First Music Contact is the only free and independent information and resource organisation for popular musicians and the popular music sector in Ireland.

FMC also co-runs the Hard Working Class Heroes Festival, Ireland’s premier A&R festival showcasing emerging Irish talent (www.hwch.net).

Music from Ireland is another FMC spearheaded project, building a brand around Irish bands at international music festivals (www.musicfromireland.org).

Most recently FMC have spearheaded the Breaking Tunes project, providing a platform for Irish musicians to showcase their wares to the industry (www.breakingtunes.com).

FMC is grant aided by the Arts Council.

FMC originally had a set of fact sheets for new bands available on its website. I have compiled these articles within a single PDF document. You can access this PDF here.

The list of contents is as follows –

Performance booking agreement (sample)
Mass production of CDs
Music copyright basics
You’ve written the songs so what next? (studio / recording pre-planning)
DIY gig booking tips
How do I get my label distributed?
Setting up an independent record label
Music acronyms
Music law
Music publishing
Press and publicity
Releasing a record
Rights in a song explained
Running a charity gig
12 steps to recording: going into the studio
What is a manager and how do I get one?
What is the law regarding sampling?
Writing a music business plan

The Hard Working Class Heroes Festival is an excellent forum for up and coming Irish bands