Independent music (also commonly known as indie music, or simply indie) is music produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries;^[1] this may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording and publishing.

As a genre term, "indie" may or may not comprise independently produced music. Many independent music artists do not fall into a single defined musical style or genre, with their self-published music being able to be categorized into diverse genres without the expectations associated with commercial music.

Characteristics

Although "Indie" was first used to described music released on independent record labels, the term grew to describe a specific sound.^[1] A defining characteristic of indie music is that artists retain much more creative control over their music as compared to major labels.^[1] Indie music generally represents guitar-oriented music which strays away from commercial conventions.^[1] It often features lyrics that are earnest and emotive, with many cultural and sociopolitical references.^[1]

History

Origins of independent labels

Independent labels have a long history of promoting developments in popular music, stretching back to the post-war period in the United States, with labels such as Sun Records, King Records, and Stax.^[2] In the United Kingdom during the 1950s and 1960s, the major record companies had so much power that independent labels struggled to become established, until the launch of new concepts like Virgin Records.^[3] Several British producers and artists launched independent labels as outlets for their work and artists they liked; the majority failed as commercial ventures or were bought by the major labels.^[2]

Emergence as a style

During the punk rock era, the number of independent labels grew.^[2] In 1977, Manchester-band Buzzcocks released Spiral Scratch, considered the first independently released rock release.^[4] In the late 1970s, certain UK independent labels (such as Rough Trade, Factory, Fiction, and Mute) contributed to the emergence of a distinct musical style found in indie music, influenced by post-punk and new wave.^[1] Important albums that contributed to this style include Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Depeche Mode's Speak & Spell (1981).^[1] Released on Rough Trade, Inflammable Material (1979) was the first independently-released album to sell over 100,000 copies.^[4] By the 80s, the indie pop band The Smiths, signed with Rough Trade, "came to exemplify indie both musically and culturally" according to The Conversation.^[1] The Smith's authentic sound contrasted with the common highly produced pop music of the time.^[1]

The UK Indie Chart was first compiled in 1980, and independent distribution became better organized from the late 1970s onward.^[5] In 1986, NME released the compilation album C86, which was influential to the spread of indie music.^[4] In the United States, independent music was first spread by in the 80s by college radios and thus dubbed college rock (also later termed modern rock and alternative rock).^[6] Defining American albums of this era include Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation (1988) and Pixies’ Doolittle (1989).^[4] However, unlike the UK, this music was not referred to as "indie" until the 00s.^[6]

Indie music reached wide commercial success in the 1990s, especially with Britpop, with bands like Blur, Pulp, and Oasis receiving worldwide acclaim.^[1] As well, American grunge bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and The Smashing Pumpkins received mainstream success.^[4] In 1991, the Grammys added an Alternative section for "non-traditional form" existing "outside of the mainstream music consciousness".^[6]

21st century

The internet's ease of spreading information influenced indie music's global spread and popularization in the United States.^[6] Music fans no longer relied on publications or magazines to hear about new artists.^[6] At the beginning of the 21st century, the term indie came to describe a number of related but distinct subgenres.^[1] One example is indie folk, a stripped-back low fidelity approach to folk music, as seen in Fleet Foxes or Bon Iver.^[1] Widely popular indie rock bands of this era include Arcade Fire and Arctic Monkeys.^[1] By this time, the term indie had transcended the definition of solely independently released music, and came to represent a "general resistance to popular and mainstream culture, evoking realism, independence and authenticity".^[1]

Independent record labels

An independent record label is one that operates outside of the funding and creative control of major record labels. Independent labels generally have greater creative freedom, at the cost of smaller budgets and personnel.^[7] Independent labels are often able to support artists working in niche styles of music,^[8] and rely heavily on personal networking, or word of mouth, to expose their acts.^[9] Independent labels are usually small operations, with almost no outside assistance and run out of tiny offices.^[10] Some acts choose to go from an independent label to a major label if given the opportunity, as major labels have considerably more power and financial means to promote and distribute products, sometimes increasing the chances of greater success.^[11]

Distribution

There are a few ways an independent label may go about distributing its music.^[8] Some independent labels are owned by major labels, who carry out the distribution for them.^[8] Other labels instead go through independent distributors.^[8] Many current artists use their own resources to produce, record, market and release music through Spotify, SoundCloud, and other streaming platforms with social media in a direct, do-it-yourself manner allowing creative distribution.^[12] There is the potential for artists to gain large numbers of streams on Spotify if their music are included in certain popular playlists.^[13]

For both independent and major labels, the label generally owns the copyright to the sound recording.^[8] Artists who maintain their copyrights usually must sacrifice other parts of their deal, and must give the label a temporary license to the recordings.^[8]

Contracts

An advance is a pre-payment of royalties from the label for the artist to record the album; it is paid back through the album's royalties.^[14] Independent labels generally give out much smaller advances than major labels, if any.^[14][8] Additionally, some independent labels will cover an album's recording costs instead of proving a set dollar amount as an advance.^[8] One advantage of smaller advances is that artists have less to pay back, and therefore can begin to profit quicker.^[8]

There are a number of ways that an independent label may structure their contract.^[8] Some independent labels have contracts that are essentially equivalent to major label deals.^[8] On a major label, a typical royalty rate (what the artist takes) is 13% to 16%;^[14] however, some independent labels offer 50-50 splits, which functions more as a partnership.^[15][8] One issue is that artists often forgo their mechanical royalties in 50-50 deals,^[8] and it can be more difficult to recoup the advance, meaning it takes longer to turn a profit.^[14] Some labels forgo a formal contract altogether, and their deals include few restrictions.^[8]

See also

• Underground music
• Indie music scenes

References

Sources

Further reading

• Fonarow, Wendy Cagur. Empire of Dirt: The Aesthetics and Rituals of British Indie Music. Wesleyan, 2006. ISBN 0-8195-6811-2