Kieran Allen

Dr Kieran Allen is a lecturer in sociology in UCD and the author of The Celtic Tiger: The Myth of Social Partnership (Manchester University Press, 2000).

Five companies have taken over vertical and horizontal control of almost every aspect of the music industry, controlling virtually every known label, most of the major distribution companies and much of copyrighted music. The dominant forms of music are repetitive and prosaic. Radio stations, seeking secure, safe and continuous profits, filter out anything that might upset. It doesn’t have to be this way, says sociologist Kieran Allen.