IMPALA Independent Music Companies Association

✍️ Apply now for IMPALA’s Sustainability Mentorship scheme Made for IMPALA members who want to start taking sustainability action and connect with a member (mentor) who already has experience in a specific area of sustainability. 🔸Sessions will be held online. 🔸The frequency of the sessions is up to you and your mentor - it can be a one-off or a recurring meeting, depending on the availability of the mentors. 🔸This form is intended for the mentees. 🔸Once signed up, your details will be reviewed and you will be put in contact with the mentor who best suits your profile. Apply now via the form 👉 https://lnkd.in/enjFzUvZ Can associations please share with their members. Any questions, please reach out to Frank at fshortle@impalamusic.org IMPALA's sustainability work is supported by Merlin through the Weidenmüller Sustainability Fund

🏆 This week, the Association of Independent Music (AIM) hosted this year's edition of its Independent Music Awards. The theme for 2026 focused on "Collective Strength", celebrating the networks, partnerships and communities that underpin the independent sector's creative and commercial success. Congrats to all the winners! Be sure to check out AIM CEO Gee Davy's interview with Music Week - https://lnkd.in/e8egxWdR

📣New Strategic Primers report: Direct-to-Fan & Community Platforms IMPALA is pleased to publish the latest edition of our Strategic Primers series, produced with Music Ally and supported by Merlin. This new primer explores the growing landscape of community and direct-to-fan (D2F) platforms in the music industry, with a focus on the messaging and community-building tools most widely used by independent labels today. ℹ️learn more here: https://lnkd.in/e-hsAcny

🚀 IMPALA is pleased to release its latest Digital Forward report Closing our Digital Marketing series for independent labels, this double report focuses on two essential areas: 📋 Campaign Planning & Execution — How to build a digital marketing strategy, shape budgets, allocate resources, and adapt campaigns using data. 📊 Measurement & Reporting — What to measure, how to set meaningful benchmarks, understand attribution, and evaluate marketing impact alongside streaming performance. These reports build on the webinars we hosted earlier this year with experts from Stones Throw Records, Cloud Hill Music, LAB Records Ltd., Measure of Music, IDOL, and Playliveartist. All Digital Forward reports and webinars are available on the IMPALA members' page. Click here to learn more - https://lnkd.in/eAX2Hb6p IMPALA's Digital Forward project is co-funded by the European Union and developed in partnership with Complete Music Update (CMU).

IMPALA pays tribute to Patrick Zelnik for his key role in Europe on behalf of Independent Labels. Patrick Zelnik, a leading figure in the French music sector and a longstanding supporter of independent labels, also played an important role in shaping IMPALA at European level. Helen Smith, IMPALA Executive Chair: “We are sad to learn of the passing of Patrick, a very important person in the history of IMPALA. He was one of the co-founders through his company Naive and was president and then co-president from 2006 to 2012. He remained an active member of IMPALA right up until Naive was sold and even a couple of years ago he called up with a new idea he wanted to discuss. Often in Brussels, Patrick was a real supporter of the work of IMPALA in underlining the importance of cultural diversity, fair competition and a well functioning digital market. He helped the whole industry in Europe as well as France drive a positive narrative about the economic contribution of culture and in particular small and medium cultural businesses. Patrick would challenge and test and had a great sense of humour. He and Michel Lambot made a great pair and I recall more than one meeting in Brussels where we could hardly stop laughing before we went in. We remember Patrick with admiration and fondness.” Statement: https://lnkd.in/eUEeZqeG

⭐️ Two great panels for IMPALA today at Reeperbahn Festival: 🔸 Digital economy discussion kicked off by Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Kristina Janušauskaitė ( IFPI ), Marc Zisman ( Qobuz ), and Aafke Romeijn ( ECSA European Composer & Songwriter Alliance ), with Joe Sparrow ( Music Ally ) moderating. 🔸 The power of collective strength in the independent sector, moderated by Nerea Serrano ( WIN Worldwide Independent Network ), Mark Kitcatt on behalf of IMPALA and WIN and Everlasting Records // Popstock, Ian Harrison ( A2IM (American Association of Independent Music), K. Marty Ro ( Sound Republica, Inc. / WIN) and Nina Radojewski ( Association of Independent Music (AIM) ).

🎙️ Yesterday, IMPALA's Executive Chair, Helen Smith joined Knut Schlinger (MusikWoche) for a fireside chat during the Reeperbahn Festival as part of IMPALA’s 25th anniversary programme. Knut and Helen explored opportunities to achieve a better digital market and what it means to be independent in today’s music market.   Helen highlighted how IMPALA’s Faces of the Independent Sector interviews series illustrate the importance independents place on their freedom to decide and be responsible.   Helen promised to share Andrea Lacroix's (!K7 Music) interview: "We choose what we sign, how we work and who we work with. Independence is not the opposite of scale. It is the precondition for freedom with responsibility, believing in the music we release, taking artistic risk, for building long-term relationships with artists, and for running our business according to values we truly believe in.”   🔗 Read Andrea’s full interview: https://lnkd.in/eKsiAyAf    Thanks to Knut and to VUT – Verband unabhängiger Musikunternehmer*innen e. V. Indie Days and Reeperbahn for organising this session.   Want to learn IMPALA’s key milestones throughout our anniversary year in 2026? Click here to see our 25 Years of IMPALA page: https://lnkd.in/e6VJkcSw #WhyIndependentsMatter

🎶 Great to see so many independent artists from IMPALA's 100 Artists to Watch programme (co-funded by the European Union) perform at Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg this week! If you're at Reeperbahn festival, make sure to check out: 🔸 Ashaine White 🔸 Cinnamon Gum 🔸 Culk 🔸 Ebow 🔸 Isabel van Gelder 🔸 Jo The Man The Music 🔸 Jule X 🔸 Le Parody 🔸 LUIZA 🔸 Malummí 🔸 Maryna Krut’ 🔸 modernlove. 🔸 Oskar Haag 🔸 Redd 🔸 A Mess #WhyIndependentsMatter Read more about our 100 Artists to Watch programme here: https://lnkd.in/ePYs3HNi

We welcome President Ursula von der Leyen's focus in her State of the Union address on an "AI with human agency", and the recognition by Commissioner Glenn Micallef that this principle is just as important for culture. This aligns with IMPALA's action plan for an industrial policy for culture, which sets out the need for a coordinated EU strategy to unlock the full potential of Europe’s cultural industries, focussing on: 🔸 The need for a business plan with targets and action points to make Europe the best place in the world for culture. 🔸 Mainstreaming culture in all policy areas, 🔸 Ensuring effective implementation of the EU's AI Act obligations. 🔸 Securing algorithmic and recommendation system transparency from digital services, as well as full labelling of works, reporting on fraud & cultural diversity commitments. 🔸 Applying robust copyright rules based on exclusive rights, and avoiding any new exceptions to copyright. 🔸And other recommendations. Read IMPALA's industrial policy plan 👉 https://lnkd.in/eNymqNak

Interesting piece from Organization For Recorded Culture and Arts (ORCA) proposing a specific model for upload fees, an idea which aligns with IMPALA’s Digital Music Plan which recommends looking at carriage fees. Good to see a specific proposal on how this type of approach might work.    Read ORCA's piece - https://lnkd.in/d3mdEpvE   Read IMPALA's Digital Music Plan - https://lnkd.in/ePnKn8nQ