On 28 May, AVA Festival takes over The MAC in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter for a full day of talks, workshops and creative sessions built around the culture of electronic music. Bringing together artists, creatives and industry voices from across the scene, the programme is designed for anyone making music, working in the industry, building something independently, or simply curious about the people shaping contemporary culture right now.
This Thursday at 15:00, our very own Paul Inflyte joins a panel diving deep into the realities of building and sustaining independent record labels in 2026. The conversation is getting into the practical stuff — the kind of honest, unglamorous detail that matters most when you’re actually doing the work.
That means growth strategies, community building, artist development, promotional thinking, attention economics, and what it actually takes to keep an independent label alive and relevant in a landscape that’s noisier and more competitive than ever. How do you cut through? How do you build something that lasts? How do you develop artists without the infrastructure of a major? These are some of the questions on the table.
Paul will be joined on stage by a lineup of artists and label founders who are actively building the local Irish scene and pushing it forward on a global level:
- Mark Reid — Touch Sensitive Records
- Cromby — Potency Records
- Paul Hamill — Inflyte & Psycatron
- Hosted by Holly Lester — Duality Trax
Whether you’re at the early stages of starting a label, already running one and looking for perspective, working across the wider music industry, or just want to hear a genuinely candid conversation about the independent music world in 2026, this one is for you!
Thursday 28 May 15:00–15:45 Inside Independant Record Label @ AVA Festival & Conference, The MAC, Belfast
Entry is free. If you’re in Belfast this week, come through!
Link here
