Indie music is short for independent music, denoting musicians who are not affiliated to any major record labels. They may either be unsigned or with really small and independent labels. A wide range of music and musicians can be loosely termed “indie”; the vagueness of the label itself testifies to the free and unstructured nature of indie music.
Why Indie?
Put simply, big music labels want to make money, and so the artists working with them produce sounds that have been known to capture the current popular imagination and that will “sell” well. While this may be great for their pockets, it certainly hinders musical progress.
As an art, music keeps evolving, and what stops the basic evolution is the repeating of styles in their various genres. This leads to an overall stagnation that is not difficult to trace at all if one follows the patterns of the various major record label music. Indie frees artists from these expectations and allows them to experiment creatively with their music.
Indie artists do not compromise on originality and creativity by following popular musical fashions, but help to evolve their respective genres by following a very strong DIY ethic. You might never see an Indie artist hit the charts with their work, but many times you might. The fluidity is what keeps things interesting in Indie music, and brings back what is actually most important: more than fame and money and popularity — the creation of original and innovative music.
Who Listens to Indie?
Often referred to as “college rock” because of its presence in radio stations, Indie music is enjoyed by many young people who are exposed to it. Bands like REM and Death Cab for Cutie started out as Indie bands and some are still considered Indie despite having reached commercial success.
The criterion for qualifying as an Indie artist is not commercial success or lack thereof, which speaks volumes about the actual focus of Indie music, i.e. on the art of music itself instead of extraneous things. Indie music is the music of the future, and is now developing many sub-genres and giving rise to a vintage wearing, indie listening youth subculture of its own.
Support Indie!
If you are exposed to Indie music and find an artist you like, then you can support their music by buying it and spreading the word. These bands are courageous enough to step out on their own without the security of a major record label backing them up. They make original music that is taking things forward in the music industry, and more importantly, in their own art.
