Here we set out our argument that to understand the music artists and music industry of any country it is vital to understand the scene that produced them. Therefore, we have undertaken a comprehensive analysis of the networks behind Ireland’s most successful music acts as well as a critical overview of the current music scene. Many popular music histories fail to acknowledge the vital way in which artists are sustained and nurtured by their local music scene. The over-emphasis by these histories on the successful marketing of well-known acts by major firms undervalues the personal, small-scale, yet pivotal role played by the local music scene. When the three major music firms are credited with ‘discovering’ and bringing artists to the global market, the day-to-day workings of the local scene are ignored, obscured or mythologised. This misperception makes it difficult for the state, and other interested actors, to address the problems, and opportunities, of the music scene in an empirically-based way.

Individuals from Ireland and its diaspora played key roles in how the popular music industry developed. In the early 1900s, on both sides of the Atlantic, the Irish championed the legislation that enabled songwriters and composers to profit from their work. During that era, one of the most important people in Ireland’s recorded music industry was a female entrepreneur, Ellen O’Byrne. Although she is largely absent from music industry history, she was, arguably, ‘the founding mother of the Irish record industry’. At that time, the Shanley family, emigrants from county Leitrim, helped to shape the presentation of live music in the US.

Ireland’s early independence governments shaped domestic culture, including the local music scene. Some of the judges who applied the law had a deep fear of youthful pastimes; they restricted dancing in Ireland. Although it is not included in most Irish history books, one judge, District Justice Goff, who was famous for his dancing restrictions, also sentenced a girl who was caught kissing a boy to a month in prison. The case sparked an international outcry.

The Irish music scene has been influenced in important ways by powerbrokers in the major sites of the global music industry. The music industry in any country should be seen in the context of local enterprise and major international music firms. It should also be seen in the context of separate, but overlapping, industries: the live music industry; the recorded music industry and the music publishing industry.

When Elvis Presley was at the forefront of youthful rock ‘n’ roll in the US, he appeared on the influential Ed Sullivan Show. A singing group from Ireland appeared on the show with Elvis. The contrast was startling, and it revealed a lot about the cultural chasm between Ireland and the epicentre of pop music. In particular, it highlighted the generally unexplored, yet powerful, bond between the Catholic church and the pop industry in Ireland.

Musically, Horslips married progressive rock with Irish traditional music in an innovative way. But their influence on Ireland’s popular culture landscape went beyond their music. Their business approach set new standards for local acts, and indicated creative paths for self-expression and business success for Irish pop much.

U2’s global popularity elevated Ireland’s position on the pop music map. Key to the band’s success were the many forms of support that they received locally before they signed a record deal with island records. Local managers, band members, booking agents and promoters all provided the band with valuable assistance and advice. It’s vital to understand how local assistance enables any music act to survive and grow in its early stages.

Student union entertainment organisers played a key role in the development of Ireland’s music culture and music industry. Most notably, during the 1970s and 1980s, the ‘ents officers’ from Ireland’s universities provided ways for Irish bands and youth culture to develop. This was do-it-yourself (DIY) music activity; most of the student union positions were part-time or short-term. Another important strand of DIY music activity came with Dublin’s Hope collective who arranged not-for-profit gigs for bands including Green Day, Fugazi, Chumbawamba and Babes in Toyland.

According to industry statistics, Enya is one of the all-time ten highest-selling solo female acts in the US. Her early growth and development, and her continued career direction and support, came from very distinctive management and enterprise in Ireland. She was guided by a husband-and-wife team who provided her with resources and guided her in significant ways. Her global success should be understood in the context of her local support and development.

Members of the Corr family formed a band to audition for the film, The Commitments. Although their management company was locally based, initially they effectively bypassed the local music industry in Ireland. While they eventually achieved very large global sales, their career pathway was not straightforward. Their career is an example of how artists can benefit from support from several countries, and not just from the music epicentre where they signed their record contract.

Very few cultural products with Riverdance’s profitability were designed and brought to the market by individuals from a country of Ireland’s size. The project was driven by a female entrepreneur who quickly assembled a team in Ireland that was capable of bring the show to international success. While both of Riverdance’s initial principal dancers were from outside of Ireland, most of the team that developed the show were from Ireland.

The chart success of Boyzone brought not only the group, but their manager, Louis Walsh, to prominence in Britain. Their eventual success happened after some key activity by music industry personnel in Ireland. This highlights how the music industry in Ireland interacts with Britain’s music industry in important ways.

Westlife’s success is generally documented with reference to music industry figures including Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh. Yet, some of the key decisions, particularly in the band’s early days, were taken by people other than Cowell and Walsh. Westlife’s career and presentation illustrate how celebrity functions in the modern cultural industries.

The music industry is shaped by many behind-the-scenes participants; the career of the graphic designer, Steve Averill, shows how influential these participants can be. Averill worked in the Irish music scene in a number of roles; behind-the-scenes participants are not confined to one role. As an advisor, graphic designer and musician Averill interacted with Irish music figures in crucial ways.

Many of Ireland’s popular music acts benefitted from the individual enterprise, or industry, of local supporters. The music industry in any country or region should be understood in the context of that enterprise. The music industry does not mean the same thing as ‘the industry of music.’ Even though the Irish music industry is suffering from a post-Covid 19 crisis, the examples of Irish supportive enterprise may benefit acts in other countries.