But it IS a real job: Output Belfast offers free advice for Northern Irish music creators

Free panel hosted by music industry experts and PRS for Music

Supported by PRS for Music, Output Belfast returns on Thursday 13 February to the MAC in Belfast.

Output Belfast is Ireland’s largest free music industry conference. The event includes panel discussions, music sessions, workshops, speed networking and keynote speeches.

Stuart Fleming, Senior Relationship Manager, Scotland & Northern Ireland, PRS for Music, will host the panel ‘But it IS a real job – The economics of a songwriter’, where songwriters and publishers will open up on pathways to earning a living writing songs. The panel is moderated by Cormac Neeson, co-writer and vocalist of The Answer and also features Jamie Gilmour, director of music copyright management service Rightsbridge and Tanya Mellotte, co-writer and backing vocalist in Unloved.

As part of Output Belfast, PRS for Music will also be hosting a free showcase of home-grown talent in partnership with Women’s Work. Taking place at The Black Box in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter on the evening of Thursday 13 February from 8pm, artists performing include Lucy Gaffney, Gender Chores, Wynona Beach and Strange New Places. This is a free event, attendees are advised to turn up early to avoid disappointment.

I’m very much looking forward to joining this panel and discussing the many routes to economic stability available to songwriters that may not be apparent at first glance. The songwriting community in Northern Ireland is world-class and I hope we can assist them in making the most out of their creative passion.

About PRS for Music

Here for music since 1914, PRS for Music is a world-leading music collective management organisation representing the rights of more than 175,000 talented songwriters, composers and music publishers. Redefining the global standard for music royalties, PRS for Music ensures songwriters and composers are paid whenever their musical compositions and songs are streamed, downloaded, broadcast, performed and played in public. 

For 110 years it has grown and protected the rights of the music creator community, paying out royalties with more accuracy, transparency and speed. In 2023, PRS for Music paid out £943.6m in royalties and collected a record £1.08 billion in revenues. prsformusic.com