Guinness scraps Arthur’s Day for new music promotion

Guinness has said its decision to scrap Arthur’s Day in favour of a new music promotion was in no way affected by controversy surrounding the event or its perceived promotion of a drinking culture.

The annual Arthur’s Day celebrating stout was tied in with music gigs around the country but had become contentious, drawing particular criticism last year.

In its stead, the drinks company has launched Guinness Amplify, a new programme aimed at supporting emerging musical talent which will also be introduced in Asia and the Caribbean.

Lisa Fitzsimons, marketing manager at Guinness, said the move was simply designed to freshen up the company’s ongoing involvement with the music industry and that questions surrounding Arthur’s Day played no part.

“Obviously we were very aware at the time of the debate going on in the lead-up to Arthur’s Day last year,” she said. “We could see the debate that was happening but it in no way affected our decision.”

Arthur’s Day was launched in 2009, initially as a one-off event, but the company felt it was popular enough to carry on, eventually making it to a fifth anniversary last year. But there was growing criticism of it and last year the singer Christy Moore wrote a song deriding the event.

Ms Fitzsimons said the decision to replace the day with their new initiative was the product of a number of months’ work. “We felt that after five years [of Arthur’s Day] it needed a refresh,” she said.

Workshops

The Guinness Amplify promotion will offer emerging artists the chance to perform live, to share a stage with well-known acts and to benefit from workshops and studio time.

The live events will take place in hundreds of pubs, rotating to different parts of the country over five weekends beginning in September.

The line-up of major artists will include Kodaline, Ellie Goulding, Walking On Cars and Daithí. More performers will be announced during the summer.

Sixty days of free studio time will be offered to musicians, chosen by an expert panel, to record or rehearse, in studios located around Ireland.