INTERVIEW WITH DANCING BEAR RECORDS CO-FOUNDER SILVIJE VARGA

This article was first published in Midem blog. It is part of a series of interviews ahead of Midem 2018’s Global Indie Voices sessions, in association with IMPALA.
TEN YEARS: MERLIN EXPANDS GLOBAL TEAM AND CELEBRATES A DECADE OF GROWTH

Today, 24th May 2018, Merlin celebrates its tenth anniversary as global digital rights agency for the independent label sector with the announcement of three key new hires; Marta de la Hoz joins as Head of Reporting, Chaida Kapfunde as Head of Technology & Development, and Quentin Martins as Member Operations Manager.
INDEPENDENTS WARN OF REGULATORY BARRIERS TO SONY/EMI DEAL

As news broke this morning of Sony’s intention to buy out most of its partners in EMI Music Publishing, independent music companies warn that the move will face regulatory opposition because it would stifle competition online and offline.
CALLING FOR A STRONG EU BUDGET FOR CULTURE & DEDICATED FUNDS FOR MUSIC

Yesterday, the European Commission presented its proposed budget for the European Union for 2021-2027.
EU ADDRESSES ONLINE “POWER GAP” BY REGULATING PLATFORMS’ BUSINESS PRACTICES

New proposed legislation was published today, as part of the EU’s bid to ensure Europe’s digital market functions properly.
BOOSTING THE EU CULTURE BUDGET – A CALL FROM EUROPE’S CULTURAL & CREATIVE SECTORS

Today, IMPALA and 66 organisations from across Europe’s cultural and creative sectors sent an open letter to the EU institutions urging them to give a significant boost to the EU budget dedicated to culture.
GERMAN GARAGE POP BAND GURR WINS IMPALA’S EUROPEAN ALBUM OF THE YEAR AWARD

“In My Head” by German duo Gurr released on Duchess Box records, has won IMPALA’s prestigious annual album prize.
DEBUNKING THE LIES AROUND ARTICLE 13 OF THE COPYRIGHT DIRECTIVE

Letter to EU parliamentarians involved in this week’s discussions in Strasbourg about the “Value Gap” provisions (Article 13) in proposed new copyright legislation.
22 ACTS IN THE RUNNING FOR BEST EUROPEAN INDEPENDENT ALBUM

For the 8th edition of the IMPALA European Album of the Year Award, 22 acts are nominated from 19 different countries. The winner will succeed Danish solo artist Agnes Obel.
SPOTIFY LISTING – INDEPENDENTS RENEW COMMITMENT TO ARTISTS

The Worldwide Independent Network (WIN), the organisation that represents the interests of the global independent music community, has announced a new initiative to add to the signatories of the 2014 Fair Digital Deals Declaration.