Why did CMAT have to sell out the 3Arena before she could get exposure on Irish radio?

Irish Times

21-07-2025

Two reports published this month tell an interesting story about the Irish music industry.
One by the
Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO)
and compiled by CORE Research, showed Ireland's music industry generates €1 billion annually. The average adult in Ireland spends almost €1,000 on music-related products and services annually. In 2024, €375 million was spent on streaming services in Ireland, with €786 million spent on live events. The industry employs more than 13,400 people, but only 43 per cent of those working in the music sector hold full-time positions. This rises to 68 per cent for IMRO members, who rely on jobs in other sectors.
The second report was published by Why Not Her?, an organisation that examines
gender disparity
in radio play. That report compiled Irish radio play data between January 1st and July 1st 2025. During that period, just 14 Irish acts appeared in the top 100 most played songs on Irish radio, while the other 86 per cent of the top 100 chart was made up of international acts. Only three female solo Irish artists featured;
CMAT
, Jazzy, and Allie Sherlock.
Contrast this with the UK. In 2024, UK radio had more women than men in the top 100 for the first time. Woman artists accounted for 41 per cent of the top 100 artists, male artists 39 per cent, with mixed-gender collaborations at 20 per cent. In 2023, 48 per cent of artists played on radio there were UK artists. When it comes to Irish radio play, we have a gender, genre, and geographic issue.
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In 2020,
Eamon Ryan
shot down the idea that there could be a quota for music by Irish artists on radio.
In 2016, a bill calling for a 40 per cent quota of Irish music on radio was defeated in the Dáil. While we don't necessarily need a legislative or regulatory commitment (although that is something Comisiún na Meán could consider), there is nothing stopping stations themselves from making a policy commitment.
I gave Molly King – the head of development at
Other Voices
, an entity that has long-championed and platformed Irish talent, both emerging and established – a call to discuss this. The importance of radio play is multifaceted, but King pointed out that at a fundamental level, 'radio play is still a viable source of income for artists in a way that streaming obviously doesn't deliver'. She articulated a 'disorientating' feeling when considering the support for Irish artists on UK radio, particularly the BBC.
'And the thing is,' King says, 'a lot of these acts Irish radio are not playing are commercially successful musicians. Festivals book so many Irish acts. You can stack Irish headliners and still sell tickets in a way that feels consistent. But we have this cultural aversion on commercial radio to playing Irish. Nobody seems to be able to explain it to me. It's a disconnect. Why is CMAT reaching the level she is at now on Irish radio, after she has sold out the 3Arena? Because she has become unignorable? UK radio has embraced her for years. This thing of 'we will pay attention to you when other people pay attention to you'? I don't get it. It hasn't changed enough on Irish radio over the years. It would benefit the stations. It would benefit the brands of stations. It's easy. Just do it.'
The DJs and stations that do play Irish artists consistently need to be commended. But we need more of it, particularly across commercial radio, and especially to address the gender disparity. The Irish artists that fill arenas around the world today didn't arrive fully formed. They developed. Yet during that development, something many of them tended to lack as they progressed is consistent Irish radio play.
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Irish female artists make up just 2% of most-played songs on Irish radio in past year – report
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While I would love this context to change overnight, an easy commitment Irish radio could make would be to choose a few of weeks of the year to play only music of Ireland. This should be diverse in gender, genre, and geography.
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The artists we love have created an incredible wave of contemporary music and send their creative transmissions around the globe. But we need to amplify them on Irish radio – not from a position of territorialism or nationalism, but from one of support and pride. Quality is not an issue. There is plenty of it. Changing this matters for musicians' incomes, prospective opportunities, exposure and affirmation. It would be a validating exercise for artists, industry and audiences alike.
Referencing this year's Glastonbury, King reeled off the names of Irish acts who were the talk of the festival. 'I don't want to get stuck in the 'Irish Wave' thing. What's happening is a steady development and self-possession of Irish people stepping into their culture instead of feeling obliged to imitate. There's a degree of confidence ... That should really be translated to radio. That loop needs to be connected. It feels like the last node in the circuit. If we supported our artists the way BBC 6 Music supports UK artists, we would be off to the races. These are things that are eminently fixable and we can do them.'