Brussels/New York, 8 June 2026

It’s IndieWeek time in New York, congratulations to Ian Harrison and Lisa Hresko for their first edition as A2IM‘s CEO and COO. Come and find us IMPALA at the A2IM AGM, at WINHUB and the Libera awards as well as at the conference.

Feel free to connect with Dario Draštata, the chair of IMPALA. Dario is the executive director of Dallas Records Croatia and Serbia and the president of RUNDA Adria – the regional trade association for independent labels in the Adriatic region. Other IMPALA board members attending include Gee Davy from AIM in the UK, and Mark Kitcatt from Popstock/Everlasting and Spanish association UFI, who is also the new chair of the worldwide network WIN. Dan Waite, CEO of Better Noise Music and chair of IMPALA’s Digital Committee is also here.

IMPALA is A2IM’s sister in Europe, representing over 6,000 members including top independent record labels and national associations and every year we send a postcard from Europe to IndieWeek.

Our main focus at the moment is building on the business case for the independent sector. This is important for the reasons set out in the new report by industry expert Dan Fowler (Powering an Independent and Culturally Diverse European Music Ecosystem) with recommendations for a competitive and diverse music ecosystem. Its executive summary is now available in 6 languages thanks to WIN.

We are making good progress on specific actions identified in the report such as finance and a well-functioning digital market. Starting with the need for a wider range of financing options, we are assessing the financial needs of independent music companies in Europe. Later this year, we’ll publish a report based on the results.

Also coming up is IMPALA’s new streaming reform plan, which has specific recommendations to digital services on one side, and to labels and distributors on the other side. The overall theme is growing the market through diversity and getting more revenue in and of course combating fraud, setting up AI standards, and fair renumeration. We also support members who are interested in experimenting with ethical AI licensing through Merlin‘s licences. 

In the meantime, check out our reports by Music Ally for members on maximising opportunities with each key digital service led by committee chair Dan Waite – Strategic Primers (supported by Merlin) as well as a new series by CMU Digital Forward (co-funded by the EU), with more to come this year.              

Our annual artist showcase programme, 100 Artists to Watch, in partnership with YouTube, is in its fifth year and is a great illustration of why diversity matters. The programme continues to highlight outstanding independent artists from over 30 European countries. Check out the playlist on YouTube, if you haven’t already!

To support emerging artists, we need a strong independent infrastructure. Balance between big and small businesses is important and frameworks should have a culture-specific approach, whether its AI, anti-trust, digital or finance. With so much narrative around music as an asset to extract value from as well as ongoing consolidation, it’s a real moment of opportunity for artist-first independent businesses, as long as we have the right market conditions. We saw how important this is in the USA as well right now, with the concerns raised recently in Hollywood.

This is also why we are urging all governments to draw up a business plan for culture with specific targets and concrete action points. Culture and diversity should be seen as societal, economic and geo-political priorities with particular needs and opportunities. Joined-up policy making on key areas like AI and digital markets will be easier to achieve if the positive aspects are emphasised and progress is tracked through a business plan.

Sustainability is also a priority for IMPALA, with our Carbon Calculator growing in reach year after year, helping labels measure their carbon footprint and reduce their impact. We thank Charlie Lexton and Merlin for supporting this work through the Weidenmüller Sustainability Fund in honour of Horst who many will remember for his leading work in digital, sustainability as well as inclusion. Already used by many labels for their US operations, we ran a pilot with A2IM last year. You can also check out climate investment facility Murmur and new industry guidelines on what you can do as a label to reduce your impact on vinyl and also digital emissions up to the point of delivery to DSPs, produced by Music Climate Pact‘s digital working group, where we are co-chair.

Equity, diversity and inclusion is another area where the independent sector is leading. Horst’s influence remains a driver here too, with a self-assessment tool similar to the carbon calculator now available. Businesses and associations can get personalised recommendations as well as online training and we will produce survey results for the whole sector. Please have a look and by all means fill in the survey if you are a European business. It only takes 2 minutes!

Check out our interview with Andrea Lacroix from !K7 on why this is important, as well as others in our new series Faces of the Independent Sector, part of our 25th anniversary year projects. What stands out is the freedom that independent ownership brings – being free to decide what’s important in the interest of the artists who entrust us with their art.

Thanks to the support we get as cultural network recognised by the EU, we can put the spotlight on these stories and scale up our digital work and advocacy. It’s great to be able to work with A2IM on many areas with an opportunity-led mindset. 

Feel free to reach out with any questions, thanks again to A2IM for hosting one of the highlights of the independent calendar!