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 24th October 2024, to mark the fourth 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.
We are now working on the next phase: the integration of the survey into a new EDI toolkit. This toolkit, to be launched by the end of 2025, will include a reviewed survey, an assessment tool and a dedicated training platform – all developed specifically for the independent music industry. More information to follow soon!
Developing and promoting the business case for taking action is one of the priorities as set out in our charter. Our infographic shows that businesses with inclusive employment practices are more profitable, adaptable, innovative, have a better brand image and are able to attract and keep top talent. This is of particular value for small businesses who can see results more quickly. Please read and share here.
IMPALA offers free training on equity, diversity and inclusion for all IMPALA members. We started with a great three-year collaboration with two experts in the field, Vick Bain (vbain Consulting) and Arit Eminue. After reviewing our approach, we have designed a new format in which we organise online panel discussions with experts and project initiators. Find out more about our most recent webinar and our past trainings in our annual report. A new online training platform tailored to the needs of the independent music sector is currently in development, supported by the EU network grant, and is set to launch by the end of 2025.
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.
We also work on the question of equity in streaming reform (see IMPALA’s 2023 plan here), where Ben Wynter talks about how streaming has been transformative and his opposition to proposals like so-called “equitable remuneration”. Read statement here and report here. We also flag the risks of two tier systems potentially discriminating, see our statement here and our Billboard op-ed here.
Our members have different projects they work on and support. Great examples are MEWEM, !K7 achieving B Corp certificate, AIM Ireland’s In the Round series or Merlin’s Engage programme. You can also check out here what our members have to say about how they started their journey to mainstream equity, diversity and inclusion into their daily work in their businesses and what the results were. See more in our business case note.
May is EU Diversity Month. To mark this, we do a series of posts and activities related to our equity, diversity and inclusion work. To find out more about what we do each May, follow us on social media.
During this period, we also present the annual Changemaker Award. To find out more about EU Diversity Month, click here.
LINKS
- IMPALA’s annual report on equity, diversity and inclusion 2023-2024
- Fix the mix report – We Are Moving The Needle – 2023
- Music Mobility Funding Guide – Focus on Europe
- IMPALA’s annual report on equity, diversity and inclusion 2022-2023
- IMPALA’s report on first diversity and inclusion survey in the independent music sector
- IMPALA’s annual report on diversity and inclusion – One year on from IMPALA’s charter
- IMPALA’s Diversity and Inclusion Charter
- Infographic – IMPALA’s Diversity and Inclusion Charter
- IMPALA Diversity and Inclusion – one pager
- IMPALA’s annual report on equity, diversity and inclusion 2021-2022
- IMPALA’s annual report on equity, diversity and inclusion 2020-2021
- Report – “Dignity at work 2: Discrimination in the music sector” by Dr Kathryn Williams, Co-author: Vick Bain
- Report – “2022 UK gender/racial disparity report on UK radio 2021-2022” by WhyNotHer
- Press release – IMPALA adopts charter to promote diversity and inclusion in the European independent music sector
- Press release – IMPALA appoints Vick Bain and Arit Eminue to provide diversity and inclusion training for members
- Press release – On International Women’s Day our spotlight on twenty women contributing to IMPALA’s work in the past twelve months
- Press release – First diversity and inclusion survey for the European independent music sector launched by IMPALA during European Diversity Month
- Attitude is Everything’s new Accessible Employment Guide to improve the inclusion of Deaf and disabled workers in the commercial music sector.
- Press release – IMPALA hosts roundtable with MEWEM mentoring programme for women in the music industry
- Press release – First anniversary of Blackout Tuesday – Building a picture of the independent music sector across Europe and helping it evolve
- Press release – IMPALA’s annual report on diversity and inclusion – one year on from IMPALA’s charter
- Press release – IMPALA Outstanding Contribution Award goes to Keith Harris OBE
- Press release – On International Women’s Day, IMPALA highlights initiatives inspiring change
- Press release – IMPALA launches its Changemaker Award to promote equity, diversity and inclusion in the independent music sector
- Press release – IMPALA releases its report on first diversity and inclusion survey in the independent music sector to round up European Diversity Month
- Press release – IMPALA’s annual report on equity, diversity and inclusion – building a long-term action
