also, i think its a bit of both. But things should be made easier for bands, theyve got enough on their plate already dont you think?

Go ahead and experiment: I’ll track your progress and rally support :p

Exp: To get The Eclectic airplay

Apparatus: Bulletins, Messages, Emails, Blogs, Comments,

Method: *messy scribbled writing*

… Also, some of those judges picked were hardly “indipendant”. Some, Im surprised even knew anything about the irish music scene at the minute. Some, are the very people that are responsible for the cycle of those 5 or 6 bands on the radio everyday! Some, Were good choices.

If the Irish indipendant music arena is ever going to expand and give these bands a proper chance, people need to open their minds beyond the quick flash in the pan music and play some new bands before the current ones fizzle out and the scramble to find someone new begins! and who knows, maybe even play some other genre than indie or rock.? The radio needs to get involved with whats realy going on.

I mention requests because the stations respond to demand. One of the decisions a band will make is whether to focus on musical integrity or mainstream success. Rarely are the two compatible, here anyway.
Bands seem to make a choice whether they’ll be radio-friendly and accessible, appealling to a specific audience who are as much a promotions tool as the Internet or media. The circle of people involved in such ventures mean the bands can release on a larger scale because the radio airplay provided a wider audience.
Then there are bands we discover by word of mouth and talent, miles better than popularly-played dross. Even if their music is playable to a large audience they still need to command attention. IF neither the band or their fans are prepared to request them on radio they’re almost destined to a dead start because they were never prepared to forsake integrity of musical direction in the name of tarting themselves across fansites, bulletins or lame interviews. They can release all the EPs they can make but unless the work’s put in to reach further than immediate listeners, sales figures and radio/tv airtime as a direct result of talent rather than marketing will unlikely reach the same level afforded to Flavour of the Months like The Minutes. The same knot of hardened fans in these pop bands track every movement across their sphere. They’re determined and that is why their bands last the distance and continue to be played three months after the single release.

So pretty much like with everything : voice your opinion. Explain what you’d like to do more of and encourage your fellows to do the same. Enough people asking for The Eclectic would surely get them played in due time…

Regarding the compilation: DownloadMusic.ie didn’t choose those tracks, independent judges did. I can only speak for my own method of voting (headphones in, eyes closed) but there probably was an element of ‘douze points’. Who, however, was Russia?

And your reply doesn’t address my comment at all. What has requesting got to do with it? I’m just saying that Phantom play lots of Irish tunes
(relatively… in fairness… still way too little) but they play the same ones…. either bands they are mates of, are being pushed by a label or as you said… being highly requested (which is not a sign of quality necessarily)

And my main point is agreeing with Shane. I really respect what Downloadmusic.ie are about but that list of bands seems a little lazy. Some nice surprises sure but Kinetics, Flaws, Dirty Epics…… come on.