Indie Music

Indie: What is it?

Indie music is short for Independent music, which refers to a category of music where most artists are on small, independent record labels or are unsigned. Indie can be used to define a wide variety of different musicians because of its free and unstructured nature. Many musicians do not fit into one particular genre, but are a mix of several different styles.

Indie originated in the United Kingdom during the 1950s and 1960s, when major record labels had so much power that several British artists rebelled against their controlling behaviour and launched their own independent music labels as outlets for their work. The punk rock era of the 1970s saw the beginnings of even more labels. The invention of the Internet in the late 1990s meant distributing music became even easier for independent artists, because they no longer needed a company to produce their work for them.

Most indie artists today still follow the DIY ethic by writing, performing and sometimes even producing their own music. They choose not to join up with big record labels, such as Universal, Sony and Warner. This is because big record labels want to make money, and so the artists working with them have to produce sounds that are considered “current”, “popular” and that will “sell”. While this may earn large profits for the artist (and the label), it affects the artist’s ability to evolve and express themselves through their music.

Expression is important to indie artists, who focus more on originality and creativity than following popular musical trends and making money. Indie music is known for having many different influences, ranging from R&B and pop through to hard rock and folk. This is the reason behind its growing following, especially among young people.

My personal opinion

Indie is one of my favourite musical styles simply because it’s different. A lot of today’s popular music often sounds the same (which gets boring after a while), whereas indie music is more experimental and so you get a whole blend of original styles with different influences. This is what keeps it interesting, and what makes indie music a true art.

Indie music compared to the music of the 1950s

The most significant difference between indie music and the rock ‘n’ roll style of the 1950s is mainstream popularity. Rock ‘n’ roll was promoted on a mass scale by the media (press, TV and radio) during the 1950s, which resulted in rock ‘n’ roll dominating the music industry and millions of records being sold. Indie, on the other hand, was always more of an underground, obscure style of music and was never really the focus of commercial attention.

Famous artists & albums

Arcade Fire – Funeral (2004)

Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006)

Belle & Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003)

Cut Off Your Hands – You & I (2008)

Death Cab For Cutie – Plans (2005)

Imogen Heap – iMegaphone (1998)

Ladyhawke – Ladyhawke (2008)

Modest Mouse – The Lonesome Crowded West (1997)

Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007)

Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation (1988)

The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love (2009)

The Smiths – The Smiths (1984)

Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)