How to Support Local Music in Dublin

Dublin’s got a proper music scene. Not just the big names touring through the 3Arena, but hundreds of musicians working, writing, recording, and performing in venues across the city. Most of them aren’t making massive money. Many are juggling music with day jobs. Supporting them isn’t charity. It’s just sensible if you want the scene to stay alive and keep producing good music.

The good news is supporting local music doesn’t require loads of effort or sacrifice. It just requires being intentional about where you spend your time and money.

Go to Local Gigs

This is the most direct way to support musicians. When you pay to see a Dublin band, part of that money goes to them. The rest goes to the venue, which keeps the space open so other gigs can happen.

Even if the gig’s tiny, maybe 30 people in a small room, your tenner or 15 quid matters. It shows the venue that there’s an audience. It shows the artist that people care. It makes the difference between an artist thinking “nobody’s interested in my work” and thinking “this is worth continuing.”

The easiest way to find local gigs is to check what’s on at the smaller venues. Whelan’s on Wexford Street, Workman’s Club on Wellington Quay, The Porterhouse on Parliament Street, and countless smaller spaces book local acts constantly. Websites like Songkick, Bandsintown, and Nialler9 list what’s on.

Don’t just go to big headliners. Go to shows from artists you’ve heard of but don’t know well. Go to support slots. Go to album launches and EP release gigs. That’s where you’ll discover music you genuinely love and support artists at crucial moments in their careers.

Buy Music Directly

If a Dublin musician’s released an album, buy it. And buy it from them if you possibly can. Buy it at a gig. Order it from their website. Stream it, but also buy it.

Streaming pays almost nothing. A few tenths of a penny per stream. If a Dublin artist’s released an album on Bandcamp, buying it there means they get significantly more money than Spotify or Apple Music would give them. If they’ve got it on their own website, that’s even better.

Physical copies are back in a way. Vinyl, CDs, cassettes, even USB sticks. If you like physical formats, buy them. They’re usually cheaper than gigs and they help the artist way more than streaming does.

If you can’t afford to buy, streaming’s still better than nothing. But if you’re genuinely into an artist’s work, buying is the right move.

Follow and Engage on Social Media

Artists rely on social media to tell people what they’re doing. Following them, liking their posts, sharing their stuff: these things matter. It signals to algorithms that their content’s worth promoting. It reminds your friends that the artist exists.

Don’t just follow though. Actually look at what they’re posting. Comment when they announce gigs. Share it. Tell your mates. That organic promotion’s worth more than ads in loads of cases.

If an artist’s doing something interesting, tags them in posts about Dublin music or mention them in conversations. It’s a small gesture but it compounds.

Bring Friends to Gigs

Loads of Dublin musicians play to half-empty rooms. Not because the music’s not good, but because people don’t know the gig’s happening or don’t know the artist yet.

If you go to a gig you enjoy, tell people about it. Invite mates. Not everyone will come, but some will. That packed room makes it easier for the artist to keep touring Dublin, to feel like their work matters, to book bigger and better venues.

Introducing friends to an artist is basically the best thing you can do for that artist. You’re expanding their audience directly.

Go to Album Launches and Release Parties

When a Dublin band or artist releases something new, they usually do a gig to celebrate. These are often intimate, special events. Go to them.

Album launches aren’t just performances. They’re celebrations of a whole chunk of work. They’re the artist’s chance to play new material and see if people connect with it. Your presence matters. Your engagement with the new songs matters.

Plus, you get to hear the new stuff live before anyone else. That’s genuinely exciting.

Buy Merchandise

If a Dublin artist’s selling a t-shirt, stickers, or whatever, buy it. Merchandise is often where artists actually make money. Venue ticket sales and streaming barely cover costs. But if 50 people buy a 15 quid shirt, that’s real money the artist can use for recording, rehearsal space, or just to cover the time they spent making something.

Plus, wearing a local artist’s t-shirt is genuinely good promotion. You’re walking around Dublin advertising them to potential fans.

Support Venues That Book Local Music

Not all Dublin venues prioritize local music. Some do. Go to those ones. The Cobblestone, Whelan’s, Workman’s Club, The Porterhouse, Vicar Street, various smaller pubs, and dozens of other spaces consistently book Dublin artists.

Spending your money at these venues tells them that you care about local music and that there’s an audience for it. They’ll keep booking it.

Avoid venues that only book big names or international acts. That’s fine, they’ve got their place. But if you care about local music, vote with your wallet.

Go to Free Live Music Events

Dublin’s got loads of free live music. Sunday sessions in pubs. Street performances. Free festival stages. Community centres with gigs. Arts spaces with performances.

Free doesn’t mean low quality. Sometimes the best performances happen in free spaces because artists are there for the love of it, not the money. And free events still need people attending to justify continued programming.

Recommend Artists to Venues

If you hear a Dublin musician you think is brilliant, tell venue promoters about them. Send an email to venues you like. Say “I heard this artist and I think they’d be perfect for your space.” Venue bookers are always looking for new artists.

This is genuinely helpful. Many venue programmers hear about acts through recommendations from audience members who know the venues well.

Support DIY Spaces and Community Venues

Dublin’s got a whole DIY scene. House gigs, art space performances, community centre shows. These are often how young or experimental artists first perform publicly.

Show up to these events. Spread the word. Bring friends. These spaces are often run on goodwill and small donations. Every person who attends makes them more viable.

Platforms like Facebook and Instagram are where DIY shows get advertised. Follow local musicians and community spaces so you see when things are happening.

Listen with Intention

This sounds small but it matters. When you listen to a Dublin artist, listen properly. Not just as background noise while you’re doing something else. Actually engage with the music.

Tell the artist what you think. Send them a message saying you loved the song or the gig. That feedback keeps them going on nights when making music feels impossible.

Attend Music Industry Events

Dublin’s got conferences, showcases, and networking events for musicians. First Music Contact and the Contemporary Music Centre both run stuff. Listening to panels, meeting musicians, understanding the scene better: this all helps.

You don’t have to be a musician to attend some of these things. Going shows you care and it keeps you connected to what’s happening in the city’s music community.

Campaign for Local Music Support

Support policies that help local musicians. If Dublin City Council’s considering funding for music education or venue support, show up. Make noise about it.

Vote for artists on award lists. Buy tickets to benefit gigs that raise money for music causes. Sign petitions about venue closures or music business issues.

This stuff feels distant but it genuinely affects whether venues can stay open and whether young musicians can afford to keep making music.

The Bigger Picture

Supporting local music isn’t a sacrifice. It’s investing in something that makes your city better. Dublin’s known for music partly because of all these small artists and small venues. If everyone who cares about music did one or two of these things, the scene would boom.

You don’t need to do everything on this list. Pick what appeals to you. Go to gigs. Buy music. Tell your friends. That’s basically enough.

Related Reading

For finding local music to support, check out our guide to Live Music in Dublin for an overview of the scene. We’ve got specific guides to different genres like Folk Music in Dublin, Jazz Events in Dublin, and Electronic Music in Dublin. Our Sunday Sessions in Dublin guide covers where to find free or cheap live music regularly. And if you want to know how to make the most of gigs, read Dublin Gig Etiquette.

For completely free options, see Free Live Music in Dublin.

Get Involved

The Dublin music scene is only as good as the people supporting it. That’s you. Don’t wait for the scene to be perfect before you engage. Engage and help make it better.