Indie Music

Independent music (also commonly known as indie music, or simply indie) is a broad style of music characterized by creative freedoms, low-budgets, and a do-it-yourself approach to music creation, which originated from the liberties afforded by independent record labels. Indie music describes a number of related styles, but generally describes guitar-oriented music straying away from mainstream conventions. There are a number of subgenres of independent music which combine its characteristics with other genres, such as indie pop, indie rock, indie folk, and indie electronic. Additionally, in certain circles, the term indie has taken a definition entirely defined by the "typical" sound of independent music in the 1980s, losing the meaning connected with the style of production.

The origins of independent music lie in British independent record labels, such as Rough Trade and Mute. In the 1970s, these labels contributed to the emergence of a distinct sound, influenced by post-punk and new wave. ''NME'' released the influential compilation album '' C86'' in 1986, and helped with indie's spread and development. American independent music first emerged in the 1980s, and was spread via college radios. Styles that evolved out of indie music and reached wide commercial success in the 1990s include grunge (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and the Smashing Pumpkins) and Britpop ( Blur, Pulp, and Oasis. Independent labels use a variety of methods of distribution, with the label generally owning the copyright for the sound recording. They generally give smaller advances, or sometimes no advance, and some may offer higher royalty splits than major labels.

Characteristics

Although "Indie" was first used to described music released on independent record labels, the term grew to describe a specific sound because of the creative freedom of its initial bands and artists. A defining characteristic of indie music is that artists retain much more creative control over their music as compared to major labels. Bands often have small budgets, and employ a do-it-yourself ethos which influences their sound. Indie music generally represents guitar-oriented music which strays away from commercial conventions. It often features lyrics that are earnest and emotive, with many cultural and sociopolitical references. Many artists signed to major labels have retained creative control and are still considered indie artists.

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.Rogan, Johnny (1992) "Introduction" in ''The Guinness Who's Who of Indie and New Wave Music'', Guinness Publishing, 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 labels like Virgin Records. 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.

Emergence as a style

During the punk rock era, the number of independent labels grew. In 1977, Manchester-band Buzzcocks released '' Spiral Scratch'', considered the first independently released rock release. 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, which was influenced by post-punk and new wave. Important albums that contributed to this style include Joy Division's ''Unknown Pleasures'' (1979) and Depeche Mode's '' Speak & Spell'' (1981). Released on Rough Trade, '' Inflammable Material'' (1979) was the first independently-released album to sell over 100,000 copies. By the 1980s, the indie pop band The Smiths, signed with Rough Trade, "came to exemplify indie both musically and culturally" according to ''The Conversation''. The Smith's authentic sound contrasted with the common highly produced pop music of the time.

The UK Indie Chart was first compiled in 1980, and independent distribution became better organized from the late 1970s onward.Lazell, Barry (1997) "Indie Hits 1980–1989", Cherry Red Books, In 1986, NME released the compilation album '' C86'', which was influential to the development of indie music. In the United States, independent music was first spread by in the 1980s by college radios and thus dubbed college rock (also later termed modern rock and alternative rock). Defining American albums of this era include Sonic Youth '' Daydream Nation'' (1988) and Pixies' ''Doolittle'' (1989).

However, unlike the UK, this music was not referred to as "indie" until the 2000s.
Indie music reached wide commercial success in the 1990s, especially with Britpop bands like Blur, Pulp, and Oasis

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