Johnny Lappin
Johnny Lappin began in music as an enthusiastic amateur performer in the 1960’s. Having performed in various ‘beat groups’ and cabaret acts, the highlight of this undistinguished’s career was playing support to the legendary Van Morrison’s “Them” in Dublin in the mid-sixties. His last public performance was in August 1971. Family pressure to get ‘a real job’ resulted in him working in the family’s hardware business until boredom set in and he decided to go into the business side of music in 1975
He has been a full time professional in the music business since then. He started his career as a band manager, managing Stepaside, who were one of the top Irish bands of the seventies. He was involved in the promotion of Ireland’s first ever outdoor rock festival which was headlined by Thin Lizzy at Dalymount Park, Dublin in 1977.
In 1978, he co-formed one of Ireland’s earliest independent record companies Scoff Records, whose releases included albums by The Atrix and The Rhythm Kings amongst others. He also started a music publishing company, Dark Fox Music Ltd. which acted as the publishing arm of the record company.
In 1979, he decided to concentrate on music publishing full time In 1980, he was elected Secretary of the Republic of Ireland Music Publishers Association (RIMPA), a position he still occupies today. From 1982 to 1990, he ran Clannad Music Ltd, the publishing company owned by the international recording artists, where he gained valuable experience in the workings of music publishing worldwide.
In 1990, he set up his own consultancy business which now includes a client list of top Irish artists such as Sharon Shannon, Nomos, Cafe Orchestra, 4th Dimension (Evolving Music), Blink (Blink Publishing Ltd), Francis Black (Sandi Music), Johnny McEvoy, Jim Mc Cann (Squirrel Music), Speranza, Rob Burke (Foxrock Music), Sound Crowd, Liquid Wheel (Red Music), Donal Lunny (Donal Lunny Music), and Paddy Reilly (Brook Music) now with the legendary Dubliners, to name but a few.
Johnny Lappin is also heavily involved in industry matters and is a member of the IMCRG (see below), which produced the acclaimed report to Government “A Strategic Vision for the Irish Music Industry”. A founder member of the pan-industry l.B.E.C. music industry group which was at the forefront in the lobby for the extension of the B.E.S. scheme for the music industry, he lectures on all aspects of the business in the Ballyfermot Rock School and the Sound Training Centre in Dublin, as well as the Hotpress/IMRO seminars held countrywide. He has also lectured at Queen’s University in Belfast. He has been a guest speaker at
International music seminars such as Euro Pop Days in Germany. He is frequently requested. to judge band competitions such as the Bacardi unplugged and Paddy Expo held 8nnually in Limerick.
During his years in the music business, Johnny Lappin has attended many of the world’s music festivals such as NMS in New York, South by Southwest in Texas as well as MIDEM in Cannes at which he has been a yearly attendee since 1979.
Current Industry Positions Held
Secretary M.P.A.I. (Music Publishers Association of Ireland)
Irish representative on I.F.P.M.P. (International Federation of Popular Music Publishers)
Director of I.M.R.O. (Irish Music Rights Organisation)
Director of M.C.P.S. [Ire] Ltd (Mechanical Copyright Protection Society)
Chairman I.M.C.R.G. (Irish Music Copyright Reform Group)
Member of IBEC Music Industry Group (Pan industry government advisory group)
Founder member of J.I.M. (Jobs in Music – lobby group on industry matters)