Irish Music Month is back for 2023!
Irish Music Month is an initiative, supported by Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio, and run in partnership with Hot Press. It involves 25 independent radio stations who, through Hot Press and the IBI, have received funding from the BAI Sound & Vision fund to promote and celebrate Irish Music.
In addition to the BAI, Irish Music Month has the support of the President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins and of the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin. The initiative is also supported by IMRO, RAAP and MCD Productions.
Irish Music Month will be a national talent search to find ‘A New Local Hero’ with every one of the 25 stations playing its part. The search firstly operates at a local stage with all of the “best artists” chosen locally by each of the participating stations being put forward to a final list . All 25 of these artists will be reviewed by a national panel of judges with a finalshortlist of six acts then chosen for the A New Local Hero Showcase – a major gathering of the music and radio industries from which one winner is chosen. One artist will be selected as the recipient of the overall A New Local Hero award, earning €5,000 in prize money, €5,000 in musical equipment, their single being released by the
Rubyworks label. and airplay from all 25 radio stations.
The initiative highlights the continual support for Irish music given by the independent radio sector. The focus of the project is towards promoting Irish Music Month and providing recognition and income to all shortlisted acts and their crews., with over €100,000 to be paid directly to Irish artists and their crews during the month.
CEO Classic Hits Radio, Kevin Branigan, said, “We’re delighted be participating in Irish Music Month once again. We’re proud supporters of Irish music here at Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio, with more than 20% of our output being Irish music. Irish Music Month is a terrific national talent search and shows the power of local radio, with 25 of Ireland’s leading local stations getting behind it”.
Irish Music Month starts on 1st March on Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio.
