• Provides free industry knowledge and networking opportunities via new, AI-driven “Associate Knowledge Base”
• Levels playing field for entrepreneurs from diverse ethnic, geographic and economic backgrounds
• Members can sign in to access the “Associate Knowledge Base” Beta by visiting https://associates.aim.org.uk
• Management and implement overseen by recently appointed Community Support Manager, Char Walsh

The Association of Independent Music (AIM), the non-profit trade body which represents the UK’s independent music sector, will today launch its brand new free Associate Membership tier in Beta.

First announced last October, Associate Membership will be open to all clients of AIM’s Distributor Members. In light of the British Business Bank’s findings that Black, Asian and Other Ethnic Minority entrepreneurs receive less access to free advice, AIM’s Associate Membership tier seeks to level the playing field by granting free access to crucial resources for nearly anyone building a career or business in music. These include self-releasing artists, managers and other entrepreneurs.

Associate members will have access to valuable industry knowledge via the specially-designed Associate Knowledge Base, an AI-driven search engine built on Zendesk’s customer service platform. This has been made possible with the trust and commitment of AIM’s Distributor members, which are dedicated to supporting their clients.

The Associate Knowledge Base will allow members to browse exclusive guides to the music business and digital distribution, as well as educational webinars, ‘tip sheets’ and general advice and support. Additionally, Spotify, Facebook, Amazon and YouTube will update members on how best to engage with their services via a dedicated ‘Platform Gateway’ section. Other benefits include free access to AIM conferences and networking opportunities. Members can access the Beta version of the Associate Knowledge base by signing in here: https://associates.aim.org.uk/.

AIM has appointed a new Community Support Manager, Char Walsh, to implement and manage the Associate Membership tier. Walsh has nearly a decade’s experience within music licensing and memberships, having held previous roles with PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited) in Relationship Management and as a Membership Specialist. Prior to this she was a professional musician.

The new tier is expected to see AIM’s total membership grow from the current 1000+ labels and associated businesses to 100,000+. The Associate Knowledge Base is currently in Beta, constantly evolving and improving thanks to Secretly Distribution and EmuBands involvement in testing the service. These members collectively represent 20,000 labels and self-releasing artists.

AIM CEO Paul Pacifico said: “The launch of our Associate Membership tier is a significant milestone for us at AIM. Opening up access to industry knowledge and networking opportunities is one of the most important steps towards creating much-needed change across the industry and supporting the next generation of artists and entrepreneurs. As we broaden our reach and expand our membership, we hope to strengthen both AIM’s Member businesses and the UK independent music sector as a whole.”

Simon Wills, MD Absolute Label Services, and Chair of AIM’s Distribution Action Group added “AIM’s new Associate Tier is a fantastic addition to the benefits AIM Membership delivers to its Distributor Members and will help us in supporting our clients as they grow their businesses in music”

Shanika Amarasekara, Chief Impact Officer at the British Business Bank, commented: “Our recent ‘Alone Together: Entrepreneurship and Diversity in the UK’ report highlighted that a lack of social capital can be a significant barrier to success for some groups. AIM’s new Associate Membership tackles this directly by making resources and knowledge freely available, which will help to drive diversity and to build a more equitable industry.”

Said Char Walsh, Community Support Manager at AIM: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining AIM at this key moment. Promoting equal access is essential if we want to drive meaningful change and foster innovation across the music industry. We look forward to welcoming our very first members and seeing the AIM community continue to grow.”

The Associate Membership tier will launch at AIM’s free Future Independents conference on Thursday 3rd June, where YouTube and Google’s Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen, AIM’s and CTRL Music’s Nadia Khan and Because Music's Emmanuel de Buretel will be sharing their independent music insights.