HERMES JOINS IMPALA AS GREECE’S OFFICIAL INDEPENDENT MUSIC COMPANIES ASSOCIATION
Athens, 10 June 2026
IMPALA is pleased to welcome HERMES (Hellenic Music Companies Association), the official association dedicated to representing Greece’s independent music companies as its newest association member.
The pre-launch of HERMES took place during a closed inaugural session held on 9 May at the Goethe-Institut during Athens Music Week, bringing together independent labels, music professionals, creators, collective management organisations and industry stakeholders from across the Greek music sector.
HERMES joins IMPALA as Greece’s independent music association, with the mission of giving independent music companies in Greece a stronger collective voice nationally and at European level. The association aims to support networking, professional development, education, and closer engagement with European institutions and music industry developments.
The launch event was attended online by IMPALA’s Rory Brown, alongside IMPALA board member and STOMP founder Kees van Weijen (HIT4US) as well as IMPALA and STOMP board member Luciano Winter (Stormi Capital) in person, underlining IMPALA’s priority of strengthening independent music representation across Southern and Eastern Europe.
(HERMES President and STAY INDEPENDENT COO & Head of Publishing, Manos Dedevesis presenting at Athens Music Week)
As a member of IMPALA, HERMES will also benefit from IMPALA’s new association capacity-building programme, co-funded by the European Union, aimed at strengthening newly founded independent music trade associations across Europe.
In his keynote address, HERMES President Manos Dedevesis described the launch as ‘opening a path’ for Greek independent music, emphasising the need for cooperation, transparency, education and dialogue within the sector.
Manos Dedevesis, HERMES President and STAY INDEPENDENT COO & Head of Publishing stated: “HERMES is founded on the belief that independent music in Greece deserves a stronger collective voice, greater access to knowledge, and meaningful representation both nationally and internationally. Our mission is to unite the Greek independent music community, encourage collaboration, support education and professional development, and create lasting opportunities for growth. Becoming part of IMPALA’s European network marks an important step in that journey, connecting Greek independents with the broader European ecosystem and ensuring that our market is informed, represented, and actively involved in shaping the future of music. For too long, Greek independents have worked in isolation. Today, we are opening the door to Europe and ensuring that Greece is part of the conversation, not watching it from the sidelines.”
Helen Smith, IMPALA Executive Chair said: “We are pleased to welcome HERMES to the IMPALA network. Greece has a vibrant and diverse independent music community, and a dedicated association is good news not just for Greece but for the sector across the whole of Europe. We look forward to working closely with HERMES in the years ahead.”
Dario Draštata, Chair of IMPALA, President of regional association RUNDA Adria and Executive Director of Dallas Records commented: “The launch of Hermes as Greece’s new association of independent record labels — and its entry into IMPALA — is an important step not only for the Greek market, but also for the wider SEE region and whole Europe. At a time when independent labels across Southeast Europe face major challenges around market concentration, streaming visibility, funding and cross-border growth, stronger regional cooperation and representation are essential to protect cultural diversity and build a more sustainable local music ecosystem.”
Kees Van Weijen, Founder of STOMP, Executive Board Member at IMPALA responsible for network development, added: “I am very happy with the new Greek IMPALA family member HERMES joining and strengthening the independent music companies in Greece. President Manos Dedevesis and its members are embarking on an important mission alongside our wider European network of independent music trade associations supporting the music sector across Europe.”
The association’s founding members currently include:
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.