Brussels, 30th August 2018

Today sees the launch of the #EuropeForCreators campaign in support of a fair and sustainable internet for creators, ahead of a new vote in the European Parliament on copyright.

IMPALA’s Executive Chair Helen Smith commented: “Copyright reform is a fundamental part of Europe’s bid to see more balance in the online world. Unfortunately, the debate so far has been used to drive a false divide between creators and citizens. Now it is time for creators across different sectors to unite and reclaim the narrative”.

IMPALA believes that freedom and fairness should be the guidelines of the reform, enshrining the fundamental rights of both citizens and creators.

Independent music companies and their artists embrace the fact that creators and citizens enjoy a unique relationship online. They support rewriting certain rules of engagement online because some large platforms claim that responsibility lies only with the user and the owner of the content.

The impact of this is huge and intervention is needed to ensure creators are able to earn a decent living, and citizens can continue to enjoy art. The campaign highlights this, as well as the need to balance the power of big tech companies. One of our key messages is: “We are Europe for Creators. We represent some 12 million jobs across the European cultural and creative sectors. We are people, not bots.”

Helen Smith concluded: “We look to each parliamentarian and political group to show strength and leadership, and take a stance for creators. This is about putting people first and ensuring Europe’s democratic processes are respected.”

Anyone who wants to support the campaign should visit the dedicated website www.europeforcreators.eu, follow the twitter account @EUForCreators and use the hashtag #EuropeForCreators. 

IMPALA supports campaigns that highlight the importance of the Copyright Directive and the need to close the value gap. As such, both the #EuropeForCreators and #EuropeForCreativity campaigns, one representing creators foremost, and the other the sector as such, have our full support.

This week also saw the launch of two national music campaigns #LoveMusic in the UK (website) and #saveoursound (website) in Germany. 

About IMPALA

IMPALA was established in April 2000 to represent European independent music companies. 99% of Europe’s music companies are SMEs. Known as the “independents”, they are world leaders in terms of innovation and discovering new music and artists – they produce more than 80% of all new releases and account for 80% of the sector’s jobs (for more information, see the features of independents). IMPALA’s mission is to grow the independent music sector, return more value to artists, promote cultural diversity and entrepreneurship, improve political access and modernise perceptions of the music sector. See the organisation’s key achievements in IMPALA’s milestones.