The Calm After The Storm

Following unrest at IMRO, new chair KEITH DONALD says the organisation is now better placed to fight the rights of Irish and international music makers.

Keith Donald, 28 Aug 2008

Keith Donald, the new chair of the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO), likes to look on the bright side of things. This is particularly true in regards to the organisation of which he has just assumed leadership. He says that, following a period of turmoil, involving serious disagreements and ultimately resignations among board members, IMRO is now in a stronger position than ever.

“IMRO has been through a rocky patch,” he says. “I don’t have to rehearse with you what that was – it’s been all over the newspapers, so it’s in the public domain. We’re emerging now from the choppy waters and my goal is to be able to look at the bigger picture, rather than the minutiae of what we do. It means increasing the amount of money we collect and keeping our overheads down, so that we can distribute more to writers.”

There was also the small matter of a legal dispute with POD Concerts, in which John Reynolds held out – especially where Electric Picnic is concerned – in trenchant terms against the scale of IMRO charges.

The dispute landed in the High Court and is now under arbitration. As a result, Donald cannot comment – though clearly it is a case with significant potential ramifications, in terms of the balance between rights holders and festival promoters in the future.

NOBODY IS COLLECTING

As its core activity, IMRO collects royalties on behalf of publishers, songwriters and composers. It was set up in 1994 as a breakaway collection society from the UK-based PRS, which up to that point, collected and distributed for Ireland. Among its objectives was to enhance the position of Irish publishers, songwriters and composers.

The organisation now has a turnover of €38 million, most of which goes to songwriters and publishers. However, according to Donald, 88% of the monies collected leave the country, with the remainder being distributed among home-grown artists.

Surely this represents a massive inequity in the system? “Well, it mainly reflects what’s being played on the radio,” he says. “Unfortunately, radio here play largely an Anglo-American repertoire – therefore the money goes to the writers of those songs – and they are living in America and the UK.

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Keith Donald