RAAP

Involved in the business of music since 2006, Aaron has both a practical and academic interest in the global music industry. He holds a Bachelor of Business in Business and Management Studies from TUS, an MA in Music Business Management from the University of Westminster, a PGCert in Learning and Teaching in Further and Higher Education from the University of Sussex and is also a Teaching Fellow with Advance HE.

As International Operations Manager at Recorded Artists Actors Performers (RAAP) Aaron collects royalties on behalf of performers from outside of Ireland. He is a part of both the Business and Operations Working Group and the Audiovisual Forum within SCAPR, a worldwide federation representing performers and collective management organisations. Aaron is also part of the Streaming Working Group with IMARA which leads international efforts to ensure that Music Performers receive fair remuneration from streaming, AI, and audiovisual exploitation of their performances globally.

Aaron has previously held roles at IMRO, the Irish Music Rights Organisation collecting on behalf of authors and music publishers, was Head of Music Business at BIMM University Dublin and operated as an independent music rights and royalties consultant across a range of clients.

Content Creator, Videographer, Photographer

Abby Davidson is a Belfast-based artist, photographer, videographer and social media content specialist. They have a particular interest in live music and the arts, having worked with local bands and festivals with a focus on short form video content.

Shine & The Limelight

Addison is a Promoter / Booker at Shine in Belfast, the operators of venues The Limelight and Telegraph Building; and CHSq, The Summer Series, & Belsonic festivals. With an early career background in Feature Writing, Music Journalism/Broadcast, Addison moved into grassroots live promotion in 2020 (greatly timed). She launched 'table it!’ as a multi-genre platform, booking Belfast headline debuts for acts like Mabe Fratti, ROÍS, Rachael Lavelle and Body Clinic, while programming in-house at The Black Box. Acts she currently promotes include John Grant, BIIRD, Le Boom, Joshua Burnside, Divorce, Huartan, SexyTadgh.

Dolby Atmos Mixer

London-based engineer Al Lawson is one of the UK’s most experienced Dolby Atmos mixers, working out of Jay Reynolds’ Mix London studios. He has had successes in Fred Again..’s Grammy-winning album “Actual Life 3” and Grammy-nominated single “Leavemealone”, LF System’s UK#1 single “Afraid To Feel” alongside albums and singles for Rudimental, Kylie, Swedish House Mafia, Luude, James Blunt. Pa Salieu, Badger, The Blessed Madonna, Tiësto, Nines, Lily Allen and Freya Ridings.

Creative Designer & Art Director

Alice Cinnamond is a Belfast-based Creative Designer & Art Director working across branding, advertising, and music projects. Alice has worked with brands including Bushmills, Smirnoff, Cadbury and Zalando, alongside a long-term collaboration with Northern Ireland’s Oh Yeah Music Centre, creating identities for projects including NI Music Prize and Sound of Belfast, and bands including The Wood Burning Savages and Beauty Sleep.

NewParadigm Music

Andy Skinner is an award winning songwriter and Ivors Academy Senator with over 20 years' experience working with artists and songwriters internationally. Known for his ability to develop songs from early-stage ideas into creatively successful recordings, he has collaborated across multiple genres and earned recognition for both his creative work and his commitment to artist development.

A prominent advocate for disabled and neurodivergent musicians, Andy campaigns for greater accessibility and representation across the music industry. A founder of initiatives including Building Blocks Belfast, The All Ireland Ivors Council and NewParadigm Musics OFFBEAT Songwriting sessions. He is dedicated to supporting grassroots talent, fostering collaboration and creating pathways for under-represented songwriters and music creators.

Earth Agency

Angie Rance is an Agent at Earth Agency, an independent music agency in London, founded in 2014. With over 15 years’ experience in the music industry, Angie began her career working with touring classical artists and orchestras, before moving into commercial music management and ultimately deciding, in 2013, that her real passion was working on the live shows. Her current roster at Earth Agency comprises live acts across an array of genres ranging through folk, indie, experimental jazz, instrumental, electronic, post-classical to psychedelic rock.

She studied Music and Philosophy at Cardiff University and continues to (occasionally) tour and record with her own band. Having performed at countless festivals alongside touring around the UK and Europe, she has a valuable and unique perspective from both sides of the stage. Angie is a passionate advocate of honesty and fairness in the workplace, including speaking openly about the challenges of balancing mental health, neurodiversity and physical health within the working environment of the live music industry. She is also committed to greening the music industry and is a founding committee member of Brian Eno’s charity EarthPercent.

Composer

Anna Rice is a multiple-award winning Irish composer, lyricist, arranger and music producer. Notable composition credits include Re-Creation (starring Vicky Krieps & Aidan Gillen, dir. Jim Sheridan/David Merriman), Our Blue World (narrated by Liam Neeson), the Royal National Theatre UK & Abbey Theatre’s inaugural co-production of Juno and the Paycock (dir. Howard Davies, starring Ciarán Hinds, Sinéad Cusack and Clare Dunne). As lyricist and orchestrator her credits include theme songs to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (The Weinstein Co. / Neflix) and The Wasted Times Channel 4s Chimerica, God of War (dir. Gordon Chan) and the E3 trailer for Playstation's Ghost of Tsushima (Sony). In 2022 she produced, arranged and orchestrated The Christmas Album for Andrea Corr (Warner).

She has scored over 200 episodes of episodic TV in the field of animation and in 2019 she co-founded Ash and Harold, a collaborative music studio specialising in music for animation.

Twice nominated for a Camille Award (European Film Composer Award) Anna became the first Irish composer to win this honour for her score to the documentary I Dream in Photos (dir. Gary Lennon) in 2004. She has written arrangements and orchestrations featuring Lang Lang, Gidon Kremer, Ronnie Wood (The Rolling Stones), The Chieftains, Avishai Cohen, Donal Lunny, Zoë Conway & Mairtín O'Connor, Jam Hsiao, Coco Lee and longtime collaborator Shigeru Umebayashi.

Electric Picnic

Anna-Marie is an experienced live-events and entertainment professional whose career spans music, major venues, television and touring productions.

As Lead Production Coordinator at Electric Picnic, she plays a key role within one of Ireland's leading live-events, bringing practical insight into the delivery of large-scale festivals and productions.

Her work with Oh Yeah Music Centre has further strengthened her connection to Belfast's vibrant music and cultural sector, while her previous role supporting the Directors of Audiences and Programming at the Royal Albert Hall gave her valuable experience within one of the world's most iconic cultural venues.

Across her career, Anna-Marie has contributed to an impressive range of productions and projects, including working with Dolly Parton, Katy Perry, Rihanna and Marianne Faithfull.

She brings to the conference a distinctive perspective shaped by creativity, collaboration and hands-on experience across the many moving parts of live entertainment.

McCusker Pro Audio Ltd

Live sound engineer and Director of McCusker Pro Audio Ltd, Barry supplies full-service sound, lighting, and AV production across the live event world. With an international touring resume that includes backing Emmy Award-winner Eamonn McCrystal across the US, he brings arena-grade audio precision to stages of every scale. Beyond concert touring, Barry has built an extensive portfolio in live theatre, frequently collaborating with Belfast’s iconic Lyric Theatre, working on major productions at the Grand Opera House, and working on acclaimed shows like Good Vibrations both locally and on its run in New York. He is currently on the road as live sound engineer for country-pop star Lisa McHugh.

Beyond Skin

Behnaz Mafakheri is a Kurdish woman from Iran. After she finished her studies at the University of Urban Engineering and Architecture she came to Northern Ireland to find freedom away from the regime. Behnaz comes from a creative entrepreneurial family with previous restaurant and Persian weaving businesses. Behnaz is working with Beyond Skin managing music projects and events and job sharing with The Learning Machine to assist women and girls in Afghanistan.

DHP Family

Ben has been working in live music for the independent national promoter DHP Family for almost two decades. He is the lead booker on Bearded Theory festival (a 15,000 capacity camping festival in Derbyshire) and part of the team programming Dot to Dot festival (a 5,000 capacity multi-venue festival in Bristol and Nottingham). He is also a national promoter organising shows and tours throughout the UK.

Singer-Songwriter

Folk and traditional Irish singer-songwriter Bernadette Morris is an engaging performer who takes audiences on an emotional journey with a repertoire of songs that speak from and to the heart. With a captivating story to introduce every number, Bernadette draws in and charms her audience – a gift that is matched only by her wonderful voice once the song begins.

Bernadette is not only an extremely talented singer, performer, fiddle player and entertainer, she is also an exceptional songwriter. Ten years on from the release of her critically acclaimed debut album ‘All the Ways you Wander’ at the CQAF, Bernadette has released her latest album” To the Well for Water” recorded with Ben McAuley. The recording has an array of talented musicians including Seán Óg Graham and Gerard Thompson on guitar. The album is a stunning mix of self-penned songs and co-writes with Johnny Brady, Declan Sinnott, Cormac Neeson and Matt McGinn, amongst others. This album was longlisted and considered for Folk Album of the Year in the Grammys® 2023.

The album comes after 4 singles launched in 20/21, including co writes with stellar members of the Irish music scene Eleanor McEvoy, Ríoghnach Connolly and Arborist’s Mark McCambridge, which garnered radio play nationally and internationally including Playlisting on RTE Radio 1 and plays on the Mark Radcliffe Folk Show on Radio 2 and BBC & TG4 television appearances. Bernadette was named by Hotpress Magazine as ‘One to Watch’, and rightly so.

RTÉ

Beta Da Silva is a Radio Broadcaster & Voiceover Artist on RTE 2FM. Beta worked up through the ranks in the RTE beginning in the digital radio station RTE Pulse in 2016 where he presented a Hip-Hop & RnB music show. From 2021 he moved on to 2FM where he took over as the presenter for Weekend Breakfast.

As of 2023, Beta has been in the hot seat as the official presenter for “The New Music Show” where he shares the most recent fresh singles from around the world, dives into full length album breakdowns, news on upcoming projects & gigs as well as Takeover shows with your favourite Irish and international acts.

You can check out “The New Music Show with Beta Da Silva” Mondays - Fridays from 6pm on RTE 2FM.

MPG

Cameron is a two time Grammy award-winning Producer-Mixer-Engineer. A hugely impressive credit list notably also includes several albums with U.N.K.L.E., along with names like Adele, Annie Lennox, Bjork, Tina Turner, Baxter Dury, Grace Jones, Joe Strummer, Duffy, Amy Winehouse and many more.

His work has encompasses an enormous spectrum of musical styles including indie, dance, film soundtrack and orchestral recording, picking up a Grammy award for ""Album of the Year"" for his part in recording Adele's 25 and collecting another Grammy award for ""Best Engineered - Non classical” in 2008 for his contribution to the Suzanne Vega album Beauty and Crime also recording the orchestra on Duffy's Grammy and Brit award-winning Rockferry album.

Other notable accolades are Grammy nominations for Annie Lennox’s Nostalgia album that he mixed, Bjork’s Biophilia album that he recorded a track on, a nomination for MPG’s Recording Engineer of the Year 2015.

Having started out in his native Australia he achieved great success with many multi-platinum albums and a nomination for ARIA Engineer of the year in 1995 to his name. it is then Cameron decided to move to the UK to further his career.

Cameron is an Executive Director of the MPG and sits on the board of UK music representing the MPG to the wider music community.

The Anchorees / Songwriter

Catherine Anne Davies is a Welsh producer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. As The Anchoress, she writes, plays and self-produces every element of her records, with two studio albums nominated for the Welsh Music Prize and named Album of the Year by outlets from The Sunday Times to Record Collector, with Elton John naming The Art of Losing among his favourites. A three-time Music Producers Guild Awards nominee and winner of a PRS Writer/Producer Award, her most recent album, As We Once Were, hit the UK Top Ten Album charts. She has made collaborative albums with Bernard Butler and Paul Statham and spent five years as a member of legendary Scottish band Simple Minds. Catherine is a Senator for the Ivors Academy and board member of the Featured Artists Coalition.

Music Supervisor

Ceo of CG Music/Ceol Go Pictuir founded in 2021 , Catherine is a leading Music Supervisor & Music Rights Expert, with over 30 years’ experience in television and film. Prior to returning home to her native Northern Ireland, Catherine worked for over 30 years in the music rights team at the BBC heading up the sync team for many years and leading the music strategy for BBC Studios Productions. She lives in Belfast, and with her team is proud to have collaborated on local Productions - Blue Lights, How To Get To Heaven from Belfast , Trespasses, The Lovers and the upcoming Close To Home. She has just completed work on series 6 of Slow Horses and Series 2 of The Assassin , and the forthcoming feature films My Duchess and Frank & Percy.

Ben Goddard & Ross Cullen

Chalk is an industrial dance-punk duo from Belfast, consisting of musicians and filmmakers Ross Cullen and Benedict Goddard. Meeting at film school, the pair initially bonded over a shared cinematic vision before channeling their creativity into an explosive musical project.

Their sound acts as a sonic bridge between Dublin’s gritty guitar band movement and the pulsing, sweaty electronic dance floors of Belfast’s underground club scene. Described as a relentless hybrid of techno-infused post-punk and industrial noise, Chalk delivers a monochromatic, gothic landscape built for physical intensity and total catharsis.

Following their critically acclaimed Conditions EP trilogy, the duo released their powerful debut album, Crystalpunk, in March 2026, which soared straight to No. 1 on the UK Dance Album Chart. Anchored by a complex post-Troubles identity, Chalk has solidified their reputation as one of the UK and Ireland's most essential, ferocious new live acts.

Musicians Union

For the last 23 years Charlene has worked to give power to working musicians in Northern Ireland. In her role at Musicians Union she works to support members in their work and to advocate for dignified working conditions for musicians.

Oh Yeah Music Centre

Charlotte Dryden is Chief Executive of the award winning Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast and has worked across music and the creative industries for over 20 years. She is a strong advocate for developing and strengthening Northern Ireland’s music sector, supporting grassroots and emerging talent, and bridging gaps in music education and access. Charlotte leads initiatives including the NI Music Prize and Sound of Belfast, and played a key role in Belfast’s successful designation as a UNESCO City of Music.

EmuBands

Chris is a Glasgow-based music professional working at the intersection of artist development, digital distribution and festival programming. In his role in Artist Relations at EmuBands, he supports independent artists and labels worldwide in navigating the digital music landscape and releasing music effectively.

Alongside his work in distribution, Chris runs the folk and roots label and promotions company Holy Smokes Records, manages artists including Alice Faye, and programmes stages for Eden Festival, where he curates diverse line-ups spanning emerging and international talent. His work is grounded in grassroots music culture and a practical, artist-first approach across multiple areas of the industry.

CMU

Chris Cooke is co-Founder and MD of CMU, a company that helps people navigate and understand the music business. It does this through media like the CMU Daily bulletin and Setlist podcast; a consultancy unit and training business; and a future talent programme.

Chris regularly writes, talks, teaches and consults about the music industry, and wrote the ‘Dissecting The Digital Dollar’ book and ‘Music Copyright Explained’ guide.

Chris also pursues other projects via UnLimited Media, through which he also publishes cultural media ThisWeek Culture and ThreeWeeks at the Edinburgh Festival; and helped launch PR training charity the Taylor Bennett Foundation.

Anthem Vinyl

Chris leads commercial and digital functions at Anthem Vinyl, with responsibility for driving sales performance and revenue growth across the business. His role centres on commercial strategy, customer engagement, and expanding their presence in key markets.

He oversees the full sales function, spearheads new business development, and strengthens relationships with customers, distributors, and strategic partners. In addition to his commercial remit, Chris also leads their digital, social, and ecommerce initiatives, ensuring their online presence and digital channels support the company’s wider growth ambitions.

Soil To The Sun Recordings

I work across A&R and marketing at Soil To The Sun. We are a label focused on alternative/rock music. It’s a really varied role where I get to wear a lot of different hats, working closely with the artists on our roster throughout their entire campaign journey, from A&R to digital strategy and creative. I’m also naturally at a million gigs, which is a pretty great part of the job.

Trailer Music Composer

Ciarán Birch is a composer and music producer specialising in high-impact music for global media, film, and television. Best known for crafting cinematic tracks for major Hollywood marketing campaigns, his work has backed high-profile blockbuster trailers including Avengers: Doomsday, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and The Odyssey.

​Beyond the silver screen, Ciarán’s production music catalogue is a mainstay across international television, featuring heavily on networks including the BBC, ITV, Sky, RTÉ, Paramount, E4, CBBC, ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, ProSieben, and SAT.1. His tracks provide the dramatic sonic backdrop for many of prime-time TV’s biggest shows, including The Grand Tour, The Voice, Survivor, Big Brother, Married At First Sight, Ireland's Fittest Family, Next Top Model, The Biggest Loser, My Kitchen Rules, and The Taste.

Composer

Claire Batchelor has composed for a huge variety of projects including ""Field of Vampires"" Sky / PBS, ""Fiennes Return to the Wild"" for Nat Geo / Disney / Woodcut Media, BBC One’s ‘Gentleman Jack Changed My Life’, BBC Three's The TikTok Effect, an arrangement for ITV’s ‘The Masked Singer’, original music for ‘Chateau DIY’ for Phase Music / Channel 4 and ‘The Wonderful World of Puppies’ for Zinc Media / Channel 5, alongside many independent documentaries and short films across drama, thrillers and comedy.

Claire has been part of the BAFTA Jury in the Original Music Category, judge for the Ivor Novello Awards Best Television Soundtrack Category, RTS West awards and sits on the IVORS Academy Media Committee and PRS LCAG. Claire is a BAFTA Connect member.

Claire’s music has been used in a multitude of international programmes including BBC News, ITV News, BBC Royal Wedding coverage, This Morning, Lorraine, Good Morning Britain, Horizon, Panorama, MasterChef, Dragons Den, Location, Location, Location, Gogglebox, Mary Berry’s Quick Cooking, The Apprentice, Big Brother, Neighbours, Hollyoaks andCoronation Street. Work for brands and commercials include Google, Disney, McDonald’s, American Express, NatWest, Ribena, Majestic Wine, Curry’s PC World and Sky Movies.

Claire plays guitar, bass, ukulele, mandolin, keyboard, percussion and sings. She graduated in Music Composition for Professional Media with First Class Honors in 2007.

Orange Amplifiers, Sustainable Music Education

Cliff Cooper is a seasoned entrepreneur with a proven track record of successfully steering new companies towards growth through innovation. His advocacy for sustainable equal access to education and qualifications has helped shape the music education industry. His father Cliff Cooper invented the iconic Orange Guitar Amplifiers and father and son still manage the Orange Company business. Cliff through another one of his companies 'The Learning Machine' is helping 1000's of women and girls in Afghanistan remotely access education including music and arts.

Beyond Skin

Darren Ferguson is a Belfast-born musician, poet, and peace-building activist who founded the arts-for-peace organization Beyond Skin in 2004

Through Beyond Skin Darren and colleagues have collaborated with 32 countries including Afghanistan with Afghan Women's Orchestra 2019 - 2021. After the fall of Kabul Darren was a co-founder of the International Campaign for Afghan Musicians and Alghochak (Afghan Association Northern Ireland) and has been championing Afghan arts and with partners and also supporting Afghan women and girls in Afghanistan and the diaspora

Darren is also a volunteer trustee for Make Music Day UK and Cre8 Theatre.

Composer

Dave is best known as the drummer in the band Blur, one of the most innovative British bands of all time. He’s headlined Glastonbury twice and Hyde Park four times and has even sent music on a spaceship to Mars!

His film composing journey began in 2016, when he was asked to score a friend’s short film ‘Teeth and Pills’, which resulted in a nomination for ‘Best Music’ at the Independent Horror Movie Awards.

Producer and Composer

Dean Fagan is a music industry professional whose career bridges both the creative and commercial aspects of the business. Dean is Head of Royalties at Sopher + Co and leads all royalty operations for artists, labels, publishers, producers and managers, specialising in royalty accounting and rights management. Outside of royalties, Dean is also an accomplished production music composer and has worked with publishers such as Warner Chappell, Atomica Music, Tonal Chaos and has had his music licensed across TV and streaming services worldwide, such as Disney+, Hulu, Discovery Channel, WWE and many more more.

With experience on both sides of the industry, Dean is passionate about helping creatives better understand the business that supports their careers. Through speaking engagements, education, and industry panels, he shares practical insights into royalties, rights management and building sustainable careers in music.

Planet of Sound

Dina is co-founder/co-director of Planet of Sound, a full service Music Supervision & Licensing company based in Ireland and working across global Film & TV projects. Over the last 25+ years she has had the opportunity as a music supervisor to work on a dynamic range of projects, including the TV Series 'Mix Tape' for which she was nominated for 'Best Music Supervision in a Television Drama' for the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards in the US and recently won the AACTA (Australian Academy Cinema Television Arts) award for 'Best Soundtrack'. Other notable projects include the films 'Hokum', 'The Apprentice', 'Saipan', 'Evil Dead Rise', the Oscar winning short 'An Irish Goodbye', 'The Young Offenders' (film & tv series), 'The Gone' and the upcoming film 'Skintown'.

Dina started her music career as a college radio DJ and soon after started working as a publicist at a number of indie record labels in New York City. She then segued into music supervision, helping to start the music department at the Oxygen television network where she oversaw music placement for all productions and network initiatives. Additionally, she served as a Producer on the long running concert series ‘Custom Concert’ which featured performances by John Legend, LL Cool J, Alanis Morrissette and Kenny Chesney among others. Dina also currently serves on the Full Working Board of the UK and European Guild of Music Supervisors.

LabelWorx

Having climbed the ranks at LabelWorx for over a decade, Dominic serves as Vice President of LabelWorx, playing a pivotal role in shaping the company’s direction, service portfolio, managing key client relationships, and leading the label services team.

Under his leadership, the LabelWorx’s team have executed seamless campaigns covering digital distribution, royalty accounting and promotion for independent labels around the world including Solid Grooves Records, Hellbent, 1985 Music, You&Me, PIV and many more. Through close collaboration with DSPs like Apple Music, Beatport, Spotify, Traxsource, YouTube and Twitch, Dominic secures feature placements that maximise release visibility and revenue.

Dominic has overseen major partnerships, including onboarding the entire catalogue of Get Physical Music and Bedrock Records (and its imprints) via a global distribution deal. He also established an exclusive distribution collaboration with The Circuit Group, supporting labels such as FISHER’s Catch & Release and Chris Lake’s Black Book Records.

Dominic’s influence extends far beyond LabelWorx: he has consulted across sister companies including Lime Blue Music (neighbouring rights), Mixtank (e‑commerce & education), and Reset The Night (artist management), and is frequently invited to speak at events such as WMC, Berlin Dance Event, Brighton Music Conference and other prestigious conferences.

Eurovision Performer and Songwriter - Czech Republic

Dominika Hašková is a Czech singer, songwriter, and frontwoman of the international electropop band We Are Domi. She was born on May 3, 1995, in Buffalo, USA, and spent part of her childhood in Detroit, Ottawa, and Pardubice. She received her musical education at Leeds Conservatoire in the UK, where she completed a Bachelor’s degree in Pop Performance, followed by a Master’s degree in Songwriting.

During her studies, she met Norwegian musicians Casper Hatlestad and Benjamin Rekstad, with whom she went on to form We Are Domi. The band gained significant attention after winning the Czech national selection for Eurovision and subsequently representing the Czech Republic in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin with their song “Lights Off.”

In 2023, the band released their self-titled debut EP. We Are Domi regularly perform live, appearing at international showcase festivals and continuing to release new music. In 2025, they released the highly successful singles “Getaway” and “If I’m Honest,” among others. They are currently working on their debut album.

In 2025, Dominika also took part in the Czech-Slovak television reality show Survivor Česko & Slovensko.

Belfast TradFest

"Dónal O’Connor is an award-winning musician, producer, director and cultural leader who has played a significant role in shaping the contemporary traditional arts landscape in Ireland, from international performance and award-winning broadcasting to building Belfast TradFest and helping position Belfast as a global centre for traditional arts.

Born into a distinguished musical family with at least five generations of fiddle playing behind him, Dónal has toured internationally from a young age and has performed and recorded with artists including Paul Brady, Horslips, Duke Special,

Davy Spillane, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Michael McGoldrick, John McSherry, Ríoghnach Connolly, and Liam Ó Maonlaí. His own projects have included Lá Lugh, At First Light, Ulaid and Gaelic-song collective A Stór Mo Chroí, alongside extensive work as a composer, musical director and producer.

As founder and Artistic Director of Belfast TradFest, Dónal has been a driving force in positioning Belfast as a global centre for traditional arts. In 2026, the festival presented more than 600 events across the city, attracting an audience of over 50,000. Its Summer School, delivered in partnership with Ulster University, welcomed more than 1,100 students and over 80 leading traditional musicians and tutors. Central to Dónal’s vision is the potential of traditional arts to bring people together across cultural and political divides while building Belfast’s international reputation as a place where traditional music is performed, taught, developed and reimagined at the highest level.

Alongside his festival work, Dónal is a managing partner of Táin Media and RedBox Recording Studios and an RTS-nominated, multiple IFTA award-winning television and music producer/director. His extensive broadcast work for TG4, RTÉ and the BBC includes Fleadh TV, Róisín ReImagined, ’Sé mo Laoch, Gael Linn ag 70, RnaG 50, TG4XX and Dennis Cahill – Litir ó do Chara. He has also presented major music programming including TG4’s flagship traditional music awards, Gradam Ceoil.

Across performance, broadcasting and cultural leadership, Dónal’s work is driven by a belief in the living tradition: creating ambitious platforms for artists, developing new audiences and using music as a means of connection, cultural dialogue and collaboration.

The Tenth Man

Dylan Murphy is a journalist, podcaster and tastemaker from Lisburn. He was the Editor of District Magazine, Ireland's leading music and culture platform for 5 years interviewing acts like Fred Again.., The Streets, JPEGMAFIA and more. Elsewhere, he runs his own music platform and podcast called Mabfield, which features both Irish and International acts and often showcases important stories hidden in plain sight. Dylan has also made audio documentaries for the BBC on Irish hip hop and drill and hosted 'I Was There' a documentary podcast from The Tenth Man revisiting the lore behind iconic Irish concerts. He's been featured in Dazed & Confused Magazine and written for The Face and co-produced an Irish special on Radio 1Xtra with Jamz Supernova. In 2025, he joined The Tenth Man as Culture Manager, where he curates lineups for brands like Jameson and continues to create content and document culture online.

Beatport

Helen joined Beatport in 2022 and serves as President & COO. Prior to Beatport she was Director / General Manager at The Rattle LA, an incubator for music technology startups and independent artists. Currently, she is on the Board of MTUK (the UK trade body for Music Technology) and IMS (International Music Summit) and previously, AFEM (Association for Electronic Music). Before moving into the music industry, Helen spent 10 years in investment banking, initially at boutique M&A firm Greenhill & Co, and later as Head of Emerging Technologies at Lazard.

Songwriter / Ivors Academy

Iain Archer is a Grammy Nominated artist, songwriter and producer from Bangor Northern Ireland and has co-written/produced internationally successful records for artists such as Snow Patrol, Noah Kahan, Liam Gallagher, Jake Bugg and James Bay. He has received two Ivor Novello Awards and a third nomination. Iain has created multiple top 5 hit singles. With a UK No.1 single and over a million album sales worldwide, Iain’s long-standing collaboration, writing and producing with Snow Patrol continued in 2026 when he and Gary Lightbody created Music for Lisa McGee‘s ‘how to get to heaven from Belfast’ on Netflix. He has had US, UK and European #1 albums with Artists such as Noah Kahan, Shania Twain, Niall Horan, and has played guitar on international #1 Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran.

Iain sat as Visiting Professor at Leeds College of Music, and is a Senator and Board Director at the Ivor’s Academy. He is chair of the Ivors All Ireland Council, and also on the Ivor Novello’s Awards Committee.

More recently he co-wrote Aaron Rowe’s ‘Hey Ma’, Editor’s recent radio hit ‘The Rush’, had a German #1 album with Michael Patrick Kelly, has co-written on Shania Twain’s album ‘Queen of Me’. He has also seen releases with Matteo Boccelli, Milky Chance, Florentinas, Tom Smith, Lisa Hannigan, Jamie Webster, & Jamie Cullum.

Artist / Music Rights and Accessibility Activist

Imogen is a songwriter and artist with over a decade of professional experience working across the UK music industry. Originally from Newcastle, she is deeply committed to supporting the region’s creative development and strengthening opportunities for artists across the North.

Creating under the project Imogen and the Knife, and as a member of the band thredd, her work and live shows have received widespread critical acclaim with consistent support from national radio and leading UK press. Her practice spans songwriting, collaboration, live performance and composition, with credits alongside internationally recognised artists, producers, and composers.

Alongside her artistic work, Imogen brings experience in education, advocacy, and industry development. She currently works as a Songwriting Lecturer, supporting emerging artists in developing their creative voice and professional practice.

Imogen is also a former Board Director of The Ivors Academy, where she founded and co-chaired the Youth Council and served as Deputy Chair of the Songwriting Council and she continues to contribute to sector development through mentoring and programme design for underrepresented creators.

Overall, Imogen's work is grounded in a commitment to regional growth, inclusive practice, accessibility, and enabling artists to build sustainable careers.

Artist

Janet Devlin is an Irish singer-songwriter whose music sits at the crossroads of modern country pop-rock, Americana and traditional Irish storytelling. Known and appreciated for her unfiltered lyricism and wicked sense of humour, Janet has built a career rooted in authenticity, total honesty and her ability to create a strong personal connection with her audience. After originally breaking through to an international fanbase at a young age, Janet has since evolved into a successful independent artist carving a unique space in the UK country scene. Her sound draws heavily from Nashville songwriting traditions while proudly retaining her Irish heritage; a combination that resonates strongly with country audiences seeking genuine voices and fresh perspectives.

Anam Records

Jason Hawthorne is the co-founder of Belfast independent label ANAM Records and owner of East Belfast record shop First Press.

He has been involved in music for over 25 years across Belfast, Glasgow and London, both as a musician and within the independent music industry. After years of making and releasing records himself, he opened First Press before co-founding ANAM Records with Rory Friers of And So I Watch You From Afar.

Launched in 2026, ANAM is a new Belfast label built around artist development, physical releases and doing things independently. As a label still in its early stages, Jason brings first-hand experience of what it actually takes to start and build an independent record label in 2026.

Un-Convention

Jeff is the co-founder of Manchester’s Un-Convention, an annual music industry conference and showcase that has brought together thousands of artists and music professionals over the course of the last 18 years. The events also take place nationally and internationally, and to date there have been 115 Un-Conventions on 5 continents. This has enabled him to work in a broad range of contexts, both in the UK, as well as around the world in countries such as Columbia, Brazil, The Netherlands, Poland, Liberia, France, Spain and Australia, and with everyone from bedroom producers and DIY labels to multi-million selling artists and major festivals and corporations.

As well as Un-Convention, Jeff has run independent record labels and booked artists for festival stages. He has helped to establish several music co-operatives in Africa, a Regional Music Scene Network, and a live music touring model which enables artists in 85 towns and cities across the UK to play to new audiences. He was a founding member of the JUMP European-wide talent development project and is currently a member of the Great Manchester Music Commission where he has led on research into music and health and delivered music export initiatives. Most recently Jeff has established the Manchester Music Scene Social, a quarterly networking event which brings together hundreds of people working in the sector from across the city region.

Boogaloo Radio

Jenn is the Co-Founder of London's Boogaloo Radio, a freelance Assistant Producer for BBC 6 Music and Radio 1, and a DJ. She is an advocate for new music and curates The Pint Sized Playlist, which is a discovery tool via Spotify. In addition, she hosts BBC Introducing's live show case nights, has presented for BBC Radio 1, and is currently the Producer for a new podcast which is all about rare, undigitized, African music for the record label Unearthed African Recordings.

Echo Beach Management & MMF Vice Chair

Jill Hollywood, the founder of Echo Beach Management, established herself as a leader in producer/writer management after holding key A&R roles at Polygram/Island and Telstar. During her twelve-year tenure at Big Life Management, she developed award-winning talents such as Jacknife Lee (U2, R.E.M.) and top mix engineer Ash Howes (One Direction, Dido). Her extensive roster of influential creators also includes the production duo MyRiot (London Grammar, Aurora) and acclaimed orchestral arranger Davide Rossi (Coldplay, Ariana Grande). In 2016, she launched her own firm, Echo Beach Management, where she continues to represent a diverse array of elite industry professionals with Jill’s industry impact recognised through her appointment as Vice-Chair of the Music Managers Forum (MMF).

Music Supervisor

John McCallion is an experienced Music Supervisor and Sync Agent working across advertising, TV, film, and gaming, based in Dublin.

As a Sync Agent, he works with independent artists for the world, and with the Warner Music master catalogue for all licensing out of Ireland.

Recent campaigns he has worked on include, Fáilte Ireland (Maverick Sabre); Tesco (Morgana); Volkswagen (Amble); AIB, Guinness Storehouse (both KhakiKid); Donegal Catch (Republic of Loose); Specsavers (Thin Lizzy); Irish Life (Kormac).

On the film and TV side, of late he has had artists feature in House of Guinness (The Stunning, Pebbledash, Shark School); The Westies (The Stunning); Skintown (Jaydee, The Jesus and Mary Chain); Say Nothing (The Dubliners); Ginny & Georgia (shiv); Saipan (The Pogues): Irish Blood (Amble, Selló); and These Sacred Vows (The Pogues).

His previous roles include, Marketing Manager for Warner Music in Ireland where Sync and Brand Partnerships were part of his role; Promotion & Marketing in live with MCD Productions; freelance music writer with DJ, Mixmag, various Irish dailies; and Station Manager with Dublin pirate radio station, Power FM.

Singer-Songwriter

Joshua Burnside is an acclaimed experimental folk singer, songwriter, and producer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He is widely recognised as one of Ireland’s most inventive contemporary folk artists, masterfully fusing traditional Irish folk songwriting with elements of alternative electronica, Americana, and world music rhythms.

Burnside first captured widespread attention with his debut album, Ephrata, which won the Northern Ireland Music Prize for Best Album. His subsequent releases, including Into the Depths of Hell and the highly praised Teeth of Time, have cemented his reputation for dense, atmospheric soundscapes and deeply evocative storytelling. Known for his poignant lyrics that touch on identity, grief, and resilience, his 2026 album, It's Not Going to Be Okay, explores raw themes of personal loss with a stripped-back intimacy.

KZMusic

After 15 years working in the A&R dept. of Universal Music Publishing, in 2016 Katherine started in artist management by supporting award-winning international songwriter and entrepreneur Janee ‘Jin Jin’ Bennett, helping her develop a roster of artists, writers and producers under the Jinsing moniker. She then went on to work with East City as day-to-day manager for Mercury Music Prize winners and multi-billion streaming act alt-J.

She branched out to form her own company and currently manages influential garage rock/electronic artist Tom Vek, who celebrated the 20th anniversary of his cult-classic album ‘We Have Sound’ last year with remixes by indie legends such as Dave Bayley from Glass Animals, Gus from alt-J and Everything Everything. Alongside Sarah Lipman, she also co-manages indie pop singer-songwriter Natalie Shay, piri and Tommy originally both part of viral drum n bass pop act piri&tommy now solo, alt-pop writer-producer and influencer Ellie Dixon, Orlando based DJ/producer Caleb Dent and Australian dance-pop diva BEKS.

Wise Music Group

With 20 years experience working in sync roles in the UK music industry, first at Beggars Group, working with labels such as XL, Rough Trade, and 4AD, and more recently in Music Publishing at Warner Chappell and now Wise Music Group. Actively pitching catalogue and composers, negotiating, and closing licensing deals across UK Film & TV.

Musicians' Union

Kelly heads up the MU's work in relation to gigging & touring, songwriting & composition and touring theatre, and sits as a Director at LIVE, the trade body for the UK's live music sector. The MU represents 36,000+ members working across the industry, and in addition to lobbying and collective bargaining, the union also provides individual advice for members in relation to all aspects of their music and careers.

Kelly spent 10 years as a keyboardist and co-writer in a Manchester band, touring as far as New Zealand and performing live sessions on 6 Music, Radio 2 and XFM. Before working for the MU, Kelly was a TV Script Editor in ITV's Drama, Comedy and Film department, and also worked with Jimmy McGovern on a drama series for the BBC.

BBC 6 Music

Lewis Reeves is an assistant producer for New Music Fix Daily on BBC 6 Music. Based in Salford, the show is the station’s flagship destination for new releases from beyond the mainstream. Working with the team, he identifies and champions emerging acts through the Breaking Artist feature, plus live sessions, guest mixes, interviews and more. The show has been responsible for bringing acts like Maruja, SILVERWINGKILLER, pollyfromthedirt and more to the airwaves, plus Irish acts like Makeshift Art Bar, Problem Patterns and Enola Gay to name a few.

Warner Chappell Music

Liam Trappe is Head of UK Administration at Warner Chappell Music. He is a major publisher designee on the PRS Operational Group and sits on the boards of both the Music Publishers Association Ireland (MPAI) and the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society Ireland (MCPSI). With a career spanning nearly two decades, Liam is one of the UK’s leading voices on music copyright and publishing administration.

Eurovision Songwriter and Performer - Serbia

Luke Black - also know as the ""Serbian pop alchemist"" - is a London-based Alt-pop artist merging theatrical performances with a cinematic electronic sound tinted with . After representing Serbia at the Eurovision Song Contest Final in 2023, he gained international recognition performing in Norway, Finland, Poland, Austria and Serbia.

His first Album “Chainsaws in Paradise” (2024) cemented his fame as a polyhedric songwriter, able to space between different genres, from industrial to pop, to electronic and even techno. Luke’s dark, surreal sonic universe furtherly expanded with the latest Album “PARASITE” (released March 2026), which pushed his cinematic art-pop into darker industrial territory. Luke’s live performances are immersive, theatrical productions built around choreography, visual storytelling, and electronic intensity.

Your Army

Luke Gray is Head of Radio at Your Army, one of the UK’s leading independent music promotion agencies. With over eight years of experience, Luke has worked across national radio campaigns for a diverse range of artists, from established names including Primal Scream, Justice, Everything Everything, The Chemical Brothers, Two Door Cinema Club, Bonobo, Christine and the Queens, slowthai, Parcels, Mogwai, Joy Anonymous, Charlotte de Witte, Amelie Lens, DIIV and Sampa The Great, to emerging talent such as Chalk, Keo, Enola Gay, Makeshift Art Bar, Mount Palomar, Hex Girlfriend, Joshua Burnside, Frost Children and Wesley Joseph.

Working with leading labels including Ninja Tune, Secretly Canadian, Atlantic, Because Music, EMI, Concord, RCA, Ghostly, Hessle Audio, Dirty Hit, BMG, Luke’s work spans electronic, alternative, indie and leftfield music. He specialises in building radio campaigns that connect artists with audiences, developing new talent and helping establish lasting momentum across BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, 6 Music and beyond.

Material Music

Luke is the Head of A&R at Material Music - a record label group and publisher, specialising in dance and electronic music. The label group consists of Stress, Dansu Discs, Future Disco, PRESSURE and Needwant. On the publishing side they represent Richard Atkins - producer and writer for artists such as Jess Bays, Girls Don’t Sync, Tomike, Archie Hamilton and more.

Music Glue

Marion has worked at Music Glue, an e-commerce platform tailored to the music industry, for the past 13 years. During that time, she has gained experience across multiple departments, including ticketing, user services, campaign management, and sales. She currently serves as Head of Business Development.

In her role, Marion collaborates closely with bands, management companies, and record labels on campaign management and ticket presales, while also developing strategic partnerships with key stakeholders across the music industry.

A passionate music enthusiast, Marion enjoys discovering new artists, curating her vinyl collection, and regularly attending live gigs around London.

XS Noize

Mark Millar is the founder and editor of XS Noize, an independent music magazine launched in 2014, covering interviews, reviews, news and features from established and emerging artists. Based in Belfast, XS Noize has grown into one of the UK and Ireland’s recognised independent music platforms.

Mark is also the host of The XS Noize Podcast, a chart-topping long-form music interview series launched in 2016. Across hundreds of episodes, he has spoken with artists, songwriters and producers from across the music world, including members of Snow Patrol, Simple Minds, The Charlatans, Ash, New Order, Embrace, Echo & The Bunnymen and many more.

Amplify Agency

Matt is a Director of Amplify Agency, one of Ireland’s leading 360 music and entertainment PR agencies. At Amplify he works across a busy music roster and with leading festival and event promoters.

Matt is also a founder of Veta Music where alongside producing and collaborating with numerous artists including Maria Kelly and HAVVK, he focussed on artist development, working with musicians to find a strategy that helped them realise the potential of their projects.

Charanga

Max is a producer and DJ who has released albums on Gilles’ Peterson’s Brownswood, Tru Thoughts and First Word Records and most recently BBE - famed as the home of Hip Hop legend J Dilla. As half of band Anushka he has performed live from Saigon to Siberia via Texas and Berlin, with over 12m streams online. He has worked with artists ranging from Wolfgang Flür of Kraftwerk to Roll Deep member and Grime Legend Trim, also remixing artists including Snoop Dogg and Gorgon City.

Max Wheeler is Head of Music Technology at Charanga and Product Manager for online DAW YuStudio. Starting out with Youth Clubs in West Yorkshire and Lancashire he has worked as a music educator for over 20 years and his background as both signed recording artist and SEND & Inclusion expert both fed into the DAW’s design, features and philosophy.

In 2023/4 Max has spoken on inclusive DAW design at conferences Including GaTec in Atlanta, GMEA in Athens, Georgia, TMEA in San Antonio,Texas and UK Hub conferences for Essex Music Hub, Surrey Music Hub, Create and many more.

Winner of the Music Teacher Award for Best Digital Resource in 2018, Max worked During the pandemic with a small team to begin developing a new accessible online DAW ‘YuStudio’ which is available free of charge for all Youth Music Projects and to all Charanga students - currently over 12,000 schools.

Deer Shed Festival

Megan Evans is the Festival Director of Deer Shed Festival, an annual 8,000-capacity event in North Yorkshire, England, renowned for its family-focused atmosphere and multidisciplinary music programme. With over 16 years’ experience, Megan has worked across a diverse range of events, from large-scale festivals to community-led national projects, holding roles across production, operations, and creative development. At Deer Shed, she curates and books the festival’s acclaimed music programme alongside a broad arts offering, alongside responsibility for production and operations.

Music Supervisor

Michelle de Vries is an experienced music industry executive with a career spanning more than 30 years on both sides of the Atlantic. Her background encompasses artist management, music publishing and production, and, for more than a decade, music supervision for film and television.

Today, Michelle works as a freelance Music Supervisor and Consultant to film and television production companies, alongside running her own independent music publishing company.

Her supervision credits include productions such as The Capture for the BBC, the Netflix series Mourinho, and the new Oasis film Don’t Look Back in Anger. She is currently overseeing music supervision for the latest All or Nothing series for Amazon, alongside two forthcoming drama films for Uk production companies.

Approximately a third of Michelle’s screen work has centred on sport, with another third spanning drama and animation, and the remainder focused on music biopics and music history. This range of projects has given her extensive experience in using music to support storytelling and bring the right creative approach to each production.

Alongside her supervision and consultancy work, Michelle’s publishing company represents a collection of established UK music catalogues.

BBC Introducing

Supporting emerging UK artists through BBC Local Radio, Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, 6Music, Asian Network and Radio 3. BBC Introducing curates stages at major festivals from Glastonbury, Radio 1’s Big Weekend to SXSW in Texas. Artists including Florence + The Machine, Raye, Olivia Dean, and Sam Fender received support through the platform. Millie has worked in the management team at Introducing the past 7 years and previously produced BBC Sound Of 2023.

Foggy Notions

Nancy’s music journey has taken many avenues. She started out writing for publications such as Chordblossom & The Thin Air, photographing local Belfast artists and eventually moving to Dublin, where she founded Swimsuit Issue Promotions in 2024. Swimsuit Issue was created with the aim to bring artists from outside of Dublin to the scene, and uplift local artists to bigger audiences. She has worked with artists such as Junk Drawer, Silverbacks, Stratford Rise, Vaticanjail, Bucket, and more. Since joining Foggy Notions, she has worked with Chat Pile, Mount Eerie, Beta Band, Aldous Harding, and many more.

BBC

With over 30 years in UK broadcasting, Nicky Bignell is one of the leading experts in music rights for TV, radio, and online. As the BBC’s Head of Music Rights, she negotiates key music licences and shapes the BBC’s music strategy with major industry bodies such as the MPA, PPL, Ivors Academy, Musicians’ Union, and PRS for Music. Nicky leads a team of specialists handling music reporting, sync, clearance, and commissioning new compositions, ensuring the BBC’s content is both high-quality and compliant. Nicky’s leadership is instrumental in maintaining the BBC’s reputation as an innovative broadcaster committed to supporting the music industry and nurturing creative talent.

UK Music

Olga FitzRoy is Director of Campaigns and Engagement for UK Music, with over twenty years music industry experience. An award-winning studio sound engineer, Olga began her career at Sir George Martin’s AIR Studios, before combining engineering with advocacy through the Music Producers Guild and the charity Pregnant Then Screwed.

She was in the BBC Radio 4 Women’s Hour Powerlist 2018, Women In Music Campaigner of the Year 2019 and is the recipient of an Ivors Academy Gold Badge. A previous parliamentary candidate and local councillor, she brings a wealth of relevant experience to her work with UK Music.

Eurosonic

Oskar is an Amsterdam-based music programmer and international programme promoter, currently working with Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) in Groningen and Motel Mozaique (MOMO) in Rotterdam. At ESNS, he curates emerging European talent and has been instrumental in developing the ESNS Radar and Analytics platforms, connecting data with artist success stories across the continent. Beyond programming, Oskar has contributed as a jury member, moderator, and lecturer at events including BBC Sound Of, Pro Helvetia Fast Forward, and the Eastern European Music Academy. Passionate about the future of music curation and cross-border artist development, he continues to play a key role in shaping Europe’s live music ecosystem.

Inflyte

Paul Hamill is the co-founder and Head of Inflyte, one of the world’s leading music-promotion platforms. Since launching the company in 2014, he has helped build Inflyte into a trusted piece of global music-industry infrastructure, embedded in the daily workflows of record labels, distributors, PR agencies and tastemakers across 170 countries.

Paul leads Inflyte’s product strategy, commercial growth and long-term direction, working closely with the industry to build technology that solves real problems around music promotion, discovery and audience engagement. He also brings an extensive background as a DJ, producer and radio presenter, giving him a practical understanding of the journey music takes from rights holders to the people who can break it.

Singer, Booker/Promoter for Voodoo Belfast

Pete Renshaw has been contributing to the music industry on the local scene and behind the scenes for over 25 years.

From playing as a session guitar player to becoming an established muaician & now booking / promoting / hosting - helping usher in the new wave of talent of local bands. Pete has been working tirelessly from curating live shows and club nights in Voodoo Belfast all the way to working in the media tent at Bloodstock Festival. As well as now singing in the new tribite act SlipKoRn!

Pete is bringing his lifetime of music scene knowledge to Output fest to talk about creating The Rig Rundown Podcast. A passion that started out as a few friends talking about guitars in his garage & ended up collaborating with Trivium, Biohazard & most recently Dave Ellefson of Megadeth. Mainly focusing on metal, but embracing all kinds of music from bands of all Levels. As well as creators of other kinds of entertainment (comedians, artists & media personalities)

Sky UK

Peter’s career in music started as a songwriter and performer. He has worked in the UK television production and broadcasting industry for 25 years specialising in music rights.

His career has included ITV television, and 16 years at the BBC in music copyright and music licensing, as well as being Head of Rights for the BBC World News.

Peter joined Sky in 2013 and became Director of Music in 2018 where he leads Sky’s music teams covering Licensing, Music Supervision and Reporting as well as running Sky's Music Publishing and Production Library businesses.

Art to Art

Rebecca Breene McDonnell is an Irish music executive and artist manager working across live promotion, PR, and artist development. She also works in PR and marketing at Singular Artists and co-created the viral series “Art to Art,” which has surpassed 1.2 million views and is expanding into live and international formats.

With over seven years’ experience, including an All-Ireland Marketing Award, she brings a commercially focused, 360° approach to artist management, spanning strategy, releases, and long-term career development.

Producer, Mixer, Songwriter, Recording Engineer

Rocky is an enthusiastic producer, mixer, writer and musician who brings energy, punch, depth and weight to his productions, helping connect listeners to the human power of the composer and performers.

Rocky's recent work includes producing & mixing with and writing with The Florentinas, TRAMP, The Rosecaps, Maria Kelly, HAVVK, Affection to Rent, Susi Pagel, And So I Watch You From Afar, Nathan Connolly (Snow Patrol), Wheatus, General Fiasco, Slomatics, Queen Zee, Be Like Pablo, The Wood Burning Savages,

He has also written and collaborated with Tim Wheeler (Ash), Matt Caughthran (The Bronx) MC Lars, Dizzy Dustin (Ugly Duckling) Blue Violet, Morgana, ROE, Reevah, Adam WarRock, Tribe One and Duke Special.

Rocky produced/mixed for releases on Jive/Zomba, Partisan Records, Dirty Hit, Bella Union, Sargent House, Kitsune, Domino Music, Bar/None, Fantastic Plastic, Jade Tree, Third Bar, No Dancing, New Heavy Sounds, Killing Moon, Small Town America, VETA Music, Creation23, Big Scary Monsters, Xtra Mile, Mountains of Records, Consouling Sounds (BE), Burning World, Head of Crom, Blackbow Records, The Distortion Project, Rubyworks, Fabtone (JP), Shock (AUS), Ra-Ra Rock Records, Graphite Records & Spit Records.

Rocky started as a live engineer aged 16, mixing in venues and festivals across Ireland, touring Europe with acts including Longbeach, CA's Ugly Duckling who helped start his love of hip hop. He soon started taking my experimentation with recording more seriously and formed a band called Oppenheimer. They released 3 albums with Bar/None Records USA, touring the states 15+ times and enjoying many life-changing indie-pop moments and lots of placements in Gossip Girl, Ugly Betty, How I Met Your Mother and campaigns with Nike, Fujifilm and BBC.

​In 2007 Rocky set up Start Together Studio in Belfast, N.Ireland as a wonderland for musicians to make the records of their dreams. It continues to grow as a musician-focused, multi-studio set-up offering artists a comfortable, creative space with a huge collection of instruments and equipment.

Anam Records

Rory Friers is a composer, film scorer, producer and immersive artist whose work moves between film, orchestral, spatial audio, installation and live performance. He is guitarist and songwriter with internationally acclaimed instrumental band And So I Watch You From Afar. In 2026 he co-founded Anam Records with Jason Hawthorne.

Recent work includes the feature film You’ll Never Believe Who’s Dead, starring Stephen Rea, Peter Claffey and Ruth Codd; Amongst Men, premiering at Edinburgh International Film Festival; and collaborations spanning documentary, short film, contemporary dance and immersive performance. His spatial and installation work includes The Invisible Dance, developed with Helen Hall; Holonic Fields at Sonorities Festival and the Ulster Museum; Circle, a large-scale six-speaker installation in Belfast city centre; and All Around Us, Northern Ireland’s first live Dolby Atmos concert. In 2025, Friers undertook a d&b Soundscape residency at the Science Museum, London for SXSW London, with his work subsequently selected as permanent international demonstration content for d&b’s Soundscape system. He has composed and performed with the Ulster Orchestra, created work for BBC, NI Screen, UNBOXED UK and the National Trust, and is this years Belfast International Arts Festival Artist-in-Residence.

Tremolo Music Publishing

Rory McPartland is the co-founder of Tremolo Music Publishing, an independent full-service music publisher based in the North-West of Ireland. Tremolo represents a diverse roster of songwriters, focusing on synchronization opportunities, songwriting collaborations and composing for film and television. Tremolo has achieved significant success in the sync licensing space, securing several high-profile placements for its writers. Prior to Tremolo, Rory worked for 10 years at EMI Music Publishing in New York followed by 10 years at Spirit Music Group.

Beyond Tremolo, Rory is also a Director at Planet of Sound, a music supervision company, working on a dynamic range of projects, including the films Hokum, Saipan, Whistle, The Apprentice, Evil Dead Rise and the Oscar-winning short An Irish Goodbye. Other film/tv projects include The Young Offenders (film & tv series), TV series Mix Tape, The Gone and the upcoming films Soulm8te and Skintown."

Stendhal Festival Ltd

Ross Parkhill is Founder and Festival Director of Stendhal Festival (est. 2011), one of Northern Ireland’s leading independent celebrations of music, arts and creativity. He also serves on the boards of In Your Space Circus, the Association of Independent Festivals (UK) and ArtAbyss Children’s Festival, contributing to the wider development of the independent creative and festival sector.

Ross is passionate about the role creativity plays in people’s lives and about creating platforms where talent can be discovered, nurtured and celebrated. Much of his work focuses on promoting and developing Northern Ireland’s creative talent, while helping people of all ages and backgrounds discover their own creative outlets and experiences.

TRIBE

Rowan Brand is an independent international artist manager who for nearly two decades has been developing artist careers and businesses. Beginning his career managing breakthrough Australian band's in Sydney, Rowan spent 3 years working for the iconic CMJ Music Marathon in New York City before moving to London, where in 2017 he co-founded TRIBE, an artist management company, with Matthijs Boom (NL) and Jack Saunders (UK). TRIBE manages the careers of Bear's Den, Amber Run, Sakr and Paul Frith amongst others. In 2021 TRIBE launched a record label, TRIPEL, with releases from Amber Run, Matthew Wilcock, L.A. Rochelle, James Crowley and Luna Morgenstern.

Songular

Sam Lee is a music industry consultant and commercial strategist with over 15 years’ experience working with artists, record labels, and digital platforms. He helps music companies identify growth opportunities and shape strategy across catalogue and frontline campaigns.

Sam has worked on campaigns delivering platinum records, number one albums and billions of streams for artists including Zara Larsson, Gorillaz, Megadeth, Dizzee Rascal, Fontaines DC, J Hus, Flume and more. Before founding Songular in 2016, Sam was UK & Ireland Music Editor at Deezer.

Screen Composer's Guild of Ireland

Sarah Glennane is CEO of the Screen Composers Guild of Ireland, the representative body for Irish and Irish based composers of original music for Film/TV/Advertising and Games, an organisation she help to establish in 2018 and for which she currently works full time. Sarah has a long background in music, working most recently as an independent music supervisor for Film and TV productions to source and clear licenced music including for 2024 film “Small Things Like These.” Sarah has developed expertise in music publishing, music rights and contracting for music in visual media. Sarah has recently delivered modules on Music Rights in BIMM music college for MA in Music Business, and delivers guest lectures on Business of Music for Film for Composers and Creativity and rights – Music in Film for Filmmakers.

Sarah graduated from College of Marketing and Design, with a Trinity College awarded Bsc in Marketing and holds a certificate in music supervision from Berkelee College of Music. Her career background is in arts marketing and music management, She has worked with many notable Irish musicians throughout her career in the performance music industry. She is passionate about supporting and empowering composers and performers to sustainable careers and the protection of copyright and moral rights for authors. Sarah authored Music for Film in Ireland report for IMRO and MCPSI.

SOS Artists

As the founder of SOS Artists, Sarah leads a management roster that includes Pebbledash, Makeshift Art Bar, and Therapy Horse. Since its formation in 2023, SOS Artists is an independent artist management company dedicated to nurturing and elevating exceptional talent in the Irish music industry. Her versatility is further evidenced by her past ventures as a publicist for MCD Productions, club booker for The Grand Social, music journalist, and working for an electronic music promoter. Sarah’s industry insight is rooted in her own history as a performer. A classically trained violinist, Sarah has played across Europe and at major festivals as an orchestral musician and contributed to numerous recordings as a session player. Her diverse experience, shaped by the diametrically opposed worlds of classical, contemporary and electronic music allows her to navigate the complexities of the modern music industry with unique precision.

Music Industry Innovator

Drowned in Sound

Sean Adams founded music publication, community and podcast Drowned in Sound in 2000 and ran its record label helping launch artists including Kaiser Chiefs and Bat for Lashes. Since then he's led communications and growth campaigns for artists including Charlotte Church and Max Richter and brands from Burberry to BMG. He transformed BBC Radio 6 Music’s social strategy and collaborated with Carol Vorderman on an election-shifting campaign. He founded The Association of Music Editors, manages The Anchoress, is co-host of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, and is about to launch a new print magazine backed by funding from the Music Venue Trust.

Jameson

With experience spanning music, film and cultural partnerships across Jameson & Absolut, he works on building collaborations that bring brands and artists together in ways that feel authentic, commercially effective and culturally relevant. His recent work includes Jameson Music's live experiences and festival partnerships across Ireland.

Brook Records

Seán is a music manager and founder of Brook Records, an independent label and management company championing emerging Irish artists. From Co. Wicklow and now based in London, Seán has worked across both the independent and major-label sides of the music industry, with experience at Sony Music UK (RCA and Columbia), as well working across grass roots and DIY spaces.

Seán began managing Dublin based rapper Curtisy, dubbed “one of the best rappers to ever come out of Ireland” by Dazed Magazine, in 2024, building his team and overseeing the campaign for his RTE Choice Prize-nominated debut album, WHAT WAS THE QUESTION. Seán has been instrumental in building Curtisy’s profile and developing Curtisy as an export ready artist.

Having started managing in 2018, Seán went on to start Brook Records in 2021, initially working with indie-folk artist Katie Phelan before expanding Brook into a platform for further developing emerging Irish talent. The label's current roster includes Curtisy, Ahmed, With Love. and Lil Skag, alongside management work with Curtisy and banríon.

Seán is passionate about developing sustainable careers for Irish artists, building strong teams around emerging talent and creating innovative pathways for artists to grow internationally while retaining independence and ownership.

Sony Music Publishing

Sharon is Sony Music Publishing’s Senior Vice President, International Operations & Society Relations and is an active member of its global senior executive strategy team based in its International office in London.

Sharon‘s 30+ year music industry career spans PRS, SBK Songs, A&M Records, and CBS Music Publishing, now Sony Music Publishing. She has vast experience of the operational side of music copyright administration from both the side of a smaller publishing company (CBS Music Publishing began with just a handful of copyrights), to now being a key executive in the largest music publisher in the world.

Today Sharon leads, provides procedural and operational direction and internationally manages Sony Music Publishing’s administrative operations and organisation, instigating and leading several business change programmes. She is an experienced participant in Society/Publisher technical committees, with a strong eye for detail, and a direct approach to challenging outdated practices. With her extensive international experience, she champions the rights of international songwriters, and is an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Amplify Agency

Sheena Madden is the Founder and Managing Director of Amplify Agency, a Dublin-based PR, marketing and management agency specialising in music and live events. Founded in 2019, Amplify has grown into one of Ireland's most respected PR agencies, working across record labels — including Universal Music Group, Claddagh Records, Strange Brew Records and MNRK Music Group — as well as festivals and concert series such as Forest Fest, Momentum Festival, Bulmers Live at Leopardstown and Live at Castle Mills, with clients also spanning the arts and publishing world, including The Royal Irish Academy, TU Dublin and Dyehouse Films.

Deeply committed to amplifying independent voices, Sheena and her team have worked with some of Ireland's most celebrated and emerging artists, from Gemma Hayes, Mary Coughlan, Dervish and Denise Chaila to Christy Moore, ØXN, Wallis Bird, Daithí and Cosha. Sheena is also an Artist Manager for alt-folk ensemble How I Became A Wave, and was formerly Lead Lecturer in PR and Marketing at BIMM Dublin, speaking at industry events including Ireland Music Week, Output Belfast and Breakout West.

Before founding Amplify, Sheena worked as a journalist and spent several years at RTÉ Radio as a publicist and producer, earning two New York Festivals Radio Awards for her work on Doc on One. She holds a degree in Journalism, a diploma in PR & Event Management, and postgraduate qualifications in Human Rights & Equality Studies and Creative & Cultural Entrepreneurship.

Soultrane C.I.C

Siobhan Brown is a Belfast-based creative producer, vocalist, broadcaster and co-founder of Soultrane, an award-winning arts and cultural organisation dedicated to soul, jazz and music of Black origin. Soultrane delivers an annual festival alongside a year-round programme of live music, artist development, residencies, community events and creative collaboration.

With roots spanning live performance, BBC radio, community-led arts and creative production, Siobhan has carved out a distinctive space within Northern Ireland’s music landscape, creating opportunities for artists and audiences to connect through meaningful, genre-blending and cross-cultural experiences. At the heart of her work is a commitment to encouraging musical excellence, amplifying the rich cultural roots of soul and jazz, and recognising the opportunities these genres can create for artists, businesses and the wider community. Her work champions underrepresented voices, encourages artistic exchange and creates spaces where artists can develop & collaborate.

Soultrane’s growing work is strengthened by an advisory network that includes Janine Irons OBE FRSA, co-founder and CEO of Tomorrow’s Warriors, and acclaimed vocalist, composer and creative mentor Randolph Matthews, bringing wider UK industry experience and connections into its development. Whether curating line-ups, performing, broadcasting, leading choirs or developing partnerships across Ireland and the UK, Siobhan brings an artist-first approach and a deep commitment to cultural equity, representation and the unifying power of soul music. Through Soultrane, she is helping to build a stronger and more visible home for soul, jazz and music of Black origin within Northern Ireland’s wider cultural landscape, while connecting people, cultures and opportunities through music.

Singer, Musician and Fashion Designer

Born in Tehran, Soraya Hossaini is a remarkable Afghan singer, musician, and fashion designer whose work transcends boundaries of art, culture, and advocacy. As an Afghan refugee and female artist navigating systemic discrimination in both Iran and Afghanistan, Soraya’s journey is a testament to resilience, courage, and creative brilliance.

In 2017, she made her first return to Afghanistan as a member of Arikayn, the pioneering Hazara rock band formed by the Afghan refugees in Iran. The band’s groundbreaking performances in Kabul and Bamiyan were immortalized in the acclaimed documentary The Forbidden Strings.

Undeterred, Soraya has pivoted her creativity into fashion, founding Surryhouse, a brand celebrating Afghan craftsmanship and textiles. Through this initiative, she amplifies her cultural heritage, empowering others while expanding her artistic research.

As Soraya navigates the increasing challenges for Afghan women under the Taliban and Afghan refugees in Iran, her unwavering commitment to art and advocacy remains inspiring. Her story continues to resonate as a powerful reminder of the transformative power of art in the face of adversity.

PRS for Music

With a background as a songwriter & producer, Stuart has worked for both major and independent record labels, an independent publisher and in both artist and tour management.

Stuart’s role as Senior Relationship Manager at PRS oversees the relationship for many of the most successful Scottish and Irish songwriters and composers of the modern era. He is also responsible for curating wider industry partnerships and career development opportunities for emerging music creators.

Lighthouse Enterprise, Tarang Wave of Melodies

Sudeshna Biswas has lived in Belfast for nearly 18 years. Her professional career has been dedicated to working with various charities helping vulnerable children, young people and adults through a range of activities based on inclusion, wellbeing and community support. Sudeshna is deeply passionate about music and believes in its power to transcend boundaries and connect people across cultures. She founded Tarang, a cultural organisation through which she has successfully brought Indian classical music to audiences across Belfast. By presenting high-quality performances Tarang celebrates this profound tradition of music while making it accessible to diverse audiences. Through this work, Sudeshna aims to broaden Belfast’s musical landscape and deepen cross-cultural understandings.

BBC Introducing in Northern Ireland

Taylor Johnson is the presenter and producer of BBC Introducing in Northern Ireland, where every week he brings the freshest new sounds from across the island of Ireland directly to your ears. He is also the presenter and producer of his own self-titled Saturday night indie show on BBC Radio Ulster, whilst freelancing as a presenter on BBC 6Music and BBC Radio 1. Prior to this, Taylor produced BBC Introducing for Radio 1, started his own PR business and even had a year long stint as a journalist on the Nolan Show. He currently holds the role of marketing and promotions officer at the Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast. Taylor made his name in Irish music through his band, brand new friend, who released two studio albums and toured the UK multiple times both on their own tours, and supporting international acts like Lewis Capaldi, Snow Patrol, Ash and more. He has over ten years of experience working in the arts, music and broadcasting and recently told Prime Minister Andy Burnham that he was 'probably the most indie PM of all time'. Has Taylor earned the right to make such bold statements of indie credibility to high ranking political figures? Probably not, but that's never stopped him before.

Worn Out - Music & Brand Partnership Agency

Worn Out is a music and brand partnership agency based in London, specializing in connecting brands, particularly in streetwear and fashion, with the music world. They focus on cultural relevance and authentic music connections, offering services such as product seeding, talent scouting & booking, music partnerships, festival activations, and content creation. Their goal is to help brands reach audiences through music culture and artist influence, ensuring visibility in cultural spaces.

Harper, Composer, Researcher & Sound Artist

Úna Monaghan is a harper, composer, researcher and sound artist working internationally. She collaborates, improvises and performs with poets, visual artists, computers, writers, musicians, and others. Úna also works as a sound engineer specialising in Irish traditional music, and experimental, live electronic and multichannel music. She has released two albums of her compositions, most recently Aonaracht, for solo traditional musicians and electronics. Her recent commissions include pieces for Red Note, Crash Ensemble, Ulster Orchestra and Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble. Úna performs solo with harp and electronics, and as a member of contemporary music ensembles Stone Drawn Circles and Of Aran. Úna received the inaugural Liam O’Flynn Award from the Arts Council of Ireland and the National Concert Hall Dublin, and held the Rosamund Harding Research Fellowship in Music at Newnham College, University of Cambridge from 2016-2019. She is a lecturer at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Sound and Music (SARC) at Queen’s University Belfast, where her research examines the intersections between Irish traditional music, experimental music practices, improvisation and interactive technologies.

Music Lawyer and Artist Manager

Willie is a music lawyer and qualified Irish barrister specialising in music and entertainment law. He represents leading artists and companies including Hozier, Johnny McDaid, Noel Hogan/The Cranberries, Kingfishr and Amble, advising on everything from management and producer agreements to recording and publishing deals.

His work also spans major copyright disputes, defamation and production law, with credits across television, radio, podcasting and film, including Kneecap and the Academy Award-nominated An Cailín Ciúin.

As co-founder of INNI and SoundWaves, producer of Subterranean Sessions, board member of AIM Ireland and a member of the Copyright Law Review Committee, Willie brings a wealth of insight into music, rights and the creative industries.

He is the co-founder of both INNI (Icelandic publisher/label) and the SoundWaves music and podcast conference, and also serves as producer of the Subterranean Sessions television music series. Willie sits on the Copyright Law Review Committee and regularly lectures at third-level institutions across Ireland. A guest speaker at several international music and law conferences including Eurosonic , Mondo (NYC) and Output. He is a board member of AIM Ireland (Association of Independent Music) and also manages rising artist Moncrieff.

Industry Analyst

Zoe began her career as a crew member and has worked her way up through the industry, progressing into crew leadership roles. Along the way, She's gained hands-on experience across lighting, audio and visual production, as well as artist liaison and analysis.