Op-ed by IMPALA’s Executive Chair Helen Smith originally released on Music Ally on 25 June 2025.
“Unimaginable in any other sector”
All markets need big companies.
And the world’s biggest music company is more than that. UMG is innovative and bullish. And a great collaborator on so many issues.
The only question is whether there is a point at which big becomes too big?
IMPALA is launching a new initiative designed to foster cross-border collaboration, peer learning and capacity building among independent labels across Europe. This new ‘Label Camp’ project is part of IMPALA’s EU network programme, which co-funds certain projects, boosting the organisation’s work to reinforce the independent music ecosystem.
We’re pleased to invite you to our upcoming IMPALA x CMU webinar taking place this Friday, 27th June at 15:00 CET / 14:00 GMT, as part of our Digital Forward project, co-funded by the European Union.
Webinar title: ‘How do you build sustainable marketing strategies beyond streaming platforms?’ – Friday, 27 June – 15:00 CET / 14:00 GMT. This session will explore the findings of our newly released report: ‘Digital Marketing for Independent Record Labels PART 1 – Mastering Off-Platform Strategies’, the first publication under our Digital Forward series.
The European commission has today started its formal investigation into UMG’s acquisition of Downtown, with a provisional deadline of 22nd July to reach an initial conclusion.
IMPALA is the European organisation for independent music companies and national associations. The sector is made up of micro, small, medium businesses and self-releasing artists. They are world leaders in terms of innovation and discovering new music and artists. Independents account for more than 80% of all new releases in Europe and 80% of the sector’s jobs. More info…
