CALL FOR A COMPREHENSIVE POLICY STRATEGY AND AN AMBITIOUS BUDGET FOR EUROPE’S MUSIC SECTOR WITH AgoraEU
We, the undersigned organisations from across Europe’s music sector, welcome the European Commission’s proposal to establish AgoraEU for 2028–2034 and its commitment to strengthen Europe’s cultural and creative sectors (CCS). With CCS contributing €354 billion in value added and employing 6.3% of the EU workforce, this investment is vital.1distributor relationships and platform specific tools.
HELEN SMITH ACCEPTS THE INDIE-AXE AT THE VIA AWARDS DURING REEPERBAHN FESTIVAL ON BEHALF OF IMPALA
A big thank you to VUT, the VIA Awards and everyone at Reeperbahn Festival for recognising IMPALA with the Indie-Axe. and to all who made the evening so special in Hamburg!
WIN ANNOUNCEMENT: SUPPORTING CROSS-BORDER PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE EU
In 2025, WIN partnered with IMPALA to collaborate under its new program of work co-funded by the EU and strengthen cross-border cooperation between the global and European independent music sectors.
IMPALA ANNOUNCES EUROPEAN INDEPENDENT MUSIC SUMMIT IN ZAGREB
As part of its EU network project, IMPALA is announcing the first iteration of the European Independent Music Summit, a high-level strategic meeting taking place on Wednesday 29 October in Zagreb. This year, the Summit is organised in collaboration with RUNDA Adria, the association of independent music companies in the Adria region, as part of IMPALA’s ongoing focus on boosting the independent music sector in the region.
IMPALA REVEALS 2025 ARTIST AND LABEL CAMPS WITH PARTNERS FROM NORWAY, PORTUGAL, SWEDEN, FINLAND, HUNGARY AND TURKEY
IMPALA is delighted to reveal the recipients of the 2025 Artist and Label Camps, a programme co-funded by the European Union to strengthen the independent music ecosystem across Europe.
WINCON 2025 PROGRAMME AND SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED FOR SOFIA EDITION
The Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) has announced the program and speakers for its annual global conference WINCON, taking place October 15–16 in Sofia, Bulgaria, organized in partnership with ANMIP-BG (the Association of Independent Music Publishers & Producers – Bulgaria) and hosted by SoAlive Music Conference. Marking its 10th anniversary, WINCON 2025 will bring together leaders from over 40 countries to shape the future of the independent music sector.
5-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE « RAAP » RULING, TIME TO SEE CONCRETE SOLUTIONS SAY EUROPEAN MUSIC BODIES AND EU PARLIAMENTARIANS
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the EU Court’s « RAAP ruling ». Heads of European music industry bodies and EU parliamentarians agree this anniversary is a new opportunity to commit to concrete action and renew their call on the European Commission to come forward with a legislative fix.
KEES VAN WEIJEN: “THE NETHERLANDS AT THE HEART OF EUROPE’S MUSIC: WHY INDEPENDENCE MATTERS AND WHY I WILL NOT BE SILENCED ABOUT UMG’S ACQUISITION OF DOWNTOWN”
Kees van Weijen has spent over fifty years in the music industry, including senior roles such as Executive Vice President at Universal, before focusing on strengthening the independent sector, including through his independent distribution business Rough Trade which was sold to [PIAS]. As Board Member as well as former Chairman and President of IMPALA, the European association of independent music companies, and founder of the Dutch independent network STOMP, he has long been a leading advocate for cultural diversity and fair competition in music.
WIN ANNUAL REPORT CELEBRATES A STRONG AND UNITED INDEPENDENT MUSIC COMMUNITY
Worldwide Independent Network (WIN), the international network that brings together 37 independent music trade associations operating in 43 territories, has released its 2024-25 Annual Report. The report provides an overview of the activities carried out by the organization from July 2024 to June 2025, highlighting progress in supporting, developing and further connecting the independent community.
JOINT STATEMENT BY A BROAD COALITION OF RIGHTSHOLDERS ACTIVE ACROSS THE EU’S CULTURAL AND CREATIVE SECTORS REGARDING THE AI ACT IMPLEMENTATION MEASURES ADOPTED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Representing a broad coalition of European and global authors, performers, publishers,
producers and other rightsholder organisations, we wish to formally express our dissatisfaction
with the published GPAI Code of Practice, the GPAI Guidelines, and the Template for disclosure
of a sufficiently detailed summary of training data under Article 53 of the EU AI Act.