Fontaines D.C., Gilles Peterson and Ezra Collective were among the winners at the 2025 Independent Music Awards on Tuesday evening (Sept. 23).

The ceremony, which took place at London’s Roundhouse, celebrated independent musicians and record labels in a number of categories. The awards are organised by the Association of Independent Music (AIM) and winners selected by a jury panel.

DJ, broadcaster and label boss Gilles Peterson collected the outstanding contribution to music prize for his work in the U.K. dance and jazz scenes over the past four decades. Peterson hosts a regular show on BBC Radio 6 Music, founded the influential Acid Jazz and Brownswood Recordings labels, and in recent years began the We Out Here festival in Dorset, England. 

Commenting on his win on his Instagram, Peterson wrote, “There’s a lot to fight for in keeping the U.K. music industry and culture at the cutting edge both here and abroad. But this award is more than a recognition of one person – it takes a village.”

Fontaines D.C.’s fourth album Romance scooped the best album prize and was collected by bassist Conor Deegan III. The Irish band recently concluded touring for the LP, which landed at No. 2 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart and was nominated for two Grammy awards. The album was also named on the shortlist for the Mercury Prize, which will be awarded on Oct. 16 in Newcastle. The band’s current label XL Recordings also won the best independent record label.

Jazz group Ezra Collective earned the best independent track award for “God Gave Me Feet for Dancing” featuring Yazmin Lacey. The song appeared on Dance, No One’s Watching, the group’s third LP.  

Throbbing Gristle member and Industrial Records co-founder Cosey Fanni Tutti was awarded the innovator award, and used her speech to celebrate the U.K.’s indie creative scene. “Everything I’ve done has been totally independent,” she said. “This is really special because innovation and independence really are sisters with me. I’ve seen innovation as a lifeblood of the music world – without that there would be no inspiration.”

There were also wins for Bon Iver and his label Jagjaguwar (best creative campaign), corto.alto (best independent breakthrough), Shed Seven (best live performer) and more. See the full winners list below.

Outstanding Contribution to Music

WINNER: Gilles Peterson

Innovator award

WINNER: Cosey Fanni Tutti

Best live performer

Alison Moyet (Cooking Vinyl)
Elles Bailey (Cooking Vinyl)
Ayanna Witter-Johnson (Hill and Gully Records)
WINNER: Shed Seven (Cooking Vinyl)
Wunderhorse (Communion Records) 

Best independent video 

WINNER: Bricknasty – “Vinland” (FAMM)
Black Honey – ”Psycho (Foxfive Records) 
Fontaines D.C. – ”In The Modern World” (XL Recordings)
Ezra Collective – “God Gave Me Feet For Dancing” (Partisan Records)
Wet Leg – “Catch These Fists” (Domino Recording Co.)

PPL Award for most played new independent artist

Fat Dog (Domino Recording Co)
First Time Flyers (Lookout Mountain)
IN PARALLEL (Method 808)
NDOTZ (Chosen Flystr8)
WINNER: Popeth (Recordiau Cosh Records)

Best independent label 

Because Music
Communion Records
Modern Sky UK
Transgressive 
WINNER: XL Recordings

Best independent record store 

Art Beats (Saffron Walden)
A Slice of Vinyl (Gosport)
Raven Records (Camden, London)
Spinning Around Records (Wellington, Telford)
WINNER: Wax & Beans (Bury)

Best creative campaign 

NQ Records and Aitch (4)
WINNER: Jagjaguwar and Bon Iver (SABLE, fABLE)
XL Recordings and Fontaines D.C. (Romance)
The Leaf Label and Snapped Ankles (Hard Times Furious Dancing)
Transgressive and SOPHIE (SOPHIE)

Best boutique label

WINNER: AD 93
Clasico Records
Flystr8
Submarine Cat Records
Untitled (recs)

Independent music champion in association with PRS

WINNER: Bandcamp

Best independent track

anaiis, Grupo Cosmo, “B.P.E” (5dB Records)
WINNER: Ezra Collective, Yazmin Lacey – “God Gave Me Feet for Dancing” (Partisan Records)
JIALING, “Freaky Horns” (Clasico Records)
Jim Legxacy, “Father” (XL Recordings)
Jorja Smith, Maverick Sabre, “Loving You” (FAMM)
Miso Extra, Metronomy, “Good Kisses” (Transgressive Records)
Orla Gartland, “Mine” (New Friends Music)
Wet Leg, “Catch These Fists” (Domino Recording Co.)
Wunderhorse, “The Rope” (Communion Records)
Yannis & The Yaw, Tony Allen, “Rain Can’t Reach Us” (Transgressive Records)

Best independent album

Bon Iver, Sable, Fable (Jagjaguwar)
Ezra Collective, Dance, No One’s Watching (Partisan Records)
WINNER: Fontaines DC, Romance (XL Recordings)
Hope Tala, Hope Handwritten (Big Family Music)
John Glacier, Like a Ribbon (Young)
Maverick Sabre, Burn the Right Things Down (FAMM)
Moonchild Sanelly, Full Moon (Transgressive Records)
Nala Sinephro, Endlessness (Warp Records)
Oklou, Choke Enough (Because Music / True Panther Records)
TAAHLIA, Gramarye (untitled (recs))

U.K. independent breakthrough (in association with Amazon Music) 

WINNER: corto.alto (Ninja Tune)
Fat Dog (Domino Recording Co.)
Glass Beams (Ninja Tune)
Hope Tala (Big Family Music)
Sara Landry (HEKATE Records)

Best independent EP/mixtape

Fcukers, Baggy$$ (Technicolour Records)
WINNER: MRCY, VOLUME 1 (Dead Oceans)
Nectar Woode, Head Above Water (Communion Music)
Shygirl, Club Shy Room 2 (Because Music)
Zino Vinci, The Late Bloomer (Bawne London / Believe)  

Best independent remix

Fat Dog, “Peace Song” [TowerBlock1 mix] (Domino Recording Co.)
Home Counties, TATYANA, “Uptight” – TATYANA remix (Submarine Cat Records)
Koreless, “Seven” (Jorg Kuning Bicton Barns Remix) (Young)
WINNER: Nilufer Yanya, “Just a Western” (Boy Harsher Remix) (Ninja Tune)
Rosie Lowe, “Gratitudes” (D’Monk remix) (Blue Flowers Music)

One to Watch

anaiis (5dB Records)
WINNER: BINA. (TLD Records)
Chloe Qisha (VLF Records / Are You Serious) 
Cristale (Believe)
Fcukers (Ninja Tune)

Music Entrepreneur of the Year

WINNER: Karen Emanuel (Key Productions)

DEI Champion 

WINNER: ESEA Music

Spotify is now integrated into DJ software platform Serato.

This new deal will allow DJs who use Serato software to access the entirety of Spotify’s 100 million-plus song catalog, including personal playlists and liked songs, in their Serato DJ library, making it possible to stream and mix music from the DSP in real-time.

The integration is available now on Serato DJ Pro and Serato DJ Lite and will support play on up to four decks simultaneously. Users can access the feature by linking their Serato and Spotify Premium accounts. Newly built Spotify playlists will also appear directly within a linked Serato DJ library.

A representative for Serato says the feature has been the longstanding New Zealand-based software company’s most requested addition in its 26-year history.

The announcement continues a trend of streamers integrating with DJ technology. In March, Apple Music unveiled DJ With Apple Music, an integration that makes it possible for DJs to build and mix sets directly from the DSP’s catalog of over 100 million songs. The technology was made in partnership with DJ software and hardware platforms Serato, AlphaTheta, and inMusic’s Engine DJ, Denon DJ, Numark and RANE DJ.

In August, Spotify released Mix With Spotify, a feature that makes it possible for users to blend songs within a playlist like a professional DJ. Mix With Spotify provides controls like echo, volume automation, EQ, and low and high pass filters for users of the Spotify Premium app.

The recently launched start-ups Hook and Mash-App also make it possible for users to mash up, speed up and slow down songs in their libraries.

Jimmy Kimmel is back, and he’s not backing down.

The late-night host’s regular show Jimmy Kimmel Live was sensationally pulled from the airwaves by ABC last week, following criticism of his comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk – and pressure from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr.

A week is a lifetime in commercial television. Kimmel’s suspension officially lifted with the return of his show Tuesday night, Sept. 23, and he wasted no time in resuming his teasing of America’s conservative media and politicians.

Jimmy Kimmel Live opened with a montage of pundits, on both ends of the political spectrum, discussing both Kimmel’s return to our screen and his highly-anticipated opening monologue.

Would Kimmel double-down on his Republican jibes? Would he call for free speech? Would he respond to the criticism of his Kirk comments. Yes, to all of it.

But first, a timely joke. “I’m not sure who had a weirder 48 hour,” he remarked, “me or the CEO of Tylenol,” a reference to the bizarre claim made by President Trump and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that the pain-killing drug was linked to autism.

He then got down to the tricky business of monologuing, and at times held back tears.

Kimmel thanked his many friends and supporters who checked in, including his “childhood heroes” David Letterman and David Stern, and an unlikely co-sign from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who has publicly reiterated Americans’ right to freedom of speech.

“It takes courage for them to speak out against this administration,” Kimmel responded. “They did and they deserve credit for it. And thanks for telling their followers that our government cannot be allowed to control what we do and do not say on television. And that we have to stand up to it.”

On Kirk, he remarked: “I have no illusions about changing anyone’s mind, but I do want to make something clear, because it’s important to me as a human and that is, you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”

He added, “Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what it was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make.” To some, he continued, it “felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both.”

This show, he continued, is not important. “What is important is that we get live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”

Kimmel also rounded on the ABC affiliates who took down his show. “That’s not legal. That’s not American. That is unAmerican and it’s so dangerous.” Watch Kimmel’s monologue below.

The Grammy Museum continues its expansion of Grammy Camp, a program for high school students looking to pursue careers in the music industry. Starting in 2026, the camp will be held in Nashville, in addition to its Los Angeles, Miami and New York camps.

Here are details about the four Grammy Camp locations for 2026. All are non-residential camps, led by faculty or music industry professionals, as well as Grammy nominees and winners.

Grammy Camp Nashville will be held at Belmont University’s Music Row facility at 34 Music Square East from May 31 to June 6, 2026. This immersive music industry program is designed for high school students who already have foundational skills and knowledge in music and are ready to expand their expertise toward career preparation. It offers instruction across multiple career tracks, including music business, instrumental performance, music production, songwriting and vocal performance.

Grammy Camp Miami will be held at Art House Studios from June 23 to June 27, 2026. This immersive, fast-paced program is designed to give high school students a hands-on introduction to the music industry and emphasizes active participation and learning in one of the three tracks: music production, singer-songwriter or music business.

Grammy Camp Los Angeles will be held from July 12 to July 18, 2026. It’s an intensive program for high school students with strong proficiency in multiple areas of music and the music industry, including music business, production, songwriting, and instrumental or vocal performance. Students are placed into cohorts where every subject area is represented, creating a collaborative environment that mirrors real-world music industry teams.

Grammy Camp New York will be held from Aug. 2 to Aug. 8, 2026. It’s an immersive music industry program designed for high school students who already have foundational skills and knowledge in music and are ready to expand their expertise toward career preparation. It offers instruction across multiple career tracks, including music business, instrumental performance, music production and singer-songwriter. Additional specialized tracks in musical theater and jazz are also offered.

Applications for Grammy Camp 2026 are now open to high school students across the country. Visit the Grammy Camp site for more details.