People

'It's a double-edged sword - it's a challenge to get people to pay for songs that are free to watch'

Niall Muckian runs the record label and artist management company Rubyworks

POP LIVES
Thu Aug 23 2012 - 01:00

Niall Muckian runs the record label and artist management company Rubyworks. In celebration of their 10th anniversary, Rubyworks is hosting gigs in the Olympia Theatre on August 26th and Whelan's in Dublin on August 27th. See rubyworks.com

What are you reading?

The Price of Altruism. After watching a documentary about George Price, I was drawn to this story of a scientist who went from working on the Manhattan Project, to spending his life trying to understand and explain altruism before his suicide in a squatters flat in London.

Last film you saw and your verdict?The Dark Knight Rises, which was entertaining but not a patch on The Dark Knight.

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You have a golden ticket to Easons, what magazine is first on your list?NME or Wired.

What are your most clicked bookmarks?I read a lot of music blogs/sites from Irish ones like State.ieand Nialler9 to NME, Paste, Pitchfork, music sections of the Guardian, the New York Times and The Irish Times.

Do you have a favourite podcast or radio programme?BBC6 Music is on a lot in the house. They get very excited about discovering new artists, which is great to hear.

When you fall into a YouTube hole what's the general subject matter of the videos you're watching?Mainly music videos. Youtube is pretty amazing for discovering new artists.

Its one of the best ways we have to get exposure for our artists on an international level. But it is a double-edged sword, as its a challenge to get people to pay for songs that are free to watch.

What track should we listen to right now?All Those Friendly People by Funeral Suits.

Which boxset/TV series do you have on the go at the moment?Pretty sucked into the Breaking Bad series at the moment, yo.

Last gig/concert you went to and your verdict?It was Josephine, one of our new signings. She's from Manchester, with a Liberian mother and Jamaican father but has grown up listening to Morrissey and Björk, which really comes through.

Which app do you use the most?Email. It's never off unfortunately. Twitter is a close second.

It’s a great way to share information about the various artists we work with. A band like Rodrigo y Gabriela could be playing on the other side of the world and you can see the fan reaction to the performance on Twitter, as it happens.

Read Una Mulally's Pop Life blog at irishtimes.com/ blogs/poplife