20/06/2008 Association of Independent Festivals Launches at AIM's 9th AGM

Significant news at AIM's 9th AGM on June 19, was the launch of AIF - the Association of Independent Festivals - a new autonomous division of AIM and the UK's first independent festivals group.

AGM keynote speakers and AIF founders Rob da Bank and Ben Turner (Bestival) and James Barton (Creamfields) revealed that the new not for profit organisation shares AIM's ethos, intending to protect independent festival organisers' rights, address their common issues and problems, and share information and advice.

AIF will have its own board, initially of 12 independent festival organisers, chaired by AIM Chairman and CEO Alison Wenham.

In her upbeat AGM address to over 250 members and industry guests, Alison Wenham focused on the vitality of the independent sector, encouraging new independent and DIY labels to celebrate the milestones and successes achieved by established indies, and work towards their own. Noting the unthinking and usually anonymous attacks by bloggers who regularly dispute the right of music creators and copyright owners to make a living from their hard work, she challenged these people to take mores responsibility - and encouraged independent labels and those who invest in music to counter-attack.

Wenham updated the new on the first Independents Day 2008 (ID08); the global celebration of independent music on the July 4 -6 weekend. Announcing the artists featuring on the ID08 album and some of the exclusive memorabilia and experiences available via the ID08 eBay auction, she highlighted the good causes which will benefiting: the Musicians Benevolent Fund and CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably). In a moving and inspiring speech CALM's Jane Powell explained how the support of AIM's members and the wider music industry is so crucial to their work in preventing suicide amongst young men suffering from depression for whom music is often the one thing they can relate to and be helped by. There are many ways to support CALM, so we ask you please to visit www.thecalmzone.net or contact Jane Powell on janepowell@thecalmzone.net to find out more.

Four new AIM board members.were elected from nine outstanding nominees, Those elected were Julie Weir (Visible Noise), Ben Watt (Buzzin' Fly), Kerry Harvey-Piper (Red Grape Records) and Simon Raymonde (Bella Union). AIM's thanks go to retiring board members Henry Semmence (Absolute Marketing and Distribution), Feargal Sharkey (now CEO of British Music Rights), Russel Coultart (Automatic Songs) and Jeremy Lascelles (The Echo Label).




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