This Week in UK & Ireland Music: Safer Gigs in Scotland, a Welsh-Language Prize Winner, and Belfast Opens Its Doors to the Industry
By Written by Peter McVeigh
Scotland launches its first music industry Safety Certification Scheme, Dafydd Owain wins the £10,000 Welsh Music Prize, and IMRO names its next chief. Sound of Belfast brings a free PRS Members' Day, music industry speed dating and the NI Music Prize to Belfast in November, and two funding deadlines are closing fast.
Scotland launches its first Safety Certification Scheme for the music industry
The Hen Hoose Collective, with funding from Creative Scotland, has launched Scotland's first Safety Certification Scheme for music. Venues, festivals, promoters, studios and labels get free training and a named, trained safety contact, and participating organisations appear in a searchable public directory. At live events, the trained contact is meant to be present and easy to spot. The scheme responds to University of Glasgow research which found that 81% of women musicians surveyed in the Scottish folk scene had experienced some form of sexual violence or harassment while working.
Early partners include Celtic Connections, The Queen's Hall, Tolbooth Stirling, The Glad Cafe and Aberdeen Performing Arts. If you run a room, promote shows or manage artists in Scotland, it is worth getting involved early, because the organisers want this to become standard practice across the country.
Source: https://sltn.co.uk/2026/10/22/scottish-music-industry-safety-certification-scheme-launched/
Belfast: Sound of Belfast is a full week of industry access, including a free PRS Members' Day
There is no fresh Northern Ireland policy or funding news this week, but Sound of Belfast (5 to 15 November) is the story to act on. It is produced by Oh Yeah Music Centre, celebrates Belfast's status as a UNESCO City of Music, and is backed by Belfast City Council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, with PRS for Music, PPL UK, IMRO, PRS Foundation and the Musicians' Union among the supporters. The gigs are strong, from a photographic exhibition marking 50 years of punk in Northern Ireland to Duke Special playing Songs From The Deep Forest in full for its 20th anniversary at Mandela Hall. But the industry strand is why musicians and managers should be paying attention.
The highlight is PRS Members' Day on Tuesday 10 November at Oh Yeah Music Centre. It is free to attend, and if you are a PRS member, or thinking of joining, please sign up. Expect industry insight, education, networking, and sessions on earning from music and finding funding. I asked PRS's Stuart Fleming some questions ahead of the day, and you can read that Q&A here: https://musicmanagerresource.com/industry-guides/when-should-you-join-prs-a-q-and-a-with-stuart-fleming-ahead-of-prs
The rest of the industry programme runs across the week:
Monday 9 November: Breaking Into (Live) Music, a Creative Industries Day at Oh Yeah.
Wednesday 11 November: Music Industry Speed Dating at Oh Yeah, with face-to-face meetings with promoters, festival bookers, labels, publishers, managers and funders. The Northern Ireland Music Prize follows that evening at the Ulster Hall. Past winners include Róis, Robocobra Quartet and Joshua Burnside.
Thursday 12 November: Breaking The Ice with Social Media, a masterclass for new artists.
Friday 13 November: Clash of the New Breeds, a battle of the bands judged by industry figures, with prizes and opportunities.
A small number of bursaries are also available for artists developing new ideas. Some events need booking and I could not confirm which others are free, so check the full programme and book early. If you are based in Northern Ireland, the Republic or anywhere across the water, this is a cheap way to get the industry into one room.
Sources: https://soundofbelfast.com/events and https://www.hotpress.com/music/sound-of-belfast-festival-returns-for-11-days-of-music-across-the-city-23163683
Wales: Dafydd Owain takes the £10,000 Welsh Music Prize with a Welsh-language album
Dafydd Owain won the 16th Welsh Music Prize at Wales Millennium Centre on 7 October with his album Ymarfer Byw. It had already been named Welsh Language Album of the Year at the National Eisteddfod. The 15-album shortlist included Gruff Rhys, Gwenifer Raymond, Skindred and The Royston Club. Mary Hopkin received the Welsh Music Inspiration Award, and Mwsog, Casual Smart and Betsan took the Triskel Awards for emerging artists. The ceremony was part of the Cardiff Music City Festival.
A Welsh-language record winning the biggest prize in Welsh music is a good thing to point to if you are pitching Welsh artists outside Wales.
Source: https://nation.cymru/culture/the-winner-of-the-welsh-music-prize-has-been-announced/
Ireland: IMRO names Seán Donegan as its next CEO
IMRO's Board has appointed its Chief Commercial Officer, Seán Donegan, as CEO. He takes over in July 2027 from Victor Finn, who has led the organisation for almost two decades and stays on until then to work through the handover. Donegan has been at IMRO since 2022 and is linked to its international licensing work, which the announcement ties to revenue rising to €57.1m in 2025.
For Irish songwriters and publishers, that points to a planned handover with continuity rather than a shake-up.
Source: https://www.hotpress.com/opinion/imro-appoints-sean-donegan-as-chief-executive-officer-23165981
Ireland: IMRO takes on SESAC's online writer royalties
This one dates from 7 October, so it is slightly older, but it matters for royalty flow. IMRO will now administer the online writer-share performing royalties for US society SESAC, effective 1 October. That covers processing usage data, allocating royalties and distributing them across eligible digital services. Publisher-share royalties are not included.
It is a sign that an Irish collecting society is being trusted with international digital work, which is good news for Irish writers.
Source: https://imro.ie/featured-article/imro-and-sesac-announce-international-digital-rights-partnership/
UK-wide: "Our BBC: Our Music" campaign launches in Parliament
UK Music launched the campaign at the House of Commons on 19 October, with the aim of protecting music's place at the BBC and securing sustainable long-term funding as Charter renewal approaches. The current Charter expires on 31 December 2027. UK Music cites PRS data showing 140,076 unique works were played across BBC radio in 2025, 77% of which were not played on commercial radio. PPL data shows the BBC played 174,571 unique tracks across its music-led stations, compared with 148,948 on commercial ones.
The campaign material does not give separate figures for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, so it is worth asking how output in the BBC nations will be protected. For independent artists outside London, BBC radio is often the first route to national airplay.
Source: https://www.ukmusic.org/news/music-stars-and-political-leaders-join-forces-in-parliament-to-launch-uk-musics-our-bbc-our-music-campaign/
England: Liverpool's Beatles Story is moving, with a regional economy angle
Apple Corps announced on 20 October that The Beatles Story will move from Albert Dock to the former St Johns Market, opposite Lime Street station. The new 100,000 sq ft site is planned for 2028. UK Music's Tom Kiehl says it will help drive growth, jobs and music tourism across the city region, and Ringo Starr says proceeds from every ticket will support new Liverpool artists. No investment or jobs figures were published, so treat the economic claims as aspiration for now.
The interesting part is less about the Beatles than about a city using its music heritage to fund new talent.
Source: https://www.ukmusic.org/news/liverpools-first-official-beatles-experience-will-help-drive-economy-and-jobs-in-the-region-says-uk-music-chief-executive-tom-kiehl/
Deadlines to watch this week
PPL Momentum Music Fund (PRS Foundation, UK-wide, £5,000 to £15,000): closes 26 October.
Music Creators Growth Fund (Arts Council England, £10,000 to £20,000): closes 29 October, England only.
Help Musicians Fast Track (up to £500) and Fast Track Live (£500 to £1,000): close 20 November.
Source: https://theplayground.co.uk/independent-musician-opportunities-funding-grants-and-awards-to-know-in-october-2026/