Gareth Murphy

Gareth Murphy is author of Cowboys and Indies – The Epic History of the Record Industry. For his music business articles in the UK press, he won Writer of the Year at the 2017 PPA Independent Publisher Awards. He ghostwrote Siren Song, Sire Records founder Seymour Stein’s official autobiography, and lives in Paris.

How to Transform Ireland’s Music Business
With Covid-19 now reaching endgame, we're about to enter a new situation: a global music marketplace that's grown a whole lot younger and more technological. In order for Ireland to embrace this future, it needs an ambitious new music plan – with record labels at its heart. Gareth Murphy sets out five steps to help transform Ireland's music business.
What a year 2020 was. When it began, the outlook for the music industry hadn't looked so good in decades. Then came Covid-19, the industrial equivalent of a comet hurtling in from deep space. As we emerge into 2021, it's time for some damage assessment. What exactly has been destroyed? Who has benefitted from lockdowns? What has changed for good? And, asks Gareth Murphy, now that vaccines are arriving, can the music business bounce back even stronger than before, and what do those in the industry need to focus on?
It's Up to Us: How to Grow Your Record Label in the 2020s
There's a reason why some countries export more good music than everywhere else, and it’s down to the health of their independent label scene. But what are the secrets to starting and running a successful record label, and how can you avoid the classic mistakes? Gareth Murphy explains how to survive an unpredictable game.
2020 – Where is the Money in Today's Music World?
The music business isn't just coming back to life right now, it may actually be bigger than before. What has changed, how did it happen, and what does it mean for artists? Gareth Murphy surveys the contemporary industry and asks: Who is making money from music and how?
The Truth About Ireland’s Music Business
World-conquering labels and musically literate entrepreneurs – these are the keys to the creation of a music industry, writes Gareth Murphy, but is that what Ireland has?
Dark Side of the Boom: Music and the Generation Game
Like a canary in a coal mine, the music industry has collapsed just before Wall Street, twice in one century. Gareth Murphy explores the eerie parallels – and what could come next.
Parisian Radar
France may not be a leading exporter of music, but the Paris scene is a great importer, able to spot talents, even with English lyrics, that seem to pass other countries by. From James Joyce’s Ulysses to the contemporary American folk singer Alela Diane, what is it about Parisians that allows them to spot greatness?