Supporting Irish Musicians and Artists

As Irish Music Month 2024 – taking place this September – hurtles ever closer, independent radio stations across the country are kicking off their search for A New Local Hero.

A key element of Irish Music Month, A New Local Hero is a major national talent search, with previous winners including singer-songwriter Brad Heidi – who hit No.1 on the Irish Breakers Chart earlier this year – representing Galway Bay FM, and rising star Chameleon, representing 98FM.

Submissions are now open for this year's edition, with details on how to enter shared by each individual station (see the full list of participating stations below). 

Out of those submissions, each station will select four finalists. Only one of those finalists, however, can emerge as their area's A New Local Hero winner – scoring airplay, mentoring and more.

And that's not all! From those 21 regional winners, a special shortlist selection will be chosen by a panel of industry experts to perform at a major showcase event at The Academy in Dublin later this year – with one deserving act crowned the country's overall A New Local Hero on the night.

Negro Impacto at Irish Music Month's 'A New Local Hero' event at The Academy on April 25th, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

The winning artist will receive €5,000 in prize money, as well as €5,000 worth of recording, mixing and mastering time at the renowned Camden Recording Studios. They'll also have their song released through the independent Irish record label Rubyworks – whose roster includes Hozier...

Launched in 2021, Irish Music Month is an initiative of Hot Press and the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, and is funded by Coimisiún na Meán.

What Irish Music Month means, across participating independent stations, is:

– More Irish music song plays

– More Irish music artist mentions

– More Irish music features

– More Irish artist gig pushes

– More Irish artist interviews

And – what's more – we'll be putting over €100,000 into the hands of music makers and their crews across the country too.

Irish Music Month is also supported by IMRO, RAAP, Live Nation, Rubyworks and Camden Recording Studios. All-in, the value of the Irish Music Month project for Irish artists is in excess of €100,000.

See the full list of participating radio stations below:

• Clare FM
• Classic Hits
• Cork's 96FM
• East Coast FM
• FM104
• Galway Bay Fm
• Highland Radio
• KCLR
• KFM
• Limerick Live 95FM
• LMFM
• Midlands 103
• MidWest Radio
• Northern Sound
• Ocean FM
• Radio Kerry
• Radio Nova
• Shannonside
• South-East Radio
• Tipp FM
• WLR FM

Keep an eye on hotpress.com, and listen to your local participating station for more news on Irish Music Month, A New Local Hero and the upcoming Irish song competition, Amhrán an Laoch.

Irish Music Month – Irish Radio Supporting Irish Artists – in association with IBI, Hot Press and Coimisiún na Meán's Sound & Vision Scheme, funded by the Television License Fee.