American Association Of Independent Music Turns 10

It's a great time to be indie; and its primary U.S. advocate, the American Association Of Independent Music, turns 10 tomorrow. A2IM can take more than a little credit for bringing indies together to force Apple Music to pay royalties during free trials. But over the years, A2IM has done much more.

Just a few of their accomplishments:

successfully blocking YouTube's attempts to push unfair deals on independents for Music Key
securing Market Development Coordinator Grant for trade missions to major economic powers including China, Japan and Brazil, sharing American music as an export and creating jobs
testifying to Congress on copyright, making in roads in Washington DC
founding the "Independent Grammys" (NY Times), the Libera Awards honoring independent artists and labels as voted on by independent artists and labels
successfully petitioning Billboard to calculate market share by ownership vs. distribution.

"Independent labels are the risk-takers of the music industry, and it was inspiring to be able to celebrate our strength and the growth of our sector," says Porta Sabin, President and Owner, Kill Rock Stars. "As a member of the board, I’m looking forward to an exciting future."

Over the past 10 years, A2IM has experienced a 44% increase in market share by ownership. The nonprofit represents 350+ independent record labels and is responsible for advocating for a fair and balanced playing field among the majors, as well as bringing unique, innovative music to market. Currently indies hold a dominant 35.1% of market share by ownership, the largest sector in the music industry.

"Having been a member of the founding board when we started in 2005 to being on staff in 2015, I have seen first-hand the challenges and obstacles we have met over the years. To be able to celebrate together and reflect on how far we've come was truly awesome," says Molly Neuman, Vice President, A2IM.