Diversity resources

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Equity, diversity and inclusion is a vital area of IMPALA’s work. We have a task force implementing our work, including our charter, surveying members, setting out the business case, offering training to members as well as practical tips for businesses and associations. Our most recent EDI annual report gives an overview on its work.

Promoting a diverse and inclusive European independent music sector is a key priority for IMPALA’s task force which has been in place since summer 2020 and includes Keith Harris OBE as adviser. Check out this 2-minute message from Keith on his work with IMPALA and what he would like members to do. Keith received IMPALA’s Outstanding Contribution Award in 2021 and he was invited to talk on our 20MinutesWith podcast series, find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast and Deezer.

We report annually on equity, diversity and inclusion work. On 21st October 2025, to mark the fifth anniversary of our EDI charter, IMPALA released its annual report on the work done in the past 12 months, focusing on the business case, successful projects and campaigns, as well as areas which still need to be improved. Please read and share our statement here and our report here.

Each year our Changemaker Award puts the spotlight on projects working on equity, diversity and inclusion. Our members put forward projects they feel play an important role locally, inspiring change and encouraging others to take action. We highlight all these projects and our task force then picks the one they feel is the most inspirational as the winner. This award was launched in 2022. See more here.

Our report on IMPALA’s first sector survey report was published in May 2022, based on a representative sample and highlighting key findings. Read our statement here and see the full report here.
We have now moved to the next phase: integrating the survey into the IMPALA EDI toolkit, piloted in late 2025. It combines a reviewed survey, self-assessment tool and on-demand training platform, all tailored for the independent music sector. The next survey and report will follow in 2026.

IMPALA launched a pilot of a new EDI Toolkit for members, combining self-assessment, a sector survey and targeted training in one. Co-funded by the EU, it benchmarks sector progress while giving instant feedback and practical guidance. Developed by Andrew Lansley and Vick Bain, the toolkit is tailored to different-sized organisations and links results to short, practical courses.
Access the EDI Toolkit here and start your self-assessment.

Developing and promoting the business case for taking action is one of the priorities set out in our charter. Our updated insights show that diversity alone is not enough – inclusion is what drives performance, creativity and sustainability. Inclusive teams with strong leadership, fair processes and psychological safety are more innovative, resilient and better at attracting and retaining talent. This is especially valuable for small organisations, where inclusive practices can quickly strengthen collaboration, experimentation and audience engagement. Please read and share here.

IMPALA offers free EDI training for all members. After three years working with experts Vick Bain (vbain Consulting) and Arit Eminue, the programme now focuses on shorter, practical panel discussions with authentic voices at the centre. We have also launched a new on-demand training platform as part of the EDI toolkit, co-funded by the EU network grant.

Find out more about our most recent roundtable and our past trainings in our annual report.

Our guidance for businesses is intended to provide practical help for members on what they can do on a daily basis if they want to start making changes. It has ideas for any company or organisation interested in becoming more diverse and inclusive, starting from the smallest of changes through to ideas on hiring and developing your team. Please also check out the business case.

We have a practical guide for associations who play a vital role in our sector. This guidance has lots of ideas on what can be done. Please adapt and use as you see fit! There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution as each country is different. It is essential to recognise this as IMPALA’s membership covers over 30 European countries and is growing every year. We also exchange ideas through our association network.

Learn more about diversity and inclusion through our limited edition podcast series “20MinutesWith” curated and hosted by the late Juliana Koranteng. Launched for our 20th birthday, the series ran from 2020 to 2022 with episodes on different aspects (ethnicity, gender, territories, LGTBQ+ and more). The podcasts were recorded in London by Juliana and edited in Brussels by Romuald Dagry.

This charter is IMPALA’s vision of what we stand for and what we will do to achieve change. Originally adopted by IMPALA’s board in 2020, our charter sets out 12 commitments and is implemented by our task force. This is accompanied by initiatives and projects to make change sustainable longer term, with targets for five and ten years. We report annually on our work.

Our one-pager tells you everything you need to know about our equity, diversity and inclusion work on, yes that’s right, one page. Check out our infographic and feel free to share. We update this every year and circulate as part of our EU Diversity Month activities, so that the sector and decision makers can see at a glance what we do as a sector to mobilise change and promote equity, diversity and inclusion.