A2IM appoints Ian Harrison as its new CEO, effective October 1. Harrison succeeds Dr. Richard James Burgess as the organization’s chief executive.

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has announced that Ian Harrison has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer, effective this Wednesday, October 1. Harrison succeeds Dr. Richard James Burgess, who will step down at the end of this year following a decade of impactful advocacy for the independent music industry.

A2IM (The American Association of Independent Music, Inc.), a non-profit trade association representing the independent label industry, has announced its 2025–2026 Board of Directors, as well as its new Executive Committee and Advisory Board members.

The Executive Committee will be led by Chair Nabil Ayers, President of Beggars Group; Glen Barros, Managing Partner of Exceleration Music, as Treasurer; and Hays Rudolph, General Counsel and VP of Business & Legal Affairs at Secretly Group, as Secretary.

Vinyl Group, the only music-focused company listed on the ASX, has secured a $1.5 million revolving line of credit agreement with Songtradr.

Announced Monday, June 30th, Vinyl Group enters into a binding term sheet for a 24-month agreement with Songtradr on arms-length commercial terms.

The Weidenmüller Sustainability Fund is named for late !K7 founder Horst Weidenmüller, a sustainability leader in the indie sector.

After five years, Victory Pool has fully come into its own.

Formed just before the pandemic, the Toronto-based label launched its first release (Marlaena Moore's Pay Attention, Be Amazed!) just as lockdowns began in 2020. Even as the industry ground to a halt around them, the label thrived — and now, five years later, and with JUNO and Polaris nominations under its belt, Victory Pool is continuing to build momentum.

Drew Hill has announced that Proper Music Distribution will be acquired by Artone, the Dutch physical music specialists, in a triumph for the future of independent physical music in the UK

Riot grrrl eccentric HARU NEMURI has announced her shift to independence, establishing her own self-managed label, ekkolaptόmenos. The news was shared during her free solo performance, ‘Hitoride Nererumon! vol.9’, held at KICHIJOJI SHUFFLE in Tokyo on January 10th, which also happened to be her birthday.

Several more players in the independent music community have called on regulators to block the acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings by Universal Music Group (UMG) announced this week, arguing the deal “would seriously distort the global music market” and “reduce competition and the independents’ bargaining power.”

Virgin Music Group, which is owned by UMG, announced Monday (Dec. 16) that it had agreed to buy Downtown Music Holdings for $775 million in a deal that would beef up the music giant’s market share by absorbing Downtown’s stable of indie distributors, publishing and rights administrators including FUGA, CB Baby, AdRev and Songtrust. The deal came just two months after UMG acquired the remaining shares of indie label group [PIAS], including its services division, Integral — an agreement that was similarly criticized by indie trade groups, who have asked regulators to launch an investigation into the pact.

Following the announcement that UMG-owned Virgin Group has struck a deal to buy Downtown, the European independent trade association IMPALA raises concerns about concentration and reducing independent routes to market. The move is hot on the heels of UMG acquiring control of [PIAS], another significant independent in both recording and distribution, again raising serious competition issues.

Helen Smith, Executive Chair IMPALA, commented: “This is another land grab. We expect competition authorities in key jurisdictions to carry out thorough investigations and block these deals. The time has come for cutting UMG’s market position back to what was already set. This is a huge market share grab by UMG and seriously reduces independent routes to the market. We look to the new European Commission to set the standard internationally.”

Presented as collaborative, the move is part of a clear commercial strategy to target independent distribution to gain market share and control. Having already bought [PIAS], this is now the digital equivalent, accounting for a significant portion of the independent sector’s delivery to digital services.

Martin Mills, founder of Beggars Group added: “The cynical use of the Virgin brand, once synonymous with independent entrepreneurship, should not hide the fact that this is about utter dominance and control. Paradoxically UMG’s artist centric stance means it has already disenfranchised millions of artists whose rights they are now acquiring. This is another step on the road of UMG’s pretence to be the independents fairy godmother. But there’s a wolf under that cape.”

David Glasebrook produces music for Royal Oakie Records, the independent label he started 12 years ago. “There’s a million ways to make a record, and they’re all worth trying,” he said, speaking from his Garden Shed Studio in Oakland. He runs the operation with the help of a small, dedicated team. He also frequently produces albums for freelance clients.

“Often sessions will start with the full band doing what we call ‘basic tracking,’ where you capture either all of the band, or at least the rhythm section, playing live,” Glasebrook said. “Then there’s the overdub sessions, where you layer lead vocals, guitars, keyboards, strings and other instruments that are best recorded in isolation, one at a time.

To mark the organization’s 20th anniversary, the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) announced the 2025 honorees for its Rising 20: Indie Music Leaders program.

The list, compiled annually, recognizes the top rising talent who are shaping the future of the independent music sector, across recorded music, publishing, brand and sponsorship, and distribution.

Top executives from Billboard's Indie Power Players list and beyond weigh in on what moves the needle for artists in such a competitive landscape.

US independent music company Exceleration Music has entered into an agreement to acquire Cooking Vinyl.

Formed in 1986, Cooking Vinyl is a well-established and successful UK indie with a run of chart results. It will now become part of the American company which combines distribution, investment and label support services. Exceleration’s global, full-service model includes ownership of distribution company Redeye Worldwide.

Talent agent and Sound Talent Group (STG) owner Dave Shapiro, 42, was among those killed in a fiery plane crash in San Diego, Calif., in the early morning on Thursday (May 22), according to a statement from his agency.

“We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends,” said a spokesperson for Sound Talent Group. “Our hearts go out to their families and to everyone impacted by today’s tragedy. Thank you so much for respecting their privacy at this time.”

A2IM Board of Directors’ terms run for three years. Each board seat is term limited to one, full three-year term. Any board member, and member company, serving a full three-year term must sit out one year at the conclusion of their term before being eligible to run for election again.

Waxahatchee, MJ Lenderman and Jessica Pratt lead the nominees for the 2025 Libera Awards, presented by Merlin and announced today by the Foundation for Independent Music and the American Association of Independent Music. This 14th annual awards ceremony, which features 28 categories honoring the best in independent music, will take place on Monday, June 9 at Gotham Hall in New York City. Tickets on sale here.

Indie label trade groups have again aired their concerns about Universal Music’s market dominance in the wake of yet another acquisition by the major. They add that Universal uses that dominance to force streaming services to change their payment policies in a way that disadvantages many indies

As part of its succession planning, the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has initiated a search for a new leader to head the organization, which represents more than 750 member companies across the U.S.

Founded in 2005 in response to the digital transformation of the music industry, A2IM aims to promote economic fairness and market equality, while serving as an advocacy platform for the diverse and unified independent sector.

Under the leadership of Dr. Richard James Burgess, A2IM has experienced significant growth over the past 20 years, reaching numerous key milestones that have strengthened its role as a leading advocate for the independent music sector. Burgess recently announced that he is stepping down as President and CEO of the organization in 2026.

While indie is now an umbrella term for an entire genre and can be used as a prefix or suffix for any manner of word that describes a moment in culture – indie-sleaze and landfill-indie being my favourites – it’s actually meant to signify whether or not a record is independent. An independent record can be defined as something released without the structure, funding, or control of a majorly owned label.

A message from our CEO, Jorge Brea:
Dear Symphonic Family,

As 2024 draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on a year shaped by both challenges and triumphs. In these moments, the strength of our beloved community of music lovers, creatives, industry veterans, and everyone in between has never been more evident. Together, we’ve shown that resilience isn’t just about bouncing back—it’s about rising higher, growing bolder, and shaping a brighter future through every twist and turn.

The independent music sector has called on competition regulators to investigate and block Universal’s Downtown Music deal, which is a “huge market share” grab according to IMPALA’s Helen Smith and part of the major’s bid for “utter dominance and control” according to Beggars boss Martin Mills