Janine Irons

The (Big) Community Music Debate

Janine Irons is the Managing Director of The Dune Music Company Ltd, a company she founded in 1996 with her partner, jazz double bassist, Gary Crosby OBE, to provide a platform for professional musicians/composers to develop new work, tour and record.

In 1998, she formally established Tomorrow's Warriors Ltd as a not-for-profit youth music education and artist development company (founded by Gary in 1991). Both companies specialise in jazz music and have become widely recognised as leaders in their respective fields with their roster winning 30+ awards including two nominations for the Mercury Music Prize.

Janine is responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of these companies.

In 1999, Janine was nominated for a European Federation of Black Women Business Owners (EFBWO) Award which recognises and celebrates the achievements of Black businesswomen. In June 2006, she received public recognition for her work when she was awarded an MBE for Services To The Music Industry in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

She is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) and an enthusiastic mentor of young people wishing to pursue careers in the arts. She is a member of the Board of Trustees for Band On The Wall, one of Manchester’s premiere live music venues, and sits on a number of music advisory panels.