LJUBLJANA, BRUSSELS (CelebrityAccess) – The Independent Music Publishers and Labels Association’s (IMPALA) Outstanding Contribution Award was dedicated to the late Tony Duckworth during the MENT Festival & Conference, recognizing his remarkable career in music and his dedication to network development in the Central and Eastern European region for independent music companies.
Duckworth joined Play it Again Sam (PIAS) in the 1990s, working at Vital Distribution in the UK, moving up to Sales & Marketing Director. In 2004, he moved to set up his own company in Poland while working as Head of Label Management at PIAS’s distro partner, Mystic. In 2015, he was pivotal in setting up PIAS’s Poland and Eastern Europe offices to expand their operation and reach in Europe. As General Manager (GM) of PIAS Poland and Eastern Europe, Duckworth was a driving force in developing the country’s successful and talented local artist roster and buidling international labels and artists’ presence in the region.
Duckworth was a key advocate of network development of indie record labels in the Central and Eastern European region. In 2018, he joined IMPALA at the MENT Festival and conference to interview Helen Smith as a keynote speaker when MENT also hosted the entire board of IMPALA for its board meeting.
Helen Smith, Executive Chair of IMPALA, reflected: “MENT was Tony’s favorite conference and so it’s the perfect occasion to recognize his outstanding contribution to independent music. Tony made an incredible impact with his inspiring vision and infectious energy. He had a wonderful gift to make people feel empowered and motivated. His passing is a great loss. We will always remember Tony’s genuine kindness, incredible passion for music and great sense of humor”.
IMPALA’s Outstanding Contribution Award is designed to spotlight European independent music, those who drive it, and initiatives that deserve particular recognition. Previous recipients include Didier Gosset, FONO, Kees Van Weijen, Keith Harris, Tom Deakin, Love Record Stores, Music Declares Emergency, Markus Tobiassen and newspaper Dagens Næringsliv, Jonas Sjöström (Playground Music Scandinavia), Plus 1 Refugees welcome!, Label Love, Eurosonic Noorderslag, Armada Music/Armin van Buuren, Martin Mills (Beggars Group), Charles Caldas (Merlin) and Mario Pacheco.
