BRUSSELS, Belgium (CelebrityAccess) — IMPALA, the European trade association for indie labels, joined the growing chorus of stakeholders calling on major music streaming industry such as Deezer, Spotify and Apple, to take positive steps to address the ‘value gaps’ in the market.
Citing its revised streaming plan released last May, IMPALA called on services such as TikTok to collaborate with the independent music community to achieve fair licensing terms to ensure content creators are fairly compensated.
IMPALA has also advocated for protections for creators from AI, which can be used to replicate artists and creators, which, they argue dilutes the value of the created art.
“TikTok and other ‘moment economy’ services are key partners. They play an important role in our music ecosystem and the licensing framework is clear, services need permission for the use of music, including soundalikes and AI adaptations. The new AI framework in Europe also helps set human-centered guide rails in this regard,” said IMPALA’s Executive Chair Helen Smith.
“TikTok is at a pivotal moment in terms of renewing their licensing deals where they can show that they value music fairly on their platform. It’s a use of music that needs to be remunerated like any other. The question of promotion isn’t relevant. We wish to see independent labels, rightsholders and artists receive fair pay for usage, and to have terms just as favorable as the largest majors renew their licenses on. Working together to better remunerate labels and artists across the whole industry is key. We urge TikTok and other services to respect this principle across the board,” added Dan Waite, chair of IMPALA’s digital committee and CEO of Better Noise Music.
Another priority of IMPALA’s reform proposals is addressing manipulation and revenue dilution, and IMPALA urges streamers to weigh any changes in how revenue is allocated to be properly assessed by services in terms of the impact they create over the whole market.
“IMPALA’s work is vital for Europe’s music economy. Independents account for over 80% of the sectors’ new releases and jobs, providing stable and exciting opportunities for artists, fans and music employees across Europe. This was also reconfirmed at IMPALA’s AGM last year, including the elimination of value gaps, and developing the digital market in all territories with great talent, huge audiences and untapped digital potential, such as in Central and Eastern Europe,” Smith concluded.
