News

 

IMPALA STATEMENT ON BREXIT

Change is on the way that’s for sure, but one thing is clear. The UK music sector will remain a fundamental player in Europe, which of course goes beyond the EU and we will continue to work hard to ensure that Brexit doesn’t interfere with the ability of European citizens to continue to enjoy UK music and vice versa. Breaking borders is what our labels do with their artists on a daily basis and that will continue.

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INDEPENDENTS GOING STRONG – IMPALA SALES AWARDS CLOCK UP ANOTHER 10M UNITS

With over a hundred registrations or award upgrades totalling just under 10 million units, IMPALA’s latest Sales Awards is one of the biggest ever and includes artists from across Europe like Caro Emerald (The Netherlands), Christine and The Queens (France), SSIO (Germany), Oscar and the Wolf (Belgium), Jamie XX (United Kingdom), Els Pets (Spain), Raubtier (Sweden) etc.

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“VESTIGES & CLAWS” BY JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ WINS IMPALA ALBUM OF THE YEAR AWARD

IMPALA’s Independent Album of the Year Award goes to Swedish singer-songwriter José González for “Vestiges & Claws”. This year’s shortlist put the spotlight on labels founded within the past 15 years, as part of IMPALA’s 15th anniversary. Released in February 2015 by Stockholm-based Imperial Recordings, “Vestiges & Claws” is González’s third solo album. The artist and the label have been working together since 2002 when Imperial Recordings was launched. José González is also the frontman of folk rock band Junip.

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IMPALA AWARDS FOR EUROPEAN INDEPENDENT ACTS HIT RECORD LEVELS

The latest IMPALA Sales Awards announcement is the biggest ever, with no less than 142 registrations or awards upgrades from independent artists including Arctic Monkeys (UK), Moderat (Germany), M83 (France), Racoon (Netherlands), Tarja (Finland), Fazil Say (Turkey), Melanie De Biasio (Belgium) and Civil War (Sweden)…

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OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT JUNCKER FROM THE CULTURAL AND CREATIVE SECTORS

Cultural and creative industries are ready for a new Europe

On behalf of hundreds of thousands of authors, performers, producers, publishers and distributors of musical, audiovisual, new media, literary, professional content and visual art works, we would first like to congratulate you on your election as President of the European Commission.

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IMPALA AND WIN CALL YOUTUBE’S DECISION TO LAUNCH STREAMING SERVICE WITHOUT INDEPENDENT LABEL SUPPORT “A GRAVE ERROR OF COMMERCIAL JUDGMENT”

The Worldwide Independent Network (WIN), the organisation that represents the interests of the global independent music community, has issued a new statement further questioning the actions of YouTube as the Google owned company presses ahead with plans to block and “cull” the content of independent labels that do not sign up to a new music streaming agreement.

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WIN, FAC AND IMPALA ISSUE URGENT CALL FOR REGULATORY INTERVENTION FROM THE EC / ARTISTS JOIN YOUTUBE PROTEST AS DISPUTE ESCALATES

The ongoing dispute between The Worldwide Independent Network, (WIN), which represents the global independent music community, and YouTube has further escalated, with the Google-owned company refusing to withdraw its threats to labels unwilling to sign up to its new music streaming service on what WIN has previously called “highly unfavourable terms.”

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ON WORLD CULTURAL DIVERSITY DAY, IMPALA CALLS ON THE EU TO BUILD A NEW FRAMEWORK TO ACHIEVE DIVERSITY, COMPETITION AND ‘FISCAL FAIRNESS’ IN THE ONLINE ENVIRONMENT

Cultural diversity is at the heart of what the EU is: a union of different cultures, different languages, different lifestyles. Culture is one of Europe’s main assets – a social asset through its inherent value, but also an economic asset through its contribution to jobs, growth and trade. The cultural and creative sectors are crucial to the European economy, producing faster than average growth and accounting for 4,5% of the EU’s GDP and 8,5 million jobs. They are also a key element of the EU’s soft power on the international stage.

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IMPALA INTERVIEW WITH MARK KITCATT (EVERLASTING RECORDS)

In this interview originally published in Music Week, IMPALA met with Spanish record label Everlasting Records founder Mark Kitcatt to discuss Guadalupe Plata winning the IMPALA European Album of the Year award, what’s in store for Everlasting Records and what it is like to run an indie label in Spain nowadays.

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CW! WELCOMES THE CLOSURE OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION’S PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON THE REVIEW OF THE EU COPYRIGHT RULES

Creativity Works! welcomes the closure today of the European Commission’s consultation on the review of EU copyright rules. Amongst the thousands of responses received by the Commission in recent weeks are those from industries within the creative sector representing thousands of companies and millions of creators and workers from across the EU, whose businesses and livelihoods depend upon copyright and its effective protection.

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CONTENT AND CREATIVITY FUEL EUROPE’S COMPETITIVENESS

European Ministers discussed online content in the digital age at today’s EU Competitiveness Council. This meeting comes at a time when politicians must think carefully about how to strike a balance between creativity, quality content, consumer demand and technology.

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UPFI WELCOMES THE VOLUNTARY AND AMBITIOUS NATURE OF THE MEASURES REGARDING CULTURAL INDUSTRIES BUT EXPRESSED CONCERNS ABOUT THE DIRECTION OF SOME PROPOSALS ON THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

UPFI (Union des Producteurs Phonographiques Français Indépendants) released the following press statement on the Lescure report: UPFI welcomes the voluntary and ambitious nature of the measures regarding cultural industries but expresses concerns about the direction of some proposals on the music industry.

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IMPALA ANNUAL OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARD GOES TO MERLIN’S CEO CHARLES CALDAS

Charles Caldas, CEO of MERLIN (www.merlinnetwork.org) is the latest winner of the IMPALA Outstanding Contribution Award. He joins prestigious recipients such as Martin Mills and Mario Pacheco on the winners’ list of IMPALA’s annual award, which recognises the unrivaled efforts of an individual or organisation to promote and develop European independent music and the sector’s diversity.

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NIELSEN MUSIC AND IMPALA RADIO CHARTS HIGHLIGHT MOST PLAYED INDEPENDENT ARTISTS IN 2012, NEW REPORT PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON DIVERSITY OF EUROPEAN RADIO

This month Nielsen Music and IMPALA release two charts, with the overall Top 30 for 2012, and the last quarter charts highlighting the best climbers and new entries. Showcasing independent music, they feature acts from all over Europe such as Michel Telo, Youssoupha, Jose de Rico, Two Door Cinema Club, Alesso, DJ Fresh and of course Adele.

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EUROPEAN PLATFORM ON THE POTENTIAL OF CULTURAL AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES – A STRONG BUDGET FOR CREATIVE EUROPE

Ahead of the 7-8 February Special Summit on the EU’s Multi-Annual Financial Framework, the European Platform on the potential of Cultural and Creative Industries (‘The Platform’) – a group of more than 40 organisations representing a wide range of cultural and creative sectors – calls on EU Member States to adopt a strong budget for ‘Creative Europe’, the 2014-2020 programme for the cultural and creative sectors.

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MYSPACE: A STATEMENT FROM AIM, A2IM, AIR, IMPALA AND WIN

Independent music companies have always been early adopters of new opportunities, including digital distribution. For well over a decade, independent artists and independent labels have proactively partnered with innovative new services that can deliver value to creators and fans.

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IMPALA OBJECTS TO EC APPROVAL OF UNIVERSAL/EMI MERGER

The independents welcome the EC’s conclusion that Universal’s power is a problem across the whole market, both digital and physical, including access to media. The Commission’s insistence on tough remedies, despite strong positioning by Universal, is also applauded, as well as its clear rejection of arguments that piracy and larger online players are restraining forces.

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SPAIN TRAMPLES EU LAW ON COPYRIGHT AND NEIGHBOURING RIGHTS, PUTTING AT RISK A MAJOR FINANCIAL RESOURCE FOR ARTISTS AND THE CULTURAL AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

At a time when the Spanish government is asking billions of Euros of solidarity to bail the country out of its financial problems, the same government is disowning its commitment under EU legislation (article 5.2.b) of Directive 2001/29/EC) to provide a system to compensate artists and the film and music industry for the private copying of audio and audiovisual works.

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IMPALA – Independent Music Companies Association

Rue des Deux Eglises 37-39, 1000, Brussels, BELGIUM

+32 2 503 31 38

info@impalamusic.org