Former principal conductor of the RTÉ NSO, Gerhard Markson, speaks out against potential cuts to the orchestra in a recent Irish Independent piece.

Where is the Woodie Guthrie of today, contemplates Breandán Ó hEaghra, as Genghis Khan joins the singer on a Conamara trampoline. And is that Angela Merkel on the banjo and Nicolas Sarkozy clapping along?

A couple of phone-calls to Sarkozy and Merkel and Breándán Ó hEaghra has all but solved Ireland's economic crisis — it’s a fool-proof plan to sell off the one thing that really is priceless.

Funding for the arts is essential, but without the right approach it can blunt artists’ entrepreneurial skills, writes Toner Quinn

In an age when music is available anywhere, anytime, where do you find the underground, and what defines it?

Being cut off is a state of mind, writes composer John McLachlan

The direct impact the new digital culture is having on music, in terms of access, dissemination and copyright, is well documented, but the indirect impact less so.

‘I mbliana ní raibh aon urraíocht ar fáil faraor, leis an tseachtain ealaíne is oidhreachta a reachtáil mar a bhíonns againn go hiondúil.’ Or, in English: ‘Unfortunately, no sponsorship was...

The rise and fall of the Irish new music scene.

In a masterful self-promotional effort that began in his twenties and lasted for the remainder of his career, Richard Wagner managed to develop himself into a ‘brand’ – a name, look, ideology and product that continues today.

"The story of how Cowell came to love ‘Jedward’ is the story of how capital, given enough time, consumes even that which appears to be inconsumable." Despite its cheapness, music is the winner in The X Factor, argues Stephen Graha

The challenges facing the funding of the arts go beyond the current economic situation.

The search for a sustainable business model for the producing and selling of music in the digital age persists, but it is crippled by a narrow view of the internet.

Cannes – The teenagers employed to demonstrate the joys of Rockband – complete with full stage, bass and lead guitars, mics and kit – must have been wondering why the game was suddenly becoming such hard work. Situated by the café...

Those interested in our cultural space must abandon the fashionably apolitical, argued former Labour TD and Minister for the Arts and now President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, writing in 2001.