IMC - International Music Council

What IMC - International Music Council does

IMC - International Music Council is a Paris-based, UNESCO-founded non-governmental organization established in 1948 and operating as the world's largest network of music organizations, with presence in 150 countries and direct reach to over 1,000 member organizations and approximately 600 million persons. It serves national music councils, international, regional, and specialised music organisations by advocating for the Five Music Rights (proclaimed in 2001), coordinating programming such as the International Rostrum of Composers (since 1954, with 30+ participating national radio networks), the biennial IMC Music Rights Award (since 2009), International Music Day (since 1975), the Global Music Vault (a Svalbard-based archival facility), the Play it Loud! youth inclusion project, and the SHIFT eco-certification for cultural networks. The organization maintains formal NGO partner status with UNESCO and operates through regional bodies — the African Music Council (Brazzaville, 27 member organizations) and the European Music Council (Bonn) — for tailored regional programming.

The organization's core technology product is Fair Music, a beta streaming platform launched in June 2026 and co-developed with New Internet Media, co-funded by the EU Creative Europe Programme. The platform is built around fairness, transparency, and artist empowerment, offering artists quick registration, a simulated earnings dashboard, multiple payout options, batch uploads, marketplace access, collaborative playlists, rights management, and customizable recommendations; listeners receive easy signup, social listening features, and customizable recommendations. The platform is hosted at music.fairmusic.io and is currently in active beta testing with an in-app feedback submission system.

IMC operates as a membership-based non-profit with four revenue streams: organizational membership fees from member music councils and associations, a Corporate Ally Programme with four annual tiers (Backstage €5,000, VIP €10,000, All Access €25,000, Artist Circle €50,000), targeted corporate sponsorship of specific programs (Music Rights Award, Fair Music Project, International Rostrum of Composers, advocacy campaigns), and project-based grants and donations. Its leadership comprises a President (Jesse Boere), Secretary General (Silja Fischer, in role since 2009), Director of Programmes & Partnerships (Davide Grosso, since 2024), and a Communication Officer (Sonia Ghannam). A 12-person secretariat runs operations from the Maison de l'UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

Name

IMC - International Music Council

Legal name

International Music Council

Website

https://imc-cim.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The International Music Council (IMC) is a UNESCO-founded non-governmental organization operating the world's largest network of music organizations across 150 countries, serving national music councils and cultural institutions through advocacy, the Fair Music streaming platform, and the Five Music Rights framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Organisational membership fees from national music councils, international music organisations, regional music organisations, and national/specialised organisations. Membership provides access to networking, advocacy support, and participation in IMC programs.
2. Corporate Ally Programme: Annual subscription scheme with four tiers: Backstage (5000€), VIP (10000€), All Access (25000€), and Artist Circle (50000€). Provides visibility opportunities, networking, and brand alignment with music rights values.
3. Corporate Sponsorship: Sponsorship of specific IMC actions including Music Rights Award, Fair Music Project, International Rostrum of Composers, and Advocacy campaigns. Also offers tailor-made partnerships with product focus, media focus, or beta testing options.
4. Donations: Individual donations to support IMC's advocacy work for the Five Music Rights. As a not-for-profit organisation, donations fund actions supporting music rights globally.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IMC is a UNESCO-founded non-governmental, non-profit organisation that operates the world's largest network of music organisations across 150 countries, advocating for the Five Music Rights and delivering programmes including Fair Music (a fair music streaming platform), the International Rostrum of Composers, the Global Music Vault digital archive, Play it Loud! youth inclusion project, and the biennial IMC Music Rights Award. It is funded primarily through organisational membership fees, a tiered Corporate Ally Programme, corporate sponsorships, and donations.

Product overview

IMC - International Music Council is the world's largest network of music organisations and institutions, founded by UNESCO and dedicated to advancing essential music rights for all people. Rather than a single unified software product, IMC operates a portfolio of programs and platforms centered on its Five Music Rights. The flagship product is Fair Music, a fair music streaming platform (co-developed with New Internet Media) that provides a radically transparent ecosystem where artists earn fairly and listeners have real control, offering customizable recommendations for both artists and listeners. Supporting programs include the International Rostrum of Composers (an annual forum for promoting contemporary music via radio broadcast since 1954), the Global Music Vault (a long-term digital archive for music heritage in Svalbard, Norway), the IMC Music Rights Award (a biennial award recognizing outstanding support for the Five Music Rights), and Play it Loud! (a youth and music inclusion project). IMC also includes regional bodies — the African Music Council and European Music Council — and the SHIFT eco-certification initiative for cultural networks sustainability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fair Music Streaming Platform A fair music streaming platform built around fairness, transparency, and artist empowerment, co-developed by IMC and New Internet Media and co-funded by Creative Europe. It ensures compensation for every listening and offers artist tools (quick registration, simulated earnings dashboard, multiple payout options, batch uploads, multi-format support, marketplace, collaborative playlists, rights management) and listener features (customisable recommendations, social listening).
• International Rostrum of Composers (IRC) An annual international forum where representatives of radio broadcasting organisations exchange and broadcast contemporary art music. The IRC selects and recommends outstanding contemporary works in 'General' and 'Under 30' categories for worldwide broadcasting, with over 30 national radio networks participating and presenting approximately 60 works composed within the preceding five years.
• IMC Music Rights Award A biennial award given to programs or projects that support in an exemplary way one or more of the Five Music Rights. Award years include 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2023, and 2025.
• Global Music Vault

Quantifiable outcome

• 1000+ music professionals empowered through workshops, seminars and networking events in the past decade
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial NGO partner of UNESCO since the organisation's founding in 1948. IMC is regularly invited to participate in UNESCO meetings and make presentations to government representatives. The partnership focuses on advocacy for music rights, cultural policy, and the Five Music Rights agenda.
• New Internet MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner developing the Fair Music streaming platform with IMC. This collaboration aims to create a fairer streaming model with compensation for every listening, unlike current platforms.
• SKAP (Swedish Society of Songwriters, Composers & Authors)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner coordinating consultations with music creators for the Fair Music Project, focusing on the right to compensation and recognition.
• Climate Heritage NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork seeking to scale up culture-based climate action. IMC contributes insights from the music sector and shares tools from initiatives like SHIFT. Became a Founding Signatory of the Global Call to Put Cultural Heritage at the Heart of Climate Action in October 2023.
• #Culture2030Goal CampaignmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of cultural global networks campaigning for inclusion of culture in the UN 2030 Agenda and SDGs. IMC is a member of this campaign working for a dedicated Culture Goal in post-2030 development agenda.
• African Music Council (AMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional group of IMC based in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. Made up of 27 member organizations spread across Africa. Develops regional agenda and carries out activities responding to needs of IMC members in the region.
• European Music Council (EMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional group of IMC based in Bonn, Germany. Non-profit organisation dedicated to development and promotion of all genres of music in Europe. Provides policy analysis, capacity building, and networking within and beyond the music sector.
• JMI (Jeunesses Musicales International)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinator of the Play it Loud! project which IMC participates in. Project aims for equal and diverse youth and music sector, welcoming underrepresented youth to express themselves through music.
• Council of EuropemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports the Play it Loud! cooperation project for youth and music sector development.
• Arterial NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organised the 16th International Forum of NGOs in Abidjan, April 2024 with IMC as part of the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee.
• NGO-UNESCO Liaison CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMC is a member of this committee coordinating NGO activities with UNESCO. IMC Director Davide Grosso served as Chair from December 2020 to December 2022.
• European Broadcasting Union (EBU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMakes works presented at the International Rostrum of Composers available to its wide network of members and associate members via satellite, ensuring international coverage for composers.
• University of AmsterdamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchive location for IRC tapes, scores and notes from the International Rostrum of Composers.
• RTP - Radio Television Portugal / Antena 2majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides bursary support for the IRC Prize awarded to selected composers at the International Rostrum of Composers.
• Universal EditionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership offering presented composers one-year access to SCODO publishing service and free evaluation for inclusion.
• ELIAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOutput leader for environmental sustainability work developed through the SHIFT culture project.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• European Music Council (EMC): Regional music council based in Bonn, Germany and a subsidiary/regional group of IMC. EMC is directly comparable as a membership-based music council delivering policy analysis, capacity building, and networking across European national music councils.
• International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM): One of the four founding organisations of IMC in 1948. ISCM is a global network of contemporary music organisations promoting new music through festivals, broadcasts, and exchange — directly comparable to IMC's membership-network model and cultural advocacy focus.
• African Music Council (AMC): Regional group of IMC based in Brazzaville, composed of 27 member organisations across Africa. Comparable as a regional music council structure delivering tailored programmes responding to member needs, mirroring IMC's regional model.
• Jeunesses Musicales International (JMI): International music youth organisation and IMC partner, coordinating the Play it Loud! project. JMI is directly comparable as a global membership-based music NGO delivering youth-focused cultural programmes, advocacy, and networking for music access and education.
• Arterial Network: Pan-African civil society network for the creative sector, IMC partner that co-organised the 16th International Forum of NGOs in Abidjan in 2024. Arterial Network is comparable as a continental membership-based cultural advocacy organisation with overlapping NGO-UNESCO engagement.

Emerging players

• Bandcamp: Artist-friendly music platform known for fair revenue share to musicians. Bandcamp is comparable to IMC's Fair Music platform as an emerging alternative streaming/distribution model prioritising artist compensation over volume-based payouts.
• Resonate (music cooperative): Cooperative music streaming platform built on fair compensation and listener ownership. Resonate is a direct philosophical peer to IMC's Fair Music initiative as a small-scale, ethics-driven streaming alternative targeting the same artist-rights gap in mainstream platforms.

Broad incumbents

• International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI): Global body representing the recording industry worldwide. IFPI is comparable as an international music industry organisation engaged in policy advocacy, market data, and rights-holder representation — operating at broader commercial scale than IMC.
• UNESCO: UN specialised agency for education, science and culture, and IMC's institutional partner since 1948. UNESCO is comparable as the much larger institutional anchor shaping IMC's policy mandate, governance status, and access to diplomatic and funding networks.

Others

• European Broadcasting Union (EBU): Alliance of public service broadcasters and core IMC partner for the International Rostrum of Composers, distributing contemporary works via satellite to its members. Comparable as a major international cultural-mediating institution that IMC collaborates with on music programming and broadcasting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IMC_Network
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCAlcZF7DdHP6Fp-Mcv_d6TQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/International.Music.Council
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-music-council
• Instagraminstagram.com/internationalmusiccouncil

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IMC - International Music Council