DIGITAL FORWARD: 28TH JANUARY – DIGITAL MARKETING FOR INDEPENDENT RECORD LABELS: THE IMPORTANCE OF ON-PLATFORM STRATEGIES

Join the next Digital Forward webinar from CMU and IMPALA where we will explore how independent labels can leverage streaming platform tools to market releases.
WIN ELECTS NEW BOARD, APPOINTS NEW CHAIR AND VICE CHAIRS IN 20th ANNIVERSARY YEAR

Worldwide Independent Network (WIN), the international network that brings together the global independent music community, has appointed its new board of directors for 2026, with Mark Kitcatt, CEO of Everlasting Records (Spain), as its new chair.
MERLIN AND UDIO PARTNER TO ADVANCE AI FOR INDEPENDENT MUSIC

Merlin, the digital music licensing partner for the world’s leading independent labels and distributors, today announced a new landmark partnership with Udio, an AI-powered music creation platform.
IMPALA EDI ONLINE ROUNDTABLE WITH CHANGEMAKER MEWEM (FRANCE & GERMANY) ON LEADERSHIP & TALENT DEVELOPMENT ONLINE

The EDI taskforce is pleased to invite you to a one-hour online roundtable linked to the Changemaker Award 2025, with a focus on the work of this year’s winner, MEWEM (Germany and France).
OPEN LETTER FROM WIN TO EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER DOMBROVSKIS: “EUROPE AS A BEACON OF FAIR COMPETITION”

With just a few weeks until the European Commission’s final decision on the Universal/Downtown deal, WIN wrote to Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis to warn that the proposed remedies will not mitigate the grave risk that the merger poses to fair competition in the music market, and reiterate that the deal must be blocked outright.
EMERGING EUROPEAN TALENTS CELEBRATED AT MUSIC MOVES EUROPE AWARDS 2026

The winners of the Music Moves Europe Awards 2026, a prize supported by Creative Europe and celebrating emerging European artists who have reached audiences outside their own country, have been revealed.
TIME TO STAND UP FOR CULTURE – AHEAD OF KEYNOTE AT EUROSONIC, IMPALA SETS OUT CRUCIAL QUESTIONS ON UMG/DOWNTOWN, AI, SOVEREIGNTY AND MORE FOR EU & MUSIC SECTOR

Are diversity, identity, independence and sovereignty important in music? If yes, we as Europeans should strengthen the independent sector today, and not weaken it.
MERLIN ANNOUNCES ITS BOARD FOR 2026-27, WELCOMING FIVE NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Merlin, the digital music licensing partner for the world’s leading independent labels and distributors, kicks off 2026 by announcing its new Board, bringing together leaders from the independent music industry in 12 different countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and Oceania. The Merlin Board is elected from and by its membership, which represents tens of thousands of independent record labels, distributors, and rightsholders from around the world.
25 MOMENTS THAT DEFINED OUR 2025 — AS IMPALA MARKS 25 YEARS

This was a significant year for IMPALA, with a full year of projects delivered under our EU Network Programme and expanded engagement across both political and cultural spaces. From policy work to on-the-ground collaboration, these moments reflect the scope and impact of what we’ve built together over the past year and beyond.
IMPALA SHINES THE SPOTLIGHT ON MERLIN’S SHRINA PATEL AS IT KICKS OFF ‘FACES OF THE INDEPENDENT SECTOR’ STORYTELLING SERIES

As part of IMPALA’s Faces of the Independent Sector storytelling campaign celebrating our 25th anniversary, and co-funded by the European Union, we are pleased to publish the first interview in the series with Shrina Patel, Senior Director, Business & Legal Affairs at Merlin.