ON EARTH DAY, CÉLINE LEPAGE, GENERAL MANAGER OF FÉLIN, DISCUSSES SUSTAINABLE RECORD RECYCLING OPPORTUNITIES AND PLANS TO STRENGTHEN THE VISIBILITY OF INDEPENDENT ARTISTS IN THE LATEST EDITION OF IMPALA’S ‘FACES OF THE INDEPENDENT SECTOR’ STORYTELLING SERIES
Brussels, 22 April 2026
As part of IMPALA’s Faces of the Independent Sector storytelling series, co-funded by the European Union, and celebrating our 25th anniversary, we are publishing the fifth interview in the series with Céline Lepage, general manager of FÉLIN, the French federation of independent labels and distributors, and team member of Born Bad Records.
In the interview, Céline shares how she started out delivering records by scooter in Paris, discusses discoverability challenges and solutions, and explains how independent players can lead the way in the ecological transition.
Coinciding with Earth Day, with this year’s theme being, Our power, Our planet, Céline highlights FÉLIN’s ReDisco project, a record (CDs and vinyl) recycling initiative that acts to protect the planet while rethinking how the music industry manages its inventory. The project has already recycled 1.2 million records. Learn more about how to get involved here.
- What do you do in the music sector?
“I am the General Manager of FÉLIN, the French federation of independent labels and distributors. I support independent music professionals on a daily basis with their economic, regulatory and development challenges. I am also part of Born Bad Records’ team and occasionally collaborate with several independent labels such as Cracki Records and Heavenly Sweetness.”
- How did you start working in the music sector?
“I started with a summer job at the Tour de France à la Voile, where a band from the Tricatel label performed every evening. That experience was a turning point. After finishing my studies, I joined Tricatel in a very hands-on role that allowed me to explore all aspects of an independent label: production, promotion, and even distribution — delivering records myself to independent record stores in Paris on my scooter.”
- What does being independent mean to you?
“Being independent is all about artistic commitment: supporting projects that truly resonate with us, beyond their commercial potential. It also means choosing to operate within a demanding ecosystem, where risk-taking and uncertainty are part of the journey.”
- What are the biggest opportunities for the independent sector today?
“Independent players have a unique ability to bring audiences towards greater musical diversity, offering alternatives to the mainstream. They can also lead the way in the ecological transition, by experimenting with new models like revinyl and engaging both artists and audiences around these issues.”
- What are the biggest challenges for the independent sector today?
“There are many challenges. The main one is discoverability: how can our artists stand out in an environment saturated with new releases on streaming platforms? At the same time, the rapid rise of AI-generated music raises issues around regulation, transparency, and the recognition of human-created works.”
- What change would you like to see in the music industry?
“A major shift would be the adoption of a user-centric payment model on streaming platforms. This would better connect fan engagement with artist remuneration and create a fairer system, particularly beneficial for independent players.”
- What tips would you give to others starting out in the independent sector?
“Build connections and don’t stay isolated: collectives are a real strength in the independent sector. Stay curious and versatile, as you learn by doing. And above all, trust your artistic intuition, while keeping a clear understanding of the economic realities.”
- Describe the independent sector in one word.
“Resilient.”
- What are the key projects or priorities you will be working on over the next 12 months that you would like to highlight?
“Two major projects will be at the core of our work. First, ReDisco, a record recycling initiative we are developing at a national scale, with an extension towards public collection and the rollout of a digital platform to structure the ecosystem. The goal is to establish a new standard, “revinyl”, that is both more sustainable and more accessible.
Second, Metamusique France, a tool dedicated to the discoverability of music in the digital and AI era, inspired by the Québec model and built on a shared, cross-sector governance. Its aim is to improve the quality and circulation of metadata in order to better showcase musical diversity and strengthen the visibility of independent artists.
More broadly, FÉLIN is highly engaged in addressing the challenges of generative AI, through advocacy work and dedicated working groups that foster rich discussions among professionals and help shape collective positions.”
- What’s on your playlist?
- Arthur Satan – A Cold Morning
- Frànçois & The Atlas Mountains, Thomas de Pourquery – Adorer
- Matt Elliot – What’s Wrong
- Léonie Pernet – Réparer le monde
- Piers Faccini, Ballaké Sissoko – If Nothing is Real
- Shannon Wright – The Hits
- Celia Wa – OLA
- Troy Von Balthazar – Hammertime
- Ludivine Issambourg – Angel Dust
- Uzi Freyja – Don’t Disturb Me
- … and many more
Listen to Céline’s full playlist on Deezer and Spotify.
Check out previous editions of the series with Merlin’s Shrina Patel, ANMIP’s Kristiyana Georgieva, Glitch Records’ Pavle Eftimovski and STOMP’s Luciano Winter.
About Faces of the Independent Sector
As part of IMPALA’s 25th anniversary, the Faces of the Independent Sector spotlights the creativity and the diversity of the European independent music companies and shares the stories from the perspectives of owners, employees, and other key players. By highlighting their successes, struggles, and day-to-day realities, the campaign reveals the sector’s leaders and the stories that make it thrive. This project is co-funded by the European Union.
About IMPALA
IMPALA was established in 2000 and now represents over 6000 independent music companies in Europe. 99% of Europe’s music companies are small, micro and medium businesses and self-releasing artists. 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. IMPALA’s mission is to grow the independent music sector sustainably, return more value to artists, promote diversity and entrepreneurship, improve political access, inspire change, and increase access to finance. IMPALA works on a range of key issues for its members and started a new co-funded work programme as an EU cultural network in 2025. IMPALA runs various award schemes and has a programme aimed at businesses who want to develop a strategic relationship with the European independent sector – Friends of IMPALA. This year we are celebrating our 25th anniversary with a series of interviews Faces of the Independent Sector and other features, see more here.
