Association of Independent Music

Last updated

Association of Independent Music
AbbreviationAIM
Formation1999
PurposeSupporting the UK's independent music companies
Headquarters Chiswick, London
Coordinates 51°29′11″N0°15′03″W / 51.486477°N 0.250788°W / 51.486477; -0.250788
Membership
800
Key people
Paul Pacifico, CEO
Staff
9
Website www.musicindie.com

The Association of Independent Music (AIM) is a non-profit trade body established in 1999 by UK independent record labels to represent the independent record sector, which in 2016 constituted approximately 23% of the UK market. Its members include record labels, self-releasing artists and distributors.

Contents

It runs Indie-Con, an annual conference for the independent music industry.

History

Alison Wenham OBE founded AIM in 1999, and spent 17 years as its chair and CEO. She moved on to become CEO of Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) in 2016, which she had helped to found in 2006 and been involved with ever since. As a driving force in helping indie labels being able to compete worldwide with bigger companies, Wenham featured in Billboard ’s "Top Women in Music" every year since publication. [1]

In 2004, AIM featured in the press over their contract negotiations with Apple for rights to distribute their labels' content on the iTunes service. [2] [3] AIM was ultimately successful in negotiating equivalent terms for its independent labels members that Apple had originally only offered to the 'major' labels.

In September 2008, AIM became a founding member of UK Music, which represents all aspects of the UK music industry. [4]

In November 2016 AIM appointed Paul Pacifico as CEO. [5]

The 2016 WINTEL report showed that the indie sector constituted about 23% of total market share. [6]

On 24 September 2018, Pacifico co-represented IMPALA, the body representing European indie record labels, at the expert workshop organised by the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels (BOZAR), the European Cultural Foundation and the British Council about Brexit and the cultural sector. The goal was "to reaffirm our shared intent and common values, and to produce practical recommendations from the cultural and creative sectors that go beyond those that have already been made", and a list of recommendations was afterwards published on the IMPALA website. [7] [8]

AIM Awards

The AIM Independent Music Awards are hosted by the Association of Independent Music (AIM) and were established in 2011 to recognize artists signed to independent record labels in the United Kingdom. Award categories include:

The 2018 awards were held in partnership with Young Urban Arts Foundation and saw bands and labels like IDLES, Let's Eat Grandma and Partisan Records nominated. [9] [10]

Indie-Con

The inaugural music industry conference, the AIM Indie-Con took place in 2012 in the Glaziers Hall London, returning there each year until at least 2018. [11] The inaugural music industry conference, Indie-Con took place in 2012 in the Glaziers Hall London, returning there each year until at least 2018. [12]

Aim Connected

The Association of Independent Music launched a new networking event in 2019, called Aim Connected. Spread over three days in March, the event strives to connect business, tech and people. The event includes industry expert panels, workshops and one-on-one networking sessions. Aim Connected's 2019 speakers included executive producer of 'Surviving R. Kelly' dream Hampton, London's Night Czar Amy Lame, Hospital Records founder Chris Goss, and VICE creative director, Emil Asmussen.

Unrelated Australian version

From 2017, a separate event known as Indie-Con Australia has been run in Adelaide, under the auspices of the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR), with support from the South Australian government. [13]

Significant labels under AIM

Significant artists under AIM labels

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornershop</span> English indie rock band

Cornershop are an English indie rock band best known for their single "Brimful of Asha", originally released in 1997 and, in a remixed version, topping the UK chart in 1998. The band was formed in 1991 by Wolverhampton-born Tjinder Singh, his brother Avtar Singh, David Chambers (drums) and Ben Ayres, the first three having previously been members of Preston-based band General Havoc, who released one single in 1991. The band name originated from a stereotype referring to British Asians often owning corner shops. Their music is a fusion of Indian music, indie rock, alternative and electronic dance music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beggars Group</span> British record company

Beggars Group is a British record company, founded by Martin Mills, that owns or holds stakes in various record labels, including 4AD, Rough Trade Records, Matador Records, XL Recordings, and Young.

Martin Mills is the founder and chairman of the Beggars Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Partisan Records</span> American independent record label

Partisan Records is an independent record label with offices in London, Berlin, and Los Angeles, as well as in New York City, where the company was co-founded in 2007 by Tim Putnam and Ian Wheeler. The label, initially run out of Putnam's South Brooklyn apartment, relocated in 2009 to Williamsburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tame Impala</span> Australian psychedelic music project

Tame Impala is the psychedelic music project of Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker. In the recording studio, Parker writes, records, performs, and produces all of the project's music. As a touring act, Tame Impala consists of Parker, Dominic Simper, Jay Watson, Cam Avery, and Julien Barbagallo. The group has a close affiliation with fellow Australian psychedelic rock band Pond, sharing members and collaborators, including Nick Allbrook, formerly a live member of Tame Impala. Originally signed to Modular Recordings, Tame Impala is now signed to Interscope Records in the United States and Fiction Records in the United Kingdom.

The Australian Independent Record Labels Association, formerly Association of Independent Record Labels, is a non-profit trade association which supports the growth and development of Australia's independent recording industry. It represents Australian-owned record labels and independent artists based in Australia who function without the backing of major record labels.

Merlin is a digital rights music licensing partner for independent record labels, distributors, and other music rights holders around the world. It was founded in 2007 with Charles Caldas as the chief executive. In January 2020, Jeremy Sirota stepped into the role of Merlin CEO. The company is a member-based organization representing the digital licensing rights for hundreds of independent labels and distributors in nearly every country around the globe. As of 2019, Merlin has paid out over two billion dollars.

The Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA), originally the Independent Music Publishers and Labels Association, is a non-profit trade association established in 2000 to help European independent record labels represent their agenda and promote independent music. Its offices are in Brussels, Belgium. IMPALA is a member of the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN), a coalition of independent music bodies from countries throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pond (Australian band)</span> Australian psychedelic rock band

Pond is an Australian psychedelic rock band from Perth, Western Australia, formed in 2008. Initially featuring a revolving line-up, since 2016 the band has consisted of Nick Allbrook, Jay Watson, Shiny Joe Ryan, Jamie Terry, and James Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rüfüs Du Sol</span> Australian alternative dance group

Rüfüs Du Sol is an Australian alternative dance group from Sydney, that consists of Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George and James Hunt.

The Creative Industries Federation (2014-2021) was a national organisation for all the UK's creative industries, cultural education and arts. It advocated for the sector, aiming to ensure that the creative industries were central to political, economic and social decision-making.

An independent record label is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented by trade associations in their country or region, which in turn are represented by the international trade body, the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN).

The AIM Independent Music Awards, hosted by the Association of Independent Music, began in 2011. It is established through a collection of independent record labels and providing service and support to independent and smaller artists and record labels globally, achieving recognition for their efforts and works. The AIM Independent Music Awards are also providing recipients with greater opportunities to further expand their careers and name in the music industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idles</span> English rock band

Idles are a British punk rock band formed in Bristol in 2009. The band consists of Adam Devonshire (bass), Joe Talbot (vocals), Mark Bowen (guitar), Lee Kiernan (guitar), and Jon Beavis (drums).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confidence Man (band)</span> Australian electropop band

Confidence Man are an Australian indie electro pop band formed in 2016 in Brisbane, Queensland. They released their debut album Confident Music for Confident People in April 2018. The front-duo and their band members have been a part of many festivals across the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia, most notably Glastonbury Festival. The drummer, Clarence McGuffie is not publicly known. Previous musicians taking the role of Clarence McGuffie were Sam Hales and Lachlan McGeehan, both ex-boyfriends of Janet Planet.

The Libera Awards are an annual awards ceremony organized by the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM). First hosted in 2012, the awards celebrate the independent music community. The capstone of A2IM's Indie Week, an annual music business conference, the ceremony has been able to be viewed by the public since 2020.

Walpole is the official body for the UK's luxury goods sector. It represents the interests of 270 British brands and members include Rolls-Royce, Burberry, Claridge's and Harrods. Its purpose is to promote, protect and develop a sector that in 2019 was estimated to be worth £48 billion to the UK economy.

Music Declares Emergency (MDE) is an environmental pressure group with no commercial or political affiliations whose purpose is to create a vehicle for musicians and the music industry to bring their influence to bear on climate breakdown mitigation.

References

  1. ↑ Brandle, Lars (13 December 2018). "Alison Wenham is stepping down as CEO of WIN". The Industry Observer. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  2. ↑ "Europe launch for Apple's iTunes". 15 June 2004. Retrieved 16 April 2018– via news.bbc.co.uk.
  3. ↑ "Independent bands out of tune with 'world's biggest jukebox'". Independent.co.uk. 16 June 2004. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  4. ↑ "UK Music". www.ukmusic.org. 26 September 2008. Archived from the original on 11 March 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
  5. ↑ "Paul Pacifico Appointed CEO of U.K. Indie Body AIM". Billboard. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  6. ↑ Eliezer, Christie (4 September 2017). "New report puts Aussie indie labels at 30% revenue share, in Top 10 of global indie markets". The Music Network. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  7. ↑ "IMPALA supports key Brexit recommendations for cultural sectors". IMPALA. 2 October 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  8. ↑ "Brexit and the Cultural Sector". European Network of Cultural Centres. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  9. ↑ "AIM Independent Music Awards: IDLES, Let's Eat Grandma & Partisan Records Score Nominations". Billboard. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  10. ↑ "IDLES, Zeal & Ardor and Wolf Alice are all up for gongs at the AIM Independent Music Awards". Upset. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  11. ↑ "AIM Indie-Con". UK Music. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  12. ↑ Hanley, James (7 December 2017). "AIM's Indie-Con confirmed for 2018 return". Music Week. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  13. ↑ Brandle, Lars (27 June 2017). "Indie-Con is coming to Australia". The Industry Observer. Retrieved 27 August 2019.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.