the industry, the MU offers a range of services for self-employed professional and student musicians of all ages.
PPL
PPL is the leading international neighbouring rights collector, helping performers and recording rightsholders around the world maximise their royalties. As the UK music industry’s collective management organisation (CMO), they license recorded music in the UK when it is played in public (shops, bars, nightclubs, offices etc.) or is broadcast on radio or
TV. They also collect performance rights internationally when music is played overseas in public and used on TV, radio and some online streaming services, as well as for private copying. In 2020, they collected £225.7 million across all of our revenue streams, while distributing money to over 135,000 performers and recording rightsholders. PPL supports a number of events in Northern Ireland, including the Northern Ireland Music Prize and the Sound of Belfast conference.
PRS for Music
PRS for Music represents the rights of songwriters, composers and music publishers in the UK and around the world. As a membership organisation it works to ensure that creators are paid whenever their musical compositions and songs are streamed, downloaded, broadcast, performed and played in public. In 2020, 22.4 trillion performances of music were reported to PRS for Music with £650.5m collected on behalf of its members, making it one of the world’s leading music collective management organisations.
The Ivors Academy
The Ivors Academy is the UK’s independent professional association for music creators. The Academy represents and champions a diverse, talented community of songwriters and composers. It is a self-funded not-for-profit organisation, relying on the continued support of members and partners to carry out its work. The Academy is known internationally for The Ivors. An Ivor Novello Award is the pinnacle in the career of many songwriters and composers. www.ivorsacademy.com
UK Live Music
LIVE (Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment) is the voice of the UK’s live music business. LIVE members are a federation of 13 leading live music industry associations representing 3,150 businesses, over 4,000 artists and 2,000 backstage workers. LIVE works to ensure that the interests of live music in the UK are understood and communicated to Government, policymakers, regulators, the public and the wider music and entertainment industries in the UK and overseas. Through collective representation, LIVE promotes the interests of artists, venues, festivals, promoters, booking agents, crew and production suppliers.
UK Music
UK Music is the collective voice of the UK’s world-leading music industry. They represent all sectors of our industry – bringing them together to collaborate, campaign, and champion music. The members of UK Music are: AIM, BPI, FAC, The Ivors Academy, MMF, MPA, MPG, MU, PPL, PRS for Music. UK Music also has an informal association with LIVE (Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment).
