Music scene suffers in the second city

CORK’S musical arena is now reduced to a learner’s corner or a “glorified” open mic session.

Who, or what, is to blame? As a music student in the ’60s and ’70s and an avid gig-goer all my life, I would like to ask the good people of Cork — what is happening out there? Has some secret blandmeister reined in all local creatives, to the point where competition has ceased, gigs and venues have become like gold dust and are patrolled by a secret intelligence, up-keeping a bland musical orthodoxy? The allotted tastemaker ensures that all those queuing to showcase a song, (regardless of experience or achievement) perform a rite of passage, whereby they firstly must have aged in this town, served one’s time in “the circle” so to speak. Those who are pandering to this “playground” system are standing in the way of real music, real gigs, real venues and paid work for artists.

The only one who benefits is the bar owner.