IMPALA WELCOMES EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PROPOSAL FOR A DEDICATED MUSIC STRAND IN FUTURE EU CULTURE PROGRAMME, CALLS FOR INCREASED EARMARKED BUDGET FOR MUSIC
IMPALA welcomes the draft report by MEP Rapporteurs Emma Rafowicz and Alice Kuhnke on the future AgoraEU programme, which will replace the current EU “Creative Europe” programme for the cultural and creative sectors from 2028 onwards.
MERLIN STRENGTHENS GLOBAL MEMBERSHIP DIVISION WITH SENIOR LEADERSHIP PROMOTIONS
Merlin, the global digital music licensing partner for the world’s leading independent labels and distributors, has announced a series of senior promotions within its Membership team, underscoring its deep commitment to supporting and developing its membership globally.
AN INDUSTRIAL POLICY FOR CULTURE IN EUROPE – IMPALA SETS OUT ACTION PLAN FOR HOW CULTURE, DIVERSITY AND INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES CAN DRIVE EUROPE’S INDUSTRIAL FUTURE
Timed to coincide with European Diversity Month and ahead of Europe Day this weekend, IMPALA is releasing today its action plan for an industrial policy for culture in Europe. This also comes at an important time for the EU which is in the process of implementing its Culture Compass, determining its budget priorities for the years 2028-2034 and reviewing its approach to key policies impacting culture.
IMPALA ANNOUNCES EDI ONLINE ROUNDTABLE ON THE BLACK MUSIC MEANS BUSINESS REPORT WITH UK MUSIC
The EDI taskforce is pleased to invite you to a one-hour online roundtable in the context of European Diversity Month, with a focus on UK Music’s Black Music Means Business report.
IMPALA LAUNCHES SECOND EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION SURVEY AND TOOLKIT FOR THE INDEPENDENT MUSIC SECTOR
To kick off European Diversity Month, IMPALA is launching its second Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) survey for the independent music sector. The aim of the IMPALA survey is to provide a snapshot of how the sector deals with these issues, the key challenges it faces, as well as an assessment of how businesses and associations assess their own diversity and gain an overview of best practices, local developments and projects in the field of EDI.
WIN BRIDGE PROJECT REVEALS STRUCTUAL CHALLENGES FACING INDEPENDENTS IN NON-WESTERN MARKETS
Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) has published the initial findings of its BRIDGE project, an initiative launched in 2025 to bridge the digital divide and strengthen independent music companies across Asia, Latin America, and the WANA region.
EC PUBLISHES UMG-DOWNTOWN DEAL APPROVAL DECISION – IMPALA TO REVIEW AND DETERMINE NEXT STEPS
On Friday, 24th April, the European Commission published their UMG-Downtown deal approval decision. IMPALA welcome the publication and will be reviewing the decision to determine next steps and consider whether an appeal or other action is required.
NEW EU DISCOVERABILITY STUDY UNDERLINES VALUE OF DIVERSITY, FINDS THAT VISIBILITY IS HAMPERED, RECOMMENDS ACTION
This week in Brussels, IMPALA joined policymakers, cultural stakeholders, and experts at the European Commission’s conference on the discoverability of diverse European cultural content in the digital environment
ON EARTH DAY, CÉLINE LEPAGE, GENERAL MANAGER OF FÉLIN, DISCUSSES SUSTAINABLE RECORD RECYCLING OPPORTUNITIES AND PLANS TO STRENGTHEN THE VISIBILITY OF INDEPENDENT ARTISTS IN THE LATEST EDITION OF IMPALA’S ‘FACES OF THE INDEPENDENT SECTOR’ STORYTELLING SERIES
As part of IMPALA’s Faces of the Independent Sector storytelling series, co-funded by the European Union, and celebrating our 25th anniversary, we are publishing the fifth interview in the series with Céline Lepage, general manager of FÉLIN, the French federation of independent labels and distributors, and team member of Born Bad Records.
WHY INDEPENDENTS MATTER – CREATORS AND SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE USA TAKE THE LEAD IN OPPOSING CONCENTRATION IN KEY CULTURE SECTORS, LIVE MUSIC AND FILM
Interesting parallels this week between the independent music sector’s views on the risks of concentration and two other equally important sectors – live music and film.