The Advent Of Indie Music And Its Prevalence Today

 

The term Indie music is derived from independent music. It refers to music of any genre, cultural attribute and style but is perceived as being independent because the artists stay away from mainstream commercial music and they have a do-it-yourself attitude. Most indie artists typically record their own albums under small labels, sometimes in their homes or garages. These are considered by purists as the authentic indie artists. Many small indie labels have closed down, either because the owners lose interest or as in most cases, they run out of funds. Some such labels were Sarah Records, Factory Records and Kindercore Records.

 

If you were not to take a very purist stand on the issue, then an indie label could be defined as one which is not a part of any major recording labels such as Sony or Virgin records. Some labels remain independent and there are some which grow out of their indie status and become more commercial. Commercial success then leads to the label being taken over by one of the major labels. An example of this was Creation Records started by Alan McGee in the 1980’s. It had commercial success with Oasis in the 1990’s and after that was taken over by Sony.

 

Indie music over the years became synonymous with alternative music. In the 1990’s, indie music was established as an alternative to mainstream commercial music. More and more artists were recording with these small indie labels. In fact, alternative music came to be known as another genre of music. At present, indie music refers to music that is created separate from the mainstream establishments.

 

An interesting point to note is that some indie artists develop a new and different kind of sound, and major labels sign up these artists as they find them commercially viable. Soon after, other artists try to copy the same sounds and there are many such groups sounding the same as the original indie artist had a year back. Therefore, indie music cannot always be termed as an alternative type of music, but indie labels can exist as alternatives to major mainstream labels.

Indie artists are more influenced by the idea of self expression. They are not so concerned about being commercially successful. More than the money, it is the satisfaction of being able to record their own kind of music on their own terms that keeps indie labels going. There is a sense of belonging among indie artists from all over the world. A number of indie artists go on tours of other cities where the local indie bands organize shows and provide them accommodation. The sense of solidarity among indie bands often lead to joint shows and tours.

 

There are different types of independent labels. Some are affiliated to major labels where they can sign and record artists of their choice. The major label then manufactures and releases the albums for them. The other type is the purely independent label which is not affiliated to any major label and records its own albums. These albums are released through independent distributors.

 

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