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IMPALA announces next phase of its One Step Ahead initiative
By CMU Editorial | Published on Monday 9 January 2023
IMPALA – the pan-European organisation for the independent music community – has confirmed that its One Step Ahead initiative, supported by Merlin and delivered in partnership with CMU Insights, has been renewed for another year.
One Step Ahead enables independent music companies and trade associations across Europe to anticipate and identify trends, challenges and opportunities in the digital music market. In its pilot phase, the initiative published six reports and delivered a series of regular webinars.
Topics covered by those reports included playlisting; music rights and digital revenue streams; marketing and consumption data; the diversifying digital market and digital debates; and new technologies, including opportunities and challenges around web3, the metaverse and NFTs.
In the new phase of One Step Ahead, IMPALA members will have access to even more support, as IMPALA and CMU deliver additional content and formats to complement the existing reports and webinars – including a monthly trends briefing bulletin and a new podcast exploring topics relevant to the IMPALA member community.
Confirming the next phase of One Step Ahead, IMPALA’s Executive Chair Helen Smith says: “We’re very pleased to be able to continue to deliver One Step Ahead for another year, thanks to the support of Merlin”.
“A core objective of IMPALA members is to maximise revenue and opportunities for the artists they work with”, she goes on, “and to do so they need the tools and knowledge to take advantage of new and untapped digital opportunities. One Step Ahead helps them stay informed, and helps them deliver value for their artists”.
Meanwhile, CMU MD Chris Cooke adds: “The digital music market continues its rapid evolution and staying on top of current trends and best practices is hugely important. New services, new technologies and new business models create both challenges and opportunities for everyone working in the independent sector”.
“It’s great that we are able to work with IMPALA to deliver more knowledge and support to the independent music community”, he continues, “ensuring labels and the artists they work with are fully equipped to meet the challenges and capitalise on the opportunities over the next twelve months”.
