The IMPF Network Project

A Creative Europe Programme

IMPF is the recipient of a Creative Europe grant to build capacity of independent music publishers. This IMPF network project will run for three years and is co-funded by the European Union. The project aims to empower in the first instance, independent European publishers, but with benefits for all IMPF members globally.

The project runs from 1st March 2022 to 1st March 2025.

Planned Activities

Governance – Work Package 1

This includes all key aspects of the implementation of the EU project, from planning, internal communications, materials, the organisation and dissemination of Open Calls, evaluation, reporting, and other management tasks.

Regarding the implementation of actions directly managed by IMPF, continuous communications between the Network Project staff and IMPF’s members will be a priority, so as to ensure that the relevant actions, such as the data collection and advocacy work, will always reflect the members’ ongoing needs throughout the project.

This Work Package will be carried out by a senior management team throughout the full 36 months of the project, complementing all other WPs and their activities.  See more details here.

Events – Work Package 2

Each year, IMPF members will be invited to organise a networking event in an EU Member State so as to raise awareness of the full scope and importance on music publishing itself, while targeting a significant number of professionals from the music sector that can meet, exchange and network. The events will also aim to foster new talent by highlighting new emerging artists.

Holding these events in different European countries will ensure that all IMPF members as well as those in acceding countries and European Neighbourhoods, can come and meet the IMPF community while sharing best practices and innovation news.

IMPF members in countries that participate in Creative Europe will be invited to submit proposals through Open Calls with evaluation and selection by the following with the same calendar being followed in the subsequent two years of the project.  You will find more details here.

Development Grants – Work Package 3

Each year, IMPF will award a number of  grants to IMPF members to assist with financing to engage in cross-border activities, such as attending conferences, cross-border songwriting sessions and residencies, and organising capacity building workshops. Such a mechanism has never been available to European music publishers before and will be a valuable tool to build capacity in the sector.

The fundamental objectives of this activity are not only to finance new creative projects and emerging artists, but also to assist European independent music publishers as they face the financial losses arising from the pandemic.  IMPF will also address the gap in cross-border promotion, representation, and A&R for smaller publishing companies across Europe.

The artists/creators involved in the projects must be emerging artists, and from the various Music Publisher International Development projects each year, at least 10 must include emerging artists, and some of the International Development projects may be exclusively aimed for music publishing staff.  IMPF will work with ECSA in maximising the domino effect of this element of the Project.

The Open Calls will be written in such a way as to encourage a strong focus on the environment, and IMPF will strive to achieve a gender balance of participants.  See more details on WP3 to date here.

 

Training and Digital Transition – Work Package 4

Focusing on members’ training in digitalisation and innovation, with the key objective of allowing IMPF members to acquire the skills and software necessary for streamlined, modern work processes and operations. It is the central ‘knowledge transfer’ aspect of the project, and it aims to allow smaller companies, no matter what market they are based in, to compete globally with a complete set of all the administrative and creative tools required to reach the market on a par with bigger multinational companies.  The two main elements are:

  • The organisation of four webinars each year, free for all IMPF members, on topics such as APIs, data analysis etc. to encourage innovation. These webinars will be recorded and made available to all IMPF members with permissions.
  • The project will fund software and services to assist members with the digital transition in their operations. IMPF members will be able to gain access to innovative software, such as AI-powered tagging and playlisting software and royalty accounting services, at a discounted rate.

See more details here.

Technology and Data Collection – Work Package 5

This work includes all activities carried out by the IMPF project team pertaining to data collection and analysis, as well as research-related activities. The Network will acquire the tools required to inform members on usage, ensuring that our sector has the data it needs to guide its actions most effectively.

The IMPF Network will identify on an annual basis what the best data sources are to monitor European works usage. The Network will contract services in digital usage, playlisting, radio monitoring and other usages of European repertoire, with the data being processed by the IMPF team and made freely available in the most useful form for all IMPF Network members.

The data collection team will also focus on new trends and the effective internationalisation of European works beyond Europe, leading to positive trends in European export.

By aiming to streamline data analysis operations at IMPF, rather than having multiple data transfer lines between the platforms and our members, both financial and environmental costs will be reduced.

This work commenced in March 2022 and will continue for the duration of the project.  See more details here.

Advocacy – Work Package 6

IMPF works with its members across the world on intellectual property and copyright advocacy, government and institutional relations and outreach to collective management organisations at a global and national level. IMPF addresses the many current industry challenges we face and provides support to its publisher members both directly and via its coalition partners, to identify laws and policies which need adaptation to ensure a better environment for music and those who live from it to prosper. IMPF influences global laws and policies through strategic initiatives, linked directly to our local and national members.  This work is a cornerstone of the project, involving all the advocacy work of IMPF, as well as research and reporting on key topics. The independent music publishing industry faces several disadvantages, with dramatic changes in the music industry (particularly the advent of digitally delivered music) leading to a reduction in revenue for writers, artists, and publishers. This work aims to ensure that independent publishers are heard by all lawmakers in order to produce lasting change.

Due to the European scope of the Network Project, the focus of the advocacy will be on the issues and challenges currently facing the EU music publishing sphere,  such as the payments to publishers and songwriters relative to label; buy-outs; credits due, etc. The advocacy, although primarily focused on European affairs, will have a positive effect on the music publishing industry across the world due to the global influence of the Brussels’ legislative agenda and the interdependent nature of music publishing.

Through this work, the IMPF team will strive to create a fairer environment for the independent music publishing community. To achieve this, IMPF will pursue a realistic, macro-regional approach, threading a line between promoting opportunities and mitigating the worst aspects of those who seek to undervalue and underpay our writers, composers and publishers.  See more details here.

Communications – Work Package 7

This work package includes all the communication and dissemination activities of the IMPF Network project. It aims to spread the word about the project to the entire music publishing community.

Meetings with the project team and external PR consultants are being held on a bi-monthly basis, to ensure that all the activities of the project are effectively communicated to both the wider music publishing community, through press releases and social media, and to IMPF members ensuring that stakeholder engagement is fully achieved, and all members are aware of the opportunities provided by the Network Project and have every opportunity to actively participate.  See more details here.

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