IMPALA EDI ONLINE ROUNDTABLE WITH CHANGEMAKER MEWEM (FRANCE & GERMANY) ON LEADERSHIP & TALENT DEVELOPMENT ONLINE
The EDI taskforce is pleased to invite you to a one-hour online roundtable linked to the Changemaker Award 2025, with a focus on the work of this year’s winner, MEWEM (Germany and France).
OPEN LETTER FROM WIN TO EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER DOMBROVSKIS: “EUROPE AS A BEACON OF FAIR COMPETITION”
With just a few weeks until the European Commission’s final decision on the Universal/Downtown deal, WIN wrote to Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis to warn that the proposed remedies will not mitigate the grave risk that the merger poses to fair competition in the music market, and reiterate that the deal must be blocked outright.
EMERGING EUROPEAN TALENTS CELEBRATED AT MUSIC MOVES EUROPE AWARDS 2026
The winners of the Music Moves Europe Awards 2026, a prize supported by Creative Europe and celebrating emerging European artists who have reached audiences outside their own country, have been revealed.
TIME TO STAND UP FOR CULTURE – AHEAD OF KEYNOTE AT EUROSONIC, IMPALA SETS OUT CRUCIAL QUESTIONS ON UMG/DOWNTOWN, AI, SOVEREIGNTY AND MORE FOR EU & MUSIC SECTOR
Are diversity, identity, independence and sovereignty important in music? If yes, we as Europeans should strengthen the independent sector today, and not weaken it.
MERLIN ANNOUNCES ITS BOARD FOR 2026-27, WELCOMING FIVE NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Merlin, the digital music licensing partner for the world’s leading independent labels and distributors, kicks off 2026 by announcing its new Board, bringing together leaders from the independent music industry in 12 different countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and Oceania. The Merlin Board is elected from and by its membership, which represents tens of thousands of independent record labels, distributors, and rightsholders from around the world.
25 MOMENTS THAT DEFINED OUR 2025 — AS IMPALA MARKS 25 YEARS
This was a significant year for IMPALA, with a full year of projects delivered under our EU Network Programme and expanded engagement across both political and cultural spaces. From policy work to on-the-ground collaboration, these moments reflect the scope and impact of what we’ve built together over the past year and beyond.
IMPALA SHINES THE SPOTLIGHT ON MERLIN’S SHRINA PATEL AS IT KICKS OFF ‘FACES OF THE INDEPENDENT SECTOR’ STORYTELLING SERIES
As part of IMPALA’s Faces of the Independent Sector storytelling campaign celebrating our 25th anniversary, and co-funded by the European Union, we are pleased to publish the first interview in the series with Shrina Patel, Senior Director, Business & Legal Affairs at Merlin.
BRIDGE LATAM: BACK IN VALDIVIA FOR THE FLUVIAL CONFERENCE
WIN returned to Valdivia, Chile, for Fluvial, one of Latin America’s most beloved music industry conferences, with a delegation including Cecilia Crespo (ASIAr, Argentina), Felippe Llerena (Nikita Music / ABMI, Brazil), Fran Sandoval and Oliver Knust (IMICHILE, Chile), Mark Kitcatt (Everlasting Records / IMPALA, Spain), Mark Meyer (Random Sounds / AMI-PY, Paraguay) and Nerea Serrano (WIN).
UMG/DOWNTOWN – UMG PROPOSES REMEDIES AS INDEPENDENT SECTOR SEEKS “LOGICAL EXTENSION” OF EU’s OBJECTIONS AND CALLS ON THE EC TO TAKE A “PERMANENT STRUCTURAL APPROACH”
With a new deadline in the EU’s Phase 2 investigation into UMG’s proposed acquisition of Downtown, UMG offered remedies, while IMPALA urges regulators to block the deal.
BRIDGE WANA: A WEEK IN RIYADH
WIN traveled to Saudi Arabia from December 4 to 13 to participate in a week of activities at Riyadh Music Week. Through meetings, discussions, and networking, the trip helped lay the groundwork for future collaboration between WANA record labels and the global independent music community.