Across Northern Ireland, the island of Ireland and the UK, there’s a host of industry bodies and membership organisations that can help you grow your career or business. Whether you need advice on a contract, help getting paid or a route to international audiences, there’s someone here who can help.
We’ve started with the organisations based here, followed by those working across the island and the wider UK. Figures were last checked in October 2026.
If you’d like your organisation to be listed, email news@musicconnections.com
IN NORTHERN IRELAND
Your first port of call. These are the organisations funding, developing and championing music here.
Arts Council of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s main funder and development body for the arts, music included. Individual musicians can apply through its Support for Individual Artists Programme, which runs each year and includes project awards, Major Individual Awards and the Artists’ International Development Fund it runs with the British Council. Travel awards are open all year round.
Organisations can apply for project, capital and small grants. For what’s open right now, see our Live Funding for NI Artists page.
Belfast City Council: Belfast City of Music
Belfast became a UNESCO City of Music in November 2021, the first on the island of Ireland. The Council’s music work is guided by Music Matters, its roadmap for music in the city, and overseen by the Belfast Region Music Board, with Gary Lightbody and Hannah Peel as patrons.
It funds bursaries, festivals and venue support, and it’s the main funder of the NI Music Prize, Sound of Belfast and Output. It also funds Music Connections. Follow @ourbelfastmusic for new opportunities as they’re announced.
Oh Yeah Music Centre
Belfast’s music hub since 2007, based on Gordon Street in the Cathedral Quarter. Oh Yeah runs gigs, workshops and programmes for young people and emerging artists, and it’s home to the Northern Ireland Music Exhibition.
It also produces the Sound of Belfast festival each November, with the NI Music Prize as its centrepiece. In 2026 the festival runs from 5 to 15 November, with the Prize at the Ulster Hall on 11 November. Oh Yeah is part of PRS Foundation’s Talent Development Network.
Output Belfast
Ireland’s biggest free one-day music industry conference and showcase, presented by Belfast City Council and programmed by Score Draw Music. It brings artists together with labels, managers, publishers and broadcasters for panels, workshops and one-to-one sessions, with showcase gigs across the Cathedral Quarter in the evening.
The 2026 edition took place on 24 September at The MAC and Oh Yeah. Sign up to its mailing list to hear when next year’s registration opens.
Moving On Music
Northern Ireland’s leading not-for-profit promoter of jazz, folk, roots, traditional, classical and experimental music, founded in 1995 and based at The MAC in Belfast. It runs Brilliant Corners, Belfast’s jazz festival, each spring, along with the improvised music night Handmade Music and tours across Northern Ireland.
Its artist agency and development project, Middle Aisle, supports musicians here to build their careers, and Moving On Music is part of PRS Foundation’s Talent Development Network.
Nerve Centre
A creative media arts centre on Magazine Street in Derry~Londonderry, with a long history of nurturing new music and film talent in the North West. It runs a year-round programme of gigs and events along with learning and creative technology projects.
Hospitality Ulster
The trade body for pubs, bars, hotels and restaurants in Northern Ireland. Licensing is decided at Stormont, so Hospitality Ulster’s lobbying on licensing and other rules has a direct bearing on live music in the venues where most local acts play. Members get advice, training and guidance on regulations.
University of Atypical
Belfast’s arts organisation for d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists. It offers one-to-one support, runs the annual Bounce Arts Festival and delivers the Sounds Atypical music grants with Belfast City Council, supporting disabled musicians to create and present new work.
British Council Northern Ireland
The British Council is the UK’s international cultural relations organisation, and its Northern Ireland office helps artists from here work and connect overseas. With the Arts Council of Northern Ireland it runs the Artists’ International Development Fund, which gives grants of £1,000 to £7,000 to early-career artists building links with partners abroad.
ACROSS THE ISLAND OF IRELAND
Many all-island organisations are open to artists from Northern Ireland, so they’re well worth getting to know.
First Music Contact
The Arts Council-funded resource organisation for popular musicians across the whole island, supporting artists and music professionals since 1996. It offers free one-to-one consultations and planning sessions at any stage of your career, along with training and information.
FMC runs Ireland Music Week, the island’s showcase festival and conference, which took place in Dublin from 30 September to 2 October 2026. It also runs Music From Ireland and Breaking Tunes.
Breaking Tunes
First Music Contact’s platform for artists from across the island of Ireland. You create a free profile with your music, and industry members can browse and get in touch. It’s also the way to apply for Ireland Music Week and other FMC opportunities, so it’s worth keeping your profile up to date.
Music From Ireland
The all-island music export office, run by First Music Contact and funded by Culture Ireland. It coordinates and funds Irish showcases at major international festivals and conferences, and introduces Irish acts to agents, promoters and labels from around the world. Artists from Northern Ireland are eligible.
Contemporary Music Centre
Ireland’s archive and resource centre for new music, based in Dublin and supporting composers throughout the Republic and Northern Ireland. Its free library holds thousands of scores and recordings by Irish composers, and it supplies scores for performance.
Composers here can apply to be represented by the CMC, which promotes their work at home and abroad.
Improvised Music Company
Ireland’s national promoter and resource organisation for jazz and improvised music, founded in 1991. It programmes concerts and festivals, supports musicians through residencies and development programmes, and represents Irish jazz internationally, including at Jazzahead.
Music Network
A national organisation bringing live music to communities across Ireland while supporting musicians’ careers. It runs a national touring programme, a Music Capital Scheme for instruments and equipment, and training and residencies for musicians.
Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann
Founded in 1951, Comhaltas is the largest movement for Irish traditional music, song and dance, with branches all over the island, many of them in Northern Ireland. It runs the Fleadh Cheoil, which came to Belfast for the first time in 2026 and returns in 2027, along with graded exams and a teaching diploma.
Irish Traditional Music Archive
A charity that collects, preserves and gives free public access to Irish traditional music, song and dance. Its online collections of recordings, printed music and images are a rich resource for players, researchers and anyone curious about the tradition.
FairPlé
Founded in 2018, FairPlé campaigns for gender balance, safety and respect in Irish traditional and folk music. It works with festivals, organisations and policymakers, and offers support and resources for musicians.
RIGHTS AND ROYALTIES
If you write music in Northern Ireland, you can join PRS for Music or IMRO for your performing rights. Pick one, as you can’t belong to both at once.
PRS for Music
PRS for Music collects royalties for more than 190,000 songwriters, composers and publishers whenever their music is streamed, broadcast, performed live or played in public. In 2025 it collected a record £1.24 billion and paid out £1.07 billion, with live music income topping £100 million for the first time.
If you play your own songs at gigs here, reporting your setlists through PRS means you’ll get paid for them. PRS also supports Sound of Belfast and the NI Music Prize.
PPL
PPL licenses recorded music when it’s played in public or broadcast on radio and TV, and pays the performers and recording rightsholders behind it. In 2025 it took in £315.3 million and paid more than 182,000 performers and rightsholders, 16,000 of them for the first time.
It’s free to register, and session musicians qualify as well as featured artists. PPL supports the NI Music Prize, including its £3,000 Album of the Year award.
Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO)
IMRO collects and pays performance royalties for songwriters, composers and music publishers in Ireland, and it’s free to join. Writers based in Northern Ireland can choose IMRO instead of PRS for Music, and plenty do.
In 2025 IMRO reported record revenue of €57.1 million, with membership passing 30,000 after a record year for new members. It also runs songwriting workshops, showcases and industry events throughout the year.
RAAP
Recorded Artists Actors Performers is the Irish organisation that collects and pays royalties to musicians whose recorded performances are played on radio and TV, or in public, in Ireland. If your music gets airplay in the Republic, it’s worth checking you’re set up to collect.
Phonographic Performance Ireland (PPI)
PPI licenses recorded music played in public and broadcast in Ireland, and pays the record labels and rightsholders who own those recordings. If you release your own music and it’s played in the Republic, PPI is how that income reaches you.
UNIONS AND PROFESSIONAL BODIES
Musicians’ Union (MU)
The UK’s trade union for musicians, founded in 1893 and with nearly 37,000 members today. It negotiates with employers across the industry and offers members contract advice, legal help, recovery of unpaid fees and public liability and instrument insurance.
The MU now has a dedicated Regional Officer for Northern Ireland, which means local support for musicians here. New members can join for £1 for the first six months, and student membership is much cheaper.
Independent Society of Musicians (ISM)
The UK’s professional body for musicians, supporting more than 11,000 members across the UK and Ireland since 1882. Members get legal advice, contract support and insurance, and the ISM campaigns on issues such as music education and fair pay. There are cheaper rates for early-career musicians and students.
The Ivors Academy
The professional association for songwriters and composers, best known for The Ivors. It campaigns for creators’ rights, most recently on AI, and offers members advice, events and career support.
In February 2026 it launched in Ireland with IMRO, its first formal presence outside the UK, with former arts minister Catherine Martin as its Head of Policy in Ireland. For writers in Northern Ireland, that means a voice in both jurisdictions.
Featured Artists Coalition (FAC)
The UK trade body for featured artists, run by artists for artists at every stage of their careers. It campaigns on artists’ rights and fair pay, and runs training, events and development schemes. Membership has a free tier, with a paid option for more benefits.
Music Managers Forum (MMF)
The world’s largest professional body for music managers, with well over a thousand members in the UK. It offers training, including its Accelerator Programme for Music Managers and a certification programme for experienced managers, along with advice, events and a strong network of peers.
Music Producers Guild (MPG)
The non-profit organisation representing record producers, engineers, mixers and mastering engineers, along with recording studios. It’s run by members for members, and it campaigns on pay, credits and working conditions. It also runs the annual MPG Awards.
LABELS AND PUBLISHERS
Association of Independent Music (AIM)
The trade body for the UK’s independent music community, which now makes up close to a third of the UK recorded music market. Its 1,000-plus members range from labels like Domino and Warp to self-releasing artists. It offers members advice, training and business support, and runs the Independent Music Awards.
BPI
The trade body for UK record labels, from the majors to hundreds of independents. It runs the BRIT Awards and the Mercury Prize, co-owns the Official Charts and awards BRIT Certified discs.
Most usefully for artists here, it runs the Music Export Growth Scheme with the UK government, which is open to non-members. Grants of £5,000 to £50,000 help independent music companies take their artists overseas, and the government has committed £1.6 million a year to it from 2026.
Music Publishers Association (MPA)
The trade body for music publishers in the UK, representing companies of every size. It champions the value of publishing to government and the wider industry, and offers members training, advice and networking. UK Music puts music publishers’ revenue at £1.7 billion in 2024.
Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA)
The trade body for record labels in Ireland, from the majors to independents. It compiles the official Irish charts and reports on the Irish market, where audio streams reached 13.2 billion in 2025.
LIVE MUSIC AND VENUES
LIVE (Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment)
The umbrella body for the UK’s live music business. It brings together 15 associations representing more than 3,000 businesses, 35,000 artists and 2,000 backstage workers, from venues and festivals to promoters, agents and crew.
It speaks to government on the issues facing live music and publishes research on the state of the sector.
Music Venue Trust
The charity protecting the UK’s grassroots music venues, and the network behind the Music Venues Alliance. Its 2025 annual report, launched at Stormont in April 2026, found just 17 grassroots venues left in Northern Ireland, with only half making a profit and jobs down by a fifth in a year.
It campaigns for fairer conditions for venues and runs schemes to help them stay open, so it’s worth knowing whether you run a venue or play in them.
EQUALITY AND ACCESS
Keychange
A global network working for gender equality in music. More than 700 organisations have signed its pledge to work towards balance, and its talent programme supports women and gender-expansive artists and professionals with training, mentoring and showcase slots at partner festivals.
Attitude is Everything
The charity improving access to live music for Deaf and disabled people, as audience members, artists and workers. It works with venues, festivals and promoters, and its free resources include guides on accessible events and employment.
UMBRELLA BODIES
UK Music
The collective voice of the UK’s commercial music industry. Its members are AIM, BPI, FAC, The Ivors Academy, MMF, MPA, MPG, MU, PPL and PRS for Music, and it campaigns on their behalf with government.
Its annual This Is Music report found the industry contributed a record £8 billion to the UK economy in 2024, with exports of £4.8 billion.
