Merlin, the global digital rights agency for the independent label sector, has today published results of its 2015 member survey.

IMPALA welcomes Apple’s confirmation earlier this week that it intends to address concerns over its terms for independent labels and its commitment to the independent music sector

With the EU’s Digital Assembly in Riga concluding, the independent music sector calls for a level playing field to promote Europe’s digital future.

Independent music companies welcomed the announcement yesterday by the European Commission that it will introduce a series of measures to improve Europe’s online environment.

Last night MEP Sabine Verheyen hosted IMPALA’s exchange with EU officials and the owner-managers of key independent labels from all over Europe.

Starting from robust copyright rules, Europe needs to forge a level playing field for smaller European actors who work everyday to deliver a diversified cultural offer in the digital market.

“Our Love”, by Canadian artist Daniel Victor « Dan » Snaith, also known as CARIBOU, has won the annual European music prize organised by IMPALA for the best independent album in Europe.

With 2014 an exceptional year for independent music, IMPALA has now revealed its shortlist of nominees for the fifth edition of the IMPALA Album of the Year Award.

Independent music companies launched a unique Digital Action Plan today, calling for a new European industrial policy to drive the digital market through the cultural and creative sectors, which account for 4,2% of EU GDP and 7.1 million EU jobs.

A new study published by EY (formerly Ernst & Young) and presented today to Commissioner Oettinger, Commissioner Navracsics and Vice-President Ansip shows that cultural and creative industries (CCIs) are among the EU’s biggest employers and have experienced sustained growth even through recession.

IMPALA welcomes the news that YouTube’s new subscription service, Music Key will include a comprehensive offering of independent labels and their artists, following the reports that the service has struck an agreement with Merlin, the global rights organisation for the independent sector, whose membership includes many IMPALA members.

The latest IMPALA Sales Awards announcement is the biggest ever, with no less than 142 registrations or awards upgrades from independent artists including Arctic Monkeys (UK), Moderat (Germany), M83 (France), Racoon (Netherlands), Tarja (Finland), Fazil Say (Turkey), Melanie De Biasio (Belgium) and Civil War (Sweden)…

“Europe needs a societal paradigm shift – in fact, nothing short of a ‘New Renaissance’”. This is part of the New Narrative for Europe, as set out in the Declaration “The Mind and Body of Europe” drafted by the project’s cultural committee.

Cultural and creative industries are ready for a new Europe

On behalf of hundreds of thousands of authors, performers, producers, publishers and distributors of musical, audiovisual, new media, literary, professional content and visual art works, we would first like to congratulate you on your election as President of the European Commission.

Merlin, the global rights agency for the independent label sector, and Pandora (NYSE:P), the leading internet radio service, today announced a comprehensive partnership designed to help independent labels and artists grow the audiences they reach and the royalties they receive.

The Worldwide Independent Network (WIN), the organisation that represents the interests of the global independent music community, has announced a major new initiative, ‘The Fair Digital Deals Declaration,’ which will be launched with a Worldwide Declaration Signing Day on July 16th.

Amidst ongoing concerns about the conduct of YouTube towards the independent label community, IMPALA the independents’ organisation based in Brussels, confirmed today that the formal process in Brussels has now started, with a detailed complaint lodged with the European Commission earlier this week.

The Worldwide Independent Network (WIN), the organisation that represents the interests of the global independent music community, has issued a new statement further questioning the actions of YouTube as the Google owned company presses ahead with plans to block and “cull” the content of independent labels that do not sign up to a new music streaming agreement.

Last night in Madrid at UFI’s Independent Music Awards, Guadalupe Plata won four awards: “Best Artist”, “Album of the Year”, “Best Live”, and “Best Photography”. They also played at the ceremony after receiving the European Album of the Year Award from IMPALA’s Executive Chair Helen Smith.

In Madrid last night, at the UFi awards ceremony for independent music, the Mario Pacheco Award for outstanding contribution to independent music in Spain went for the first time to two international organisations.

The ongoing dispute between The Worldwide Independent Network, (WIN), which represents the global independent music community, and YouTube has further escalated, with the Google-owned company refusing to withdraw its threats to labels unwilling to sign up to its new music streaming service on what WIN has previously called “highly unfavourable terms.”

IMPALA (Independent Music Companies Association) joins WIN (the Worldwide Independent Network) and the worldwide independent community in objecting to news that YouTube intends to block the content of members who do not sign a new music streaming agreement describing it as ‘unnecessary and indefensible’.

Cultural diversity is at the heart of what the EU is: a union of different cultures, different languages, different lifestyles. Culture is one of Europe’s main assets – a social asset through its inherent value, but also an economic asset through its contribution to jobs, growth and trade. The cultural and creative sectors are crucial to the European economy, producing faster than average growth and accounting for 4,5% of the EU’s GDP and 8,5 million jobs. They are also a key element of the EU’s soft power on the international stage.

Beggars Group Founder & Chairman Martin Mills speaking at the Canadian Music Week.

The European Competition Day event is a great opportunity to take stock of Europe’s competition policy. It gives policy makers and citizens food for thought as Europe enters a new critical stage where the digital market, led by music and other cultural sectors, will be the principal vector of economic and social power.

Spanish band Guadalupe Plata’s self-titled album has won the annual European ‘Mercury-style’ music prize organised by IMPALA for the best independent album in Europe.

In this interview originally published in Music Week, IMPALA met with Spanish record label Everlasting Records founder Mark Kitcatt to discuss Guadalupe Plata winning the IMPALA European Album of the Year award, what’s in store for Everlasting Records and what it is like to run an indie label in Spain nowadays.

Creativity Works! welcomes the closure today of the European Commission’s consultation on the review of EU copyright rules. Amongst the thousands of responses received by the Commission in recent weeks are those from industries within the creative sector representing thousands of companies and millions of creators and workers from across the EU, whose businesses and livelihoods depend upon copyright and its effective protection.

Following its successful launch three years ago, the IMPALA European Independent Album of the Year Award is back for its fourth edition.

Leading independent dance label Armada Music and its founder DJ Armin van Buuren honoured by IMPALA Outstanding Contribution Award

Merlin’s CEO Charles Caldas on Indies, Streaming and the Market Share Issue (Op-Ed)

With four weeks to go until Europe closes a public consultation on the relationship between copyright and the digital age, independent music companies call on everyone involved with music to make their voice heard.

Cultural and creative organisations, grouped under the ‘Creativity Works!’ banner, welcome the publication today of an EU study1 that shows that citizens view intellectual property and its social and economic contribution positively.

Merlin, the global rights agency for the independent label sector, has announced the results of its biennial board election.
The vote attracted the highest ever number of candidates, with Merlin members determining the make-up of the 15-seat board.

Hypothetically, digital music fans should currently be living through a golden era. But short-sighted interests could be leading us into a dysfunctional new era of the music business instead.

Like-minded organisations, federations and associations from the European cultural and creative sectors have formed a coalition: Creativity Works!.

Merlin, the global rights agency for the independent label sector, has hired former Warner Music Group executive Roger Gold.

The cultural and creative sectors welcome the first official European study1 highlighting the central role of Europe’s IP-intensive industries as drivers of innovation, growth and jobs. This was carried out by the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) and the European Patent Office (EPO) and presented today in Brussels.

Jean Michel Jarre, President of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), came to Brussels to draw attention to the adverse impact the draft amendment of Belgian copyright law will have on artists.

Platform welcomes European Parliament report ‘Promoting the European cultural and creative sectors as sources of economic growth and jobs’, adopted today, and calls on European Commission and Member States to deliver.

IMPALA held its annual general meeting this weekend, in the midst of Berlin Music Week, electing 24 members to its Board for the next two years. The AGM was hosted by VUT at its inaugural ‘VUT Indie Days’.

IMPALA presented German electronic music duo Modeselektor with a Double Silver Award at this year’s Berlin Music Week. The award recognises sales of over 40,000 for the group’s third album, Monkeytown.

The Nielsen Music/IMPALA radio charts for the second quarter of 2013 have been published, showcasing the diversity of independent music in Europe.

As a final political trilogue on the 2014-2020 multi-annual financial framework is due to take place on Tuesday 18 June, the European Platfom on the potential of Cultural and Creative Industries renews its call on policy-makers to allocate an adequate budget for the Creative Europe programme.

Merlin turns five this year, and has plenty to celebrate. The global rights agency’s ongoing success has seen it continue to attract a steady stream of new members, who now embody 20,000 independent labels, with a catalogue of three million tracks, from 35 countries.

European Ministers discussed online content in the digital age at today’s EU Competitiveness Council. This meeting comes at a time when politicians must think carefully about how to strike a balance between creativity, quality content, consumer demand and technology.

Marking its fifth anniversary of operation, Merlin, the global rights agency for the independent record sector, has published results of a member survey that declare streaming a serious business.

The new official independent airplay charts for Europe by Nielsen/IMPALA for the first quarter of 2013 are out, showcasing independent music in Europe. The Top 20 features Saule (ft Charlie Winston) and Baauer, as well as household names such as Adele, Cro and C2C.

Earlier today the European Commission gave its regulatory approval of the sale of the Parlophone Group (PLG) to Warner Music Group (WMG).

UPFI (Union des Producteurs Phonographiques Français Indépendants) released the following press statement on the Lescure report: UPFI welcomes the voluntary and ambitious nature of the measures regarding cultural industries but expresses concerns about the direction of some proposals on the music industry.

Charles Caldas, CEO of MERLIN (www.merlinnetwork.org) is the latest winner of the IMPALA Outstanding Contribution Award. He joins prestigious recipients such as Martin Mills and Mario Pacheco on the winners’ list of IMPALA’s annual award, which recognises the unrivaled efforts of an individual or organisation to promote and develop European independent music and the sector’s diversity.

Coexist, the second album by London outfit The xx has won the IMPALA prize for the best independent album in Europe.

As part of their remit to strengthen the independents, IMPALA and Merlin confirmed today that they have struck a landmark agreement with Warner Music Group.

This month Nielsen Music and IMPALA release two charts, with the overall Top 30 for 2012, and the last quarter charts highlighting the best climbers and new entries. Showcasing independent music, they feature acts from all over Europe such as Michel Telo, Youssoupha, Jose de Rico, Two Door Cinema Club, Alesso, DJ Fresh and of course Adele.

With the announcement of Warner Music’s successful bid for the Parlophone group, IMPALA sees the news as a step towards tackling the duopolisation of the music market by the two market leaders Universal and Sony.

Independent music companies call on policymakers to make EU ‘fit for copyright in the digital age’

Ahead of the 7-8 February Special Summit on the EU’s Multi-Annual Financial Framework, the European Platform on the potential of Cultural and Creative Industries (‘The Platform’) – a group of more than 40 organisations representing a wide range of cultural and creative sectors – calls on EU Member States to adopt a strong budget for ‘Creative Europe’, the 2014-2020 programme for the cultural and creative sectors.

Who paid more tax in the UK than Apple, Facebook, Google and Amazon combined?

As EU leaders meet in Brussels next week to discuss the future of the EU budget, the European Music Office and IMPALA (the Independent Music Companies Association) team up to advocate for a stronger EU support for cultural and creative industries.

Cannes, 29 January 2013 – Today at Midem, the European Commission and its investment fund (EIF) discussed a proposal for a new loan guarantee scheme with independent music companies.