THERE are some stories which never go away and which re-emerge in the strangest places. Texas is a long, long way to go to rediscover some truths about the Irish music industry. But after walking around the South By Southwest trade fair, you quickly realise that our domestic industry is still in the ha'penny place.
Austin's SXSW is where the industry buying, selling and horse-trading is done, and this year the aisles were dominated by international delegates. The Canadians had a huge presence. The Brits had taken over a big corner booth. The Australians were handing out invites to a barbecue and band showcase. There were a few familiar faces at the Nordic booth, while French and Italian voices dominated at the European Music Office patch.
What's noteworthy is the huge degree of government involve- ment. You might think, for example, that our friends across the Irish Sea would have no need of financial backing from Tony Blair to promote their rock'n'roll credentials. But the fact that the British mob are co-ordinated by the UK Trade & Investment board, a government export initiative, is an acknowledgement that supporting and encouraging UK acts, labels and entrepreneurs is worthwhile for the country.
The UKT&I folk know that investing now in such new acts as The Guillemots, Plan B and The Feeling (as well as the more established Corrine Bailey-Rae and Arctic Monkeys) could well lead to a myriad of cultural and economical pay-offs.
The Canadians would concur. Since 1986, the Canada Music Fund has invested in the country's music industry because it helps Canadian musical talent to flourish. There are seven different strands to the fund, covering everything from recording budgets and live performances to funding foreign tours and marketing campaigns. The actual dollars are there in abundance. More than one SXSW delegate muttered in wonder about the cash which the Canadian music industry now has at its disposal. It may be one reason why so many Canadian acts are now enjoying international success. Indeed, you'll see a credit for the Canuck government on the back of some of the more recent breakthrough albums.
It'll be a long time before John O'Donoghue receives similar accolades on an Irish album. While there was a Music from Ireland stall at SXSW - a cross-body initiative funded by the likes of the Irish Music Rights Organisation, Recorded Artists and Performers Ltd, the Arts Council and others - the amount of government funding for rock and pop music is paltry. And that's not going to change.
Of course, there are pressing demands for cash from the health and education sectors, but the music industry isn't even getting a slice of the fat Irish pie that goes to culture. You can partly put this government inertia down to how the Music Board of Ireland fiasco played out, but a lot of the torpor is down to the industry itself.
Government responds to pressure, lobbying and criticism, and there has never been a collective attempt by the music industry to do any of that. Sure, there have been solo runs to engage with government on the back of individual agendas, but the industry as a whole remains too splintered and fragmented to act as an effective lobbying group.
We're not talking about a government-funded talent search, but more government funding the talent that's already there. Time to put the "smart boy wanted" posters back in the window.
