Five Questions For... Angela Dorgan

23.10.26

Let's dive deeper into Ireland's buzzing music scene, shall we? Angela Dorgan can help with some insights. As CEO of First Music Contact (FMC), the Arts Council-funded national resource organisation for musicians in Ireland, her philosophy is straightforward: putting the artist at the centre of the music industry. Among other duties, at FMC she provides resources and trainings for artists, runs the Irish music export office Music From Ireland and the annual industry showcase Ireland Music Week. At ESNS27 Angela will speak about the ways in which Ireland supports its artists. For now, let's see what her answers are to our 5 questions!

1. What is the biggest challenge or myth in the music industry you’re currently trying to tackle?

For me, the biggest myth is that music is free. Because music can be accessed through so many different platforms, it feels like people think that music is free. It is not free to make, it shouldn’t be free to consume. If DSPs were paying artists for their work and protecting them from AI slop, then it would go a long way towards showing that if music is one of the most important things in your day/life, then you should want to see the humans who make it be fairly compensated.

2. Why should delegates make sure not to miss your session?

Ireland is being celebrated as best practice for how we support our industry, from the artist outwards, and I think that’s something we see more and more of now. I’d love for companies, the European Commission and political commentators to see how it works, and see if it would work in their country.

3. Why is this specific conversation urgent for the industry right now?

In the age of AI, the only thing saving us from machine-generated music is protecting the artists who make music.

4. If you could change one thing about the future of the music business, what would it be?

No surprise here, find ways to better support musicians.

5. Other than your own program, what are you most excited to discover, hear, or connect with at ESNS?

New music. The ESNS bookers have the BEST ears and I always discover my new favourite (non-Irish) bands.