"I think this is a fantastic, long-overdue idea for Belfast. The music scene in Belfast needs a hub like this. As a musician from Northern Ireland I remember how difficult it was starting out. Finding places to play and meet like-minded musicians was incredibly hard. We had no idea how to get the attention of record labels, our options seemed very limited in Northern Ireland at the time. Luckily for us we got a breakthrough, a contact in London and got a record deal over there.
"Cities like Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol and Glasgow have all had celebrated music scenes, proving that London is not the only place you can go to make music in our corner of Europe. With the right conditions, Belfast could become known as a famous music city. It has a wealth of musical talent, but talent needs the right conditions to grow and develop. The music centre would be a great place for this to start. I've known Stuart Bailie for over ten years, he has a massive inside knowledge of the music industry, all the right contacts and is the perfect person to carry this idea out."
More Testimonials....
> Gary Lightbody, Snow Patrol
> Radio One DJ Colin Murray
> Stuart Fleming, PRS