Irish Recorded Music Association
Encyclopedia
Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland
.
reached an agreement over file sharing which uses a third-party organisation to monitor Eircom users for downloading of pirated music. The agreed system was reported to use a "three-strikes-and-you're-out" system. The agreement was criticised by Digital Rights Ireland
and IrelandOffline
.
The association sent solicitors' letters to several organisations, including hosting service
Blacknight Solutions, whose MD, Michele Neylon, made the copy sent to his company publicly available on the company site. Although Blacknight Solutions isn't an ISP they still received the letter, which stated in the event of a positive response to this letter it is proposed to make practical arrangements with Blacknight of a like nature to those made with eircom.
Protests against the actions of IRMA are being organised by Digital Rights Ireland, as well as Blackout Ireland.
, with the aim to enhance the opportunities for young people who want to pursue a career in music. The trust's main initiative is the Instrument Bank, which provides music instruments to young people, particularly to young people who live in disadvantaged communities throughout Ireland.
" by Rihanna
featuring Calvin Harris
, with the no.1 album being Snow Patrol
's Fallen Empires
.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
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Goals and activities
- IRMA operates to promote and protect the welfare and interests of the Irish record industry. Specifically, IRMA is involved in lobbying to protect and enhance the interest of member companies and lobby to prevent illegal downloading of music content from local and international artists.
- In the past IRMA have organized "The IRMA Honours," an awards ceremony which honours the life work of Ireland's leading musicians and people who have influenced the Irish music industry. Past recipients include Bob GeldofBob GeldofRobert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
, Larry GoganLarry GoganLaurence 'Larry' Gogan is an Irish broadcaster working for Raidió Teilifís Éireann . He is a disc jockey on RTÉ 2fm. His show is The Golden Hour, during which Larry plays old favourites and classic songs from yesteryear. Gogan spun the first disc on Radio 2, Like Clockwork by The Boomtown Rats...
and Christy MooreChristy MooreChristopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
.
- IRMA also compile and manage the official music charts for the Republic of IrelandRepublic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. These include: Top 75 AlbumsIrish Albums ChartThe Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically...
, Top 50 SinglesIrish Singles ChartThe Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
, Top 10 Classical Albums, Top 10 Dance Singles, Top 20 Multi-Artist Compilation Albums, Top 30 Videos, Top 20 DVDs and Top 10 Music DVDS.
- On April 12, 2005, the association began to take legal action against "serial filesharers" in Ireland who illegally distribute music on the Internet. On November 15, 2005, the IRMA began "Phase II" of its plan to battle filesharing.
- Only Irish companies can become members of the IRMA. All members pay a yearly fee based on company size. Currently, the IRMA has 51 member companies.
- In the mid-1990s IRMA presented the IRMA Music Awards. These have been replaced by the annual music awards show Meteor Ireland Music Awards.
Filesharing controversy
IRMA and EircomEircom
Eircom Group LTD is a telecommunications company in the Republic of Ireland, and a former state-owned incumbent. It is currently the largest telecommunications operator in the Republic of Ireland and operates primarily on the island of Ireland, with a point of presence in Great Britain.As Bord...
reached an agreement over file sharing which uses a third-party organisation to monitor Eircom users for downloading of pirated music. The agreed system was reported to use a "three-strikes-and-you're-out" system. The agreement was criticised by Digital Rights Ireland
Digital Rights Ireland
Digital Rights Ireland is an digital rights advocacy and lobbying group based in the Republic of Ireland. The group works for civil liberties in a digital age.- Telecommunications data retention :...
and IrelandOffline
IrelandOffline
IrelandOffline is an Irish consumer pressure group which was set up on 13 May 2001 to lobby for universal, affordable internet access in Ireland....
.
The association sent solicitors' letters to several organisations, including hosting service
Internet hosting service
An Internet hosting service is a service that runs Internet servers, allowing organizations and individuals to serve content to the Internet. There are various levels of service and various kinds of services offered....
Blacknight Solutions, whose MD, Michele Neylon, made the copy sent to his company publicly available on the company site. Although Blacknight Solutions isn't an ISP they still received the letter, which stated in the event of a positive response to this letter it is proposed to make practical arrangements with Blacknight of a like nature to those made with eircom.
Protests against the actions of IRMA are being organised by Digital Rights Ireland, as well as Blackout Ireland.
Board member companies
The recording companies and other music-related companies that are on the IRMA board are:- Warner Music IrelandWarner Music GroupWarner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
- Sony Music IrelandSony Music EntertainmentSony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
(formerly Sony BMG Ireland) - RMG Chart Entertainment
- Independent Records
- EMI IrelandEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
- Universal Music Ireland
- Reekus Records
The IRMA trust
In 1997 the IRMA set up a trust with Phonographic Performance (Ireland) LimitedPhonographic Performance (Ireland) Limited
Phonographic Performance Limited controls the public performance, broadcasting, and other rights in hundreds of thousands of different recordings on thousands of different labels in the Republic of Ireland....
, with the aim to enhance the opportunities for young people who want to pursue a career in music. The trust's main initiative is the Instrument Bank, which provides music instruments to young people, particularly to young people who live in disadvantaged communities throughout Ireland.
Current charts
The current no.1 on the IRMA singles chart is "We Found LoveWe Found Love
"We Found Love" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her sixth studio album Talk That Talk . The song features Scottish singer-songwriter Calvin Harris. "We Found Love" was released as the lead single from the album and premiered on September 22, 2011, in the United Kingdom on the...
" by Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
featuring Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris is a Scottish singer-songwriter, record producer and DJ. His gold-selling debut album, I Created Disco, was released in 2007 and contained the top ten singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls"...
, with the no.1 album being Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
's Fallen Empires
Fallen Empires (album)
-Track listing:The track list for Fallen Empires is as follows.-Charts:...
.
See also
- Record industry
- List of songs that reached number one on the Irish Singles Chart
- List of artists who reached number one in Ireland