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Celtic Music is a record label which started life in late 1978 by releasing a record of "IONA" a band formed by Dave Bulmer, George Ormiston, Gordon Tyrall and Tony Wilson. The label became an extension of C M (Distribution) which had been in existence since 1974. Celtic Music began by issuing a series of four volumes of Irish tunebooks called "Music from Ireland" in 1974. The tunes in these books were initially collected from Irish musicians in Leeds from 1970 onwards by Dave Bulmer and Neil Sharpley and then later from musicians at Fleadh's in Ireland and the UK. These books became highly sought after, as they are today, and became much used throughout the Irish Music world as a teaching aid. Celtic Music began life in the record business selling the Leader /Trailer label alongside the tune books. The distribution of records was very much on a part time basis until the middle 1980's. The Celtic label released a few records throughout the early eighties, but really concentrated on distributing the folk labels which were available for independent distribution in the UK and Eire, in those days Rubber / Gael Linn / Tara / Claddagh /WEA Eire /Topic /Temple etc etc to specialist shops like Cecil Sharpe House, Colletts, and Dobells in London. In those days it was very difficult to find folk records in record shops. The distribution continued throughout the early eighties and, when IONA stopped touring began to widen its scope. In 1983 a visit to Midem (the world trade fair for the record industry) opened up new possibilities. That year CM Distribution was the only folk music distribution company from the UK represented at the event and achieved overseas sales for many of the UK folk labels it distriburted. In 1985 the company released one of the very first compact discs of folk music to be issued in the UK featuring the Albion Band. In 1986 the Distribution company bought its main rival, Making Waves, when it went into liquidation. At about the same time Celtic Music was then offered the chance to buy a number of record labels including Dambuster and Black Crow by their owners. During the late eighties the business grew and several new ventures were entered into with new partners. A studio was established in the late eighties, in Elsdon, Northumberland, with Geoff Heslop, Dick Gaughan, Neil Sharpley, and Dave Bulmer as partners. Many new albums were recorded there. Some of the artists were Celtic based, some were English traditional singers and some were contemporary songwriters. Recording at the studio cumulated in highly acclaimed Clan Alba album. Unfortunately around the mid nineties Geoff Heslop resigned from the partnership. The studio, without a manager, ceased recording any new material.

Among the most successful artists on the labels were The Kipper Family ,then Kathryn Tickell and Dick Gaughan both of the latter achieving "Q Albums of the Year" in the late eighties on the DAMBUSTER /BLACK CROW and CELTIC MUSIC labels respectively.

The distribution company faced a crisis in the late eighties as the vinyl pressing plant, which pressed most of the UK's folk labels, was under threat of closure. If that plant had closed then there was every possibility that many folk labels would end up on the rocks and the distribution of folk records would end up the same way. Finance was raised and C M Distribution bought into the pressing plant. The plant ran successfully, pressing about 3 million records a year, until early into the millennium when financial circumstances forced it to close.

In the early nineties there were many changes in the record industry with the new Compact Disc format taking over. Many record labels that had not pressed the format early on were left with high overheads and virtually no distribution as the major record chains in the country threw out the vinyl format almost overnight for the more profitable compact disc.

This turmoil continued for a number of years and Celtic Music was approached to purchase several other labels including the Leader/Trailer label. This label had been the subject of much discussion throughout the seventies, the eighties and the nineties. The label was sold several times. Firstly in 1982, by its original owner to another folk label, "Highway". Then that company sold the label to another company, "Sureshy" around 1986/7. "Sureshy" held the rights to the label until 1993 when it was purchased by Celtic Music. Celtic Music immediately released several titles on compact disc and has continued to do so as finance allows. Unfortunately several master tapes on the label were either damaged or missing when the catalogue was purchased. Fortunately the technology is now here to help restore these recordings to a satisfactory standard and many more releases are scheduled for the coming years. Nic Jones is one of the most discussed artists on the label but unfortunately his re-releases were held up for a number of years due to disputes over his publishing rights. This has led to much Internet discussion most of which is total speculation on behalf of those taking part.

In the late nineties the custom services division of the vinyl pressing plant experienced a demand for short run compact discs and an on demand system was developed for promotional runs of Recordable Compact Discs. As this technology became more and more reliable it became apparent that it was by far a better and a more reliable method of production for small runs of compact discs. It meant product on demand without the problems associated with pressing. It is the ideal method for a record label with a large back catalogue like Celtic Music. In fact some years after Celtic Music started using CD on demand for some of its back catalogue production a large classical record company, Nimbus, had major articles published in the music trade press stating that CD on demand had given the label a new lease of life, and without the technology most of their catalogue would never have been produced for sale again.

Distribution methods are changing worldwide and the retail sector is suffering from falling sales, which are mainly migrating to the Internet. The recent demise in the UK of Andy's, Our Price,Tower and Coda record chains attest to this. The distribution company continues to service specialist retail outlets and some of the major chains that are interested in selling specialist music. Future sales of specialist back catalogue in general will, in all probability, end up being sold directly from the label or their distributor. With the retail sector only handling major new releases. What goes around, comes around. Its' just like the seventies all over again.

The label is not bankrupt as previous entries on this page suggest.

In fact recordings from Celtic Music's back catalogue will be issued regularly through its various distribution channels for the forseeable future. If anyone wishes to receive any further information please contact the label by email:

celticmusic@northworks.co.uk