The quiet modernisation of the MIA is gathering pace. You will have seen subtle but important changes in the last two years – a new management team, a dynamic and diverse Board of Directors, an organisation speaking directly to the heart of Government, and content which is helpful, focused, and thought provoking.
The credit lies with the Executive Team who have brought MIA’s infrastructure into the 21st Century and our stellar group of MIA Directors and Future Leaders Network meeting regularly to work on the most important opportunity our industry should embrace over the next decade – values.
The values which espouse the very ethos of an industry we love, but we can also recognise for our own institutional failings. An industry which Government admonished, whilst failing to understand the structural challenges we faced. An industry whose Covid experience reads like the opening line of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. An industry which brings so much joy and happiness to the world and has so much potential to do more.
Your industry peers have collectively and collaboratively decided to look up, look out and look long; to see beyond the next financial quarter or product release and far into the future on a project which will take years of cultural change in a sector slow to adapt.
Values are not a membership code of conduct or rule book. Values are inspirational, aspirational, and visionary.
They have been crafted, debated, and refined by some of the most talented individuals in our sector, in a safe place, away from the hustle and bustle of their working lives, and free from the shackles of corporate “think”. Future leaders alongside CEOs. Creativity has been key as has been the Why. And the Why is evident: we must change for the better. Our consumers and our employees have high expectations, and we need to catch-up fast.
Over the coming months, we will help you understand these values and why we feel they are important to you, your people, and your customers. We will help you assess for yourself where you are on the journey and provide support as you progress. We will highlight the excellent real-life case studies of MI and non-MI companies who are achieving great things by putting into practice the importance of values.
These values below are not set in stone and we are constantly evolving them, honing them, challenging them. But after a year we’re ready to share.
Our desire is that they enable you to imagine a music industry which is vibrant, diverse, innovative, sustainable, energetic, and a wonderful nurturing place to be. MIA is putting values at the heart of our work because our role, our duty, is to provide you all a path which stands for something – most of all a place which we’re collectively proud to call the music industry.
We look forward to expanding this work with you all and we’d welcome your comments – please reach out to any of the MIA Board, find us at NAMM, pick up the phone or drop any of us an email. We’re excited to share our optimism for the values driven future of our industry.
Values for our Industry
- Inspire current and future music creators and learners, nurturing them throughout their lifetime
- Transform our businesses towards a commercially viable and sustainable future
- Foster a culture of innovation and creativity across every aspect of our businesses
- Embrace the opportunity to be reflective and representative of our diverse community
- Provide flexible and inclusive workplaces for our people that encourage them to learn and develop and support their physical health and mental well-being
- Proactively engage with and serve our broad music community
- Contribute to the economic and social well-being of the local communities within which we operate
