The world of unbiased music is huge and broad.
For instance, Merlin says it represents the rights of over 30,000 indie labels globally.
In the meantime, Sony not too long ago confirmed that The Orchard alone distributes data on behalf of 26,000 indie labels, whereas AWAL (one other Sony firm) represents the rights of over 20,000 unbiased artists.
And, after all, roughly 100,000 tracks are actually uploaded every day on music streaming platforms – the overwhelming majority of them from unbiased ‘DIY’ artists.
You’ll be able to see why Kenny Gates final week argued that European commerce physique IMPALA — regardless of it claiming a membership of over 6,000, throughout indie labels and self-releasing artists — solely represents “a tiny fraction” of music’s worldwide unbiased sector.
Now, over 200 workers of those indie corporations have signed an open letter, distributed by IMPALA, addressed to Europe’s competitors watchdog.
It urges the EC to conduct a “deep investigation” into Common Music Group’s proposed acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings.
The letter’s signatories embody important illustration from two main indie music corporations: UK-headquartered Beggars Group and US-headquartered Secretly Group.
They embody 12 executives working for corporations owned or co-owned by Beggars/XL, together with 4AD, Eternal Data, Matador, Popstock, Tough Commerce, and Younger, plus XL Recordings and Beggars Group.
Eight extra executives have signed the letter from corporations owned/co-owned by Secretly Group, together with Useless Oceans, Numero Group, Jagjaguwar, Ghostly, Secretly Canadian, Secretly Distribution, Merge, and Secretly Group itself.
Cargo Impartial Distribution is an extra signatory. Based on current firm filings, Secretly Distribution (as BWSCD Inc.) owns 49% of Cargo Data UK (Ltd), with Beggars Group an extra minority shareholder.
Elsewhere, the letter’s signatories embody 30 individuals representing commerce our bodies which can be members of WIN (the Worldwide Impartial Community), which has publicly backed IMPALA’s stance on UMG/Downtown. (IMPALA itself is a WIN member.)
Additional signatories of the letter embody Charles Caldas, co-founder of Exceleration Music, which launched in 2021 with “substantial funding capital” to amass and roll up unbiased music corporations.
The most recent firm acquired by Exceleration – Cooking Vinyl – can also be on the IMPALA letter, courtesy of its founder, Martin Goldschmidt.
Different recently-acquired indies which have signed the letter embody !K7, which was purchased in April by the US-based Create Music Group.
Impartial distribution/providers firm Create was valued at USD $1 billion final 12 months, following funding from Chicago-HQ’d non-public fairness firm, Flexpoint Ford.
Extra well-known indies represented on the IMPALA letter embody Domino, Epitaph, Hopeless, Sub Pop, and Playground, who’re all members – alongside Beggars and Secretly – of the Group for Recorded Tradition and Arts (ORCA), a assume tank for premium indie labels.
(ORCA members not represented on the IMPALA letter embody Ninja Tune, Partisan Data, and As a result of Music.)
Elsewhere, the letter is signed by Blue Raincoat Music/Chrysalis Data, which is owned by the NASDAQ-traded Reservoir Media.
UMG’s Virgin Music Group revealed in December that it had agreed to purchase Downtown Music Holdings LLC in a $775 million deal.
The EC then revealed in April that it was making ready to examine the proposed deal.
The letter, addressed to Govt Vice-President Teresa Ribera on the European Fee, arrives two weeks earlier than the EC’s provisional July 22 deadline to make its determination in an preliminary Section 1 investigation into the proposed acquisition. A extra in-depth ‘Section 2’ investigation could observe.
You’ll be able to learn the letter in full beneath. [Note: XL Recordings is represented on the list by ‘Ben Beardsmore’ – this is presumably Ben Beardsworth, the company’s Managing Director.]
Govt Vice-President Teresa Ribera
European Fee
Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 200
1049 Brussels
Belgium
4 July 2025
Pricey Ms. Ribera,
We’re the founders and CEOs of main European and worldwide music corporations in addition to commerce associations. We usually write about music and tradition and at present we’re additionally reaching out about competitors.
On behalf of the unbiased music group, we’re writing to specific our critical issues concerning the proposed acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings LLC (“Downtown”) by Common Music Group N.V. (“UMG”), at present beneath investigation by the European Fee – Case M.11956.
The music trade within the EU is a cultural and financial success story, with recorded music income rising at 8.7% in 2023 and valued at €5.2 billion2. It’s residence to a few of the most recognisable names in music, alongside thriving unbiased companies.
However we will’t take this without any consideration. Whereas the EU’s music trade is certainly rising, this development is uneven and lags behind different world markets. On the identical time, modifications are being made to how streaming revenues are shared, over which the unbiased sector has no say. A stage taking part in discipline is important to assist a thriving music ecosystem that delivers advantages for the financial system, tradition and innovation.
Everybody has a job to play – from the largest music firm on the earth to the unbiased disruptive start-up uncovering new genres and sounds. However when acquisitions like this one happen and begin to tip the scales too far, we should act.
The proposed acquisition by UMG represents a critical threat to that stability. Throughout Europe, UMG already controls over 40% of the recorded music market – close to double the second greatest player3. By absorbing Downtown’s distribution, royalty accounting, and rights administration capabilities – providers utilized by hundreds of corporations and artists throughout the unbiased sector – UMG would additional entrench its already important market energy.
The deal would place a major chunk of important infrastructure beneath the management of the market chief. Many unbiased music companies are already tied to Downtown’s providers, that means that we must depend on our greatest competitor to attach our artists and their music to their followers.
That’s why it’s essential that the deal is reviewed by way of the lens of its “management share” over the digital markets financial system, in addition to the bodily market, not simply share by income.
This isn’t only a easy “funding” in one of many world’s most distinguished unbiased corporations; it’s about management.
The implications are profound. This consolidation would additional allow UMG to behave as a gatekeeper to a few of the sector’s finest providers, shaping which music is heard, promoted, and monetised. Such energy carries dangers not solely to the business fortunes of unbiased companies, however to the inventive breadth and variety of music itself.
A focus of this magnitude would cut the vary of voices, types, and cultures that attain the general public. It will give UMG additional energy to form digital providers, affect monetisation thresholds and extract extra, on the expense of the unbiased sector. That would cut back alternative for customers, stifle experimentation, and undermine Europe’s function as a vibrant incubator of musical and inventive expression. Followers will hear much less of the brand new and extra of the identical. Artists working outdoors the business mainstream will battle to seek out traction. And a once-thriving inventive financial system will start to stagnate.
This acquisition additionally gives a key aggressive benefit by permitting UMG to gather information from rivals utilizing its providers. This information is way reaching, from distribution data – together with artists and track tendencies, and efficiency on digital platforms – throughout to essential enterprise data corresponding to pricing, contractual phrases and strategic relationships. With the ability to entry all of this information would give UMG backdoor entry to different competing companies available in the market and strengthen its already advantageous place even additional.
Impartial music corporations play a significant function in selling music innovation, fostering range and defending tradition. To fulfil that function, we should have honest and non-discriminatory entry to one of the best infrastructure within the music financial system. And never be pressured into structural dependence on our greatest competitor who can also be shifting fee fashions on digital providers.
We subsequently urge the European Fee to open an in depth part two investigation to look at the deeper structural penalties of this transaction. The proposed acquisition poses a transparent menace to efficient competitors, innovation, and the expansion of the music trade throughout the EU and globally.
We should preserve music open.
- Ludovic Le Strat, President, 23.23
- Manuela Nikele, Common Supervisor, 375 Media GmbH
- Ed Horrox, Managing Director, 4AD
- Cecilia Crespo, Common Supervisor, A.S.I.Ar – Asociación de Sellos Independientes de Argentina
- Dr. Richard James Burgess MBE, President and CEO, A2IM – American Affiliation of Impartial Music
- Felippe Llerena, Director, ABMI – Associação Brasileira da Música Independente
- George Seay, Proprietor, Acrophase Data
- Petra Deka, Head of Publishing, ACT Music+Imaginative and prescient GmbH+CO.KG
- Magnus Bjerkert, CEO, Adrian Recordings
- Gee Davy, Chief Govt, AIM – Affiliation of Impartial Music
- Joe Clarke, Interim Chair, AIM Eire – Affiliation of Impartial Music Eire
- Maria Amato, CEO, AIR – Australian Impartial Report Labels Affiliation
- Toni Verona, President and Common Supervisor, Alabianca
- Sam Valenti, Co-CEO; CEO, All Flowers Group; Ghostly Intl
- Sergi Roig Torrubiano, Director – Chief Officer, Altercat data
- Cormac O’Halloran, Director, All the time The Sound
- Joana Negrão, , AMAEI – Associação de Músicos Artistas e Editoras Independentes
- Ruth Koleva, President, ANMIP-BG – Affiliation of Impartial Music Publishers and Producers in Bulgaria
- Andrzej Dąbrowski, Board Member, ANPM – Alians Niezależnych Producentów Muzycznych
- Boris Horvat, Director, Aquarius Data
- Sebastian Cowan, Proprietor, Arbutus Data
- Petra Reiter, Supervisor, Artist Manufacturing facility Music
- Stéphane Laick, Cofounder, AT(h)OME; FELIN – Fédération Nationale des Labels et Distributeurs Indépendants
- Pär Winberg, Proprietor, Atenzia Data
- Lars Leverenz, Head of Label, Audiolith
- Marco Rossi, Proprietor, Azzurra Music
- Johann Günther, Founder, Backlash Music
- Arne Thamer-Steinwärder, Co-Founder & CEO, Backseat PR & Labelservices
- Christoph Hallerberg, PR & Teaching, Backseat PR & Labelservices
- Sebastian Król, Founder, Backseat PR & Labelservices
- Mathieu Dassieu, CEO, Baco Music
- Karl Bader, CEO , Bader/Molden Recordings
- Kai Florian Becker, Founder – Label Supervisor, Barhill Data
- Katie Garcia, Founder, Bayonet Data
- Martin Mills, Chair, Beggars Group
- Paul Redding, CEO, Beggars Group
- Nils Kacirek, Musician, Bello Neon Data
- Dan Waite, CEO, Higher Noise
- Danny Akalepse, Proprietor & Musician, Large Crown Data
- Leon Michels, Proprietor; Musician & Producer, Large Crown Data; El Michels Affair
- Miguel Angel Sancho, Director, Blau Producciones
- Dietmar Hoscher, Founder, Blind Rope Data
- Jeremy Lascelles, CEO and Co-Founder, Blue Raincoat Music/ Chrysalis Data
- Hadi El Azzi, Chairman, BMYD – Bağımsız Müzik Yapımcıları Derneği
- Randy Melibajew, Managing Director, E-book of Uncooked GmbH
- Henrietta Bauer, CEO / Managing Director, Bretford Data / What Is Taking place? I Really feel It All over the place! GmbH
- Phil Hill, Proprietor & Founder, Cargo Impartial Distribution
- Dario Giovannini, Managing Director, Carosello Data
- Liza Bantegnie, Cofounder, Cartelle
- Anne-Laurence Chambon, Director, Carton Data; Maison Tempête
- Ester Petri, Managing Director, Carus-Verlag GmbH & Co. KG
- Jeff Bratton, Proprietor, Cascine
- Ben O’Connor, Label Supervisor, Chapter Music
- Man Blackman, Label Supervisor, Chapter Music
- Andrew Money, President and CEO, CIMA – Canadian Impartial Music Affiliation
- Christof Ellinghaus, Founder – CEO, Metropolis Slang
- Ian Ilavsky, Co-Proprietor, Constellation
- Martin Goldschmidt, Co-Founder and Chairman, Cooking Vinyl
- Jordi Freixa, Director, Cooperativa Montgri
- Alexander Gramlich, Founder, copaseDisques
- Robert Litsen, CEO, Cosmos Music
- Simon Platz, Managing Director, Dice Data Ltd
- Eduardo Jordão, Common Supervisor, CultManagement Lda.
- Bianca Eysenbrandt, Proprietor, Dackelton Data
- Dario Draštata, Govt Director, Dallas Data; RUNDA – Regional Affiliation of Impartial Discographers in Adria
- Javer Tomas Y Tio, Common Supervisor, Darlalata
- Phil Waldorf, Co-CEO, Useless Oceans
- Borja Torres, Music Supervisor, Discos Buenos
- Antonio Céspedes Pérez, Director Common, División Sonora Producciones
- Ricardo Fernández Arroyo, Communication Director, División Sonora Producciones
- Clare Whitlock, Director Business & Enterprise Affairs, Domino Recording Firm Ltd.
- Laurence Bell, CEO, Domino Recording Firm Ltd.
- Nigil Mack, CEO, drink sum wtr
- Verena Boessmann, Co-Proprietor, Dunstan Media
- Manuel Sanz, Director, Ecléctica Data/ Ecléctica Administration
- Dr. Sabine Meier, Managing Director, Version Roland Musikverlag GmbH
- Pierangelo Mauri, Founder, Edizioni ZYX Music; Web’s Work’s & Songs
- David Aguado, Director, El Tragaluz
- Denis Kappes, Co-owner, Eliterecords
- Dario Raimondi, Founder – Label Supervisor, Power Manufacturing
- Ines Collarte, Director, Entrebotones
- María Pellicer Lara, Director, Eo Música
- Roger Dorresteijn, Managing Director, Epitaph Europe
- Enrique Perea, A&R, Eternal Data
- Mark Kitcatt, Co-owner & chair, Eternal Data; Popstock
- Charles Caldas, Associate, Exceleration Music
- Patrick Tilg, Producer, Feberwolle
- Björn Mathes, Co-Founder / CEO, FerryHouse GmbH & Co. KG
- Adeline Ferrante, Publishing director, Fougue
- Marcus Herbert, Label Supervisor, From Lo-Fi to Disco!
- Silvana Battisti, Label Supervisor, From Lo-Fi to Disco!
- Serafino Perugino, Founder, Frontiers Data
- Ian Westley, Co-Proprietor, Full Time Pastime Music LTD
- Nigel Adams, Co-Proprietor, Full Time Pastime Music LTD
- Carl-Fredrik Häggqvist, CEO, Proprietor, Gazell Data AB
- Nenad Borovčak, CEO, Geenger Data
- Pavle Eftimovski, Managing Associate, Glitch Data
- Chris Eckman, CEO, Glitterbeat Data
- Alexander Waldron, Proprietor & CEO, Greco-Roman Ltd
- Simon Kessler, Director, Greenpiste Data
- Lenz Hein, Label Supervisor, Grönland
- Louise Sansom, Director, founder, Hidden Monitor Data
- Louis Posen, President, Hopeless Data
- Per Faeltenborg, CEO, Sizzling Stuff AB/Svenska Power Rekords & Publishing AB
- Aymeric Genty, CEO, I.O.T Data
- Stephen O’Malley, Label Proprietor, Ideologic Organ
- Francisca Sandoval, President, IMICHILE – Asociación Gremial Industria Musical Independiente de Chile
- Dylan Pellett, Common Supervisor, IMNZ – Impartial Music New Zealand
- Helen Smith, CEO, IMPALA – European affiliation of unbiased music corporations
- Katja Vauhkonen, Govt Director, Indieco – Suomen riippumattomien levy- ja tuotantoyhtiöiden yhdistys
- Anca Lupes, Govt Director, INDIERO – Asociatia a producatorilor si editorilor de muzica independenti din Romania
- Andreas Ryser, Founder, IndieSuisse – Affiliation of Swiss unbiased music labels and producers
- Alexandre Cazac, Inventive director, cofounder, InFiné
- Hannes Tschürtz, Founder & Managing Director, Ink Music
- Pedro Marques, Director, Invict Sound & Imaginative and prescient
- Darius Van Arman, Co-CEO, Jagjaguwar; Secretly Distribution
- David Morel, Director, Jarring Results
- Calvin Johnson, Founder, Okay Data
- Tom Nieuweboer, CEO, K7!
- Lio Cerezo, Proprietor / A&R, Kanine Data
- Tony Presley, Label Supervisor, Keeled Scales
- Rajk Barthel, Founder – Proprietor, Kick The Flame Publishing GmbH
- Gilles Dutrève, Director, La Granges à Sons
- Isabella Viertbauer, Founder, Label 4
- Peter Cronemeyer, Proprietor, Laika-Data
- Daryl Fidelak, Founder, Lampshade Media
- Andreas Jantsch, CEO & Founder, Las Vegas Data
- Helmut Heuer, Proprietor, Légère Recordings
- Tanja Michaelis, Founder – Managing Director, Made_in_Germany – music GmbH
- Robert Stieler, Proprietor – Managing Director, Main Label
- Zsolt Jeges, Founder, Mamazone Data; HAIL – Hungarian Affiliation of Impartial Labels
- Mats Hammerman, CEO, Massproduktion i Sundsvall AB
- Chris Lombardi, C-founder, Matador
- Gerard Cosloy, Co-founder, Matador
- Patrick Amory, Co-founder, Matador
- David Buder, Co-Founder & CEO, Matches Music
- Oliver von Felbert, Founder, A&R and label supervisor, Melting Pot Music GmbH
- Mac McCaughan, CEO, Merge Data
- Mik Christensen, Label Supervisor and Associate, Mermaid Data
- Jorge Otero, Director, Meseta Data
- Anders Mörén, Proprietor, Misty Music AB
- Adam Weisman, Musician, Combined Salad
- Walter Gröbchen, CEO, Monkey Music
- Marta Sampaio, Supervisor, Monster Jinx
- Miran Rusjan, Founder, Moonlee Data
- Theresa Langner-Schibranji, Founder, Morinoko
- Larry Bringsjord, CEO, Proprietor, MTG Music; FONO – Norwegian Affiliation for Impartial Report Labels
- Javier De Esteban, CEO, Music Adders
- Annalea Bertelsen, Board Member, Music For Goals
- Geert De Blaere, Founder – Proprietor, N.E.W.S. nv; BIMA – Belgian Impartial Music Affiliation
- Carol von Rautenkranz, Managing Associate, Napa Sounds GmbH
- Mario Limongelli, Founder, Nar Worldwide PMI – Produttori Musicali Indipendenti
- Neil Grant, Founder – Supervisor, Neil Grant Media & Promotion
- Bruno Cariou, Director, Neomme
- Elin Trogen, CEO, NONS Data
- Jon Madsen, Managing Director, Nordic Music Society
- Christian Pliefke, Founder, Nordic Notes / CPL-Musicgroup
- Derek Birkett, Director, One Little Impartial Ltd
- Beatriz Concepcion, Director, Oso Polita
- Vittorio Cigala, Managing Director, OYEZ!
- Dagobert Böhm, Director, Ozella Music
- Ciaran Conroy, Co-CEO, Paragon Data
- Brian Scally, Co-CEO, Paragon Data
- Andy Widder, Founder, Half Data / Rockin‘ Rollin‘ Merchandise
- Mario Rossori, Founder, Pate Data
- Vedran Meniga, CEO, Pdv Data
- Maria Romana Trainini, Managing Director, Peer Southern Productions
- Fabian Burbano, Director, Play Abc Sl/Abc Music
- Jonas Sjöström, Chairman and Founder, Playground Music Scandinavia
- Johan Alm, co-owner, PNKSLM Recordings AB
- Matthias Broeckel, Director, PORK PIE
- Mathias Schwarz, Managing Director, Powerline Company OHG
- Martin Koller, Proprietor, ProMedia GmbH
- Stefan Groß, Proprietor, Q-rious Music
- Axel Franzén, Proprietor, Rama Lama Data
- Daniel Meteo, Founder & Co-Proprietor, Random Musick Publishing GmbH
- Eva Pyko, Managing Director, Random Musick Publishing GmbH
- Riku Paakkonen, Founder & Managing Director, Ranka Kustannus
- Paulina Parvanov, CEO, Raspberry Soda
- Elaine McCann, Head of Label, Reckless Data
- Nelly Santamarta, Proprietor & Chair, Registros de Cultura
- Eva Santamaría Molina, Publishing Supervisor, Republic Community Oü
- Etienne Tricard, Cofounder, Rescue + Return Data
- Anne-Flore Levacher, Head of initiatives, Roche Musique
- Geoff Travis, Founder, Tough Commerce
- Jeanette Lee, Founder, Tough Commerce
- Jeff Casazza, Proprietor / A&R, Run For Cowl
- Matt Werth, Proprietor/CEO, RVNG Intl
- Caleb Braaten, Founder, Sacred Bones Data
- Branko Paić, Managing Director, Scardona
- Henrik Guemoes, Managing Director, Schubert Music Publishing GmbH
- Nuno Saraiva, Founder-Director, SCL / Lusitanian
- Justin West, CEO, Secret Metropolis Recordings
- Ben Swanson, Co-CEO, Secretly Canadian
- Chris Swanson, Co-CEO, Secretly Group
- Filip Lundgren, CEO, Septembernatt
- Eva Wilke, CEO, Proprietor, Silence AB
- Barbara Preisinger, Founder – Proprietor, Slices Of Life
- Joakim Haugland, Proprietor, Small City Supersound
- Eva Karman Reinhold, CEO, Proprietor, Smilodon/Karman Revolutionary Consulting; SOM – Svenska Oberoende Musikproducenter
- Alejandro Varela, Proprietor & Chair, S-Music Data
- Maurice Summen, Proprietor, Staatsakt / Enjoyable within the Church
- Fredrik Holmgren, CEO, StarTracks AB
- Margit Sarholz, Musician, Sternschnuppe Verlag GbR
- Werner Meier, Musician, Sternschnuppe Verlag GbR
- Kees van Weijen, President, STOMP – Stichting Onafhankelijke Muziekproducenten
- Gugai MacNamara, CEO, Unusual Brew
- Jonathan Poneman, Co-Founder, Sub Pop
- Megan Jasper, CEO, Sub Pop
- Tony Kiewel, Co-President, Sub Pop
- Bo Magnusson, co-owner, Subspace Communications AB
- Julian Scheufler, Producer, Südpark Studio München
- David Dickenson, Founder, Suicide Squeeze Data
- Wolfgang Koch, Proprietor, syborgmusic
- Volker Sonntag, CEO, TAG-7
- Tue Kjerstein, Associate and co-managing Director, Tambourhinoceros
- Kristoffer Rom, Associate and co-managing Director, Tambourhinoceros; DUP – Danske Uafhængige Pladeselskaber
- Detlef Engelhard, CEO, Termidor Musikverlag & Timba Data GmbH&Co.KG
- Jakob Sørensen, CEO and Founding Associate, The Financial institution
- Tony Morley, Managing Director, The Leaf Label Ltd
- Ken Shipley, President, The Numero Group
- Rob Sevier, CEO, The Numero Group
- Mauro Farina, Founder, The Saifam Group
- Gerald Oppermann, Founder – Proprietor, Timezone GbR
- Teddy Maier, Founder, Tonzoo
- Tweety Gonzalez, Proprietor & Chair, Twittin data
- Sonia Duran, Common Supervisor, UFI – Unión Fonográfica Independiente
- Ari Stern, Founder, Underwater Peoples / Stern Data
- Ina Schulz, Head of Label, Distinctive Musikverlag GmbH
- Guilhem Cottet, Director-Common, UPFI – Union des producteurs phonographiques français indépendants
- Christoph Dohr, Proprietor, verlag dohr köln
- Matthias Möbius, Proprietor, viamas gmbh
- Alexander Hirschenhauser, Board Member, VTMÖ – Verband unabhängiger Tonträgerunternehmen, Musikverlage und MusikproduzentInnen Österreich
- Jörg Heidemann, Managing Director, VUT – Verband unabhängiger Musikunternehmer*innen
- Stephan Bourdoiseau, President, Wagram Music
- Kevin Fleming, Managing Director, Warp Data
- Brian Sampson, Proprietor, Western Vinyl
- Doug Warner, Proprietor, Wharf Cat Data
- Noemí Planas, CEO, WIN – Worldwide Impartial Community
- Jared Jones, Proprietor, Winspear
- Ben Beardsmore, Managing Director, XL Recordings
- Caius Pawson, Founder, Younger
- Tobba Andersson, Proprietor, Zorch Manufacturing
Music Enterprise Worldwide
