Independent music

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, particularly in genres overlooked by major labels. During the 1940s–1950s, labels such as King Records, Sun Records, and Stax played a crucial role in the development of jazz, rhythm and blues, and early rock and roll, which were initially sidelined by the majors and were also responsible for pioneering both musical innovation and production techniques that major labels would later emulate, with Atlantic being the first label to make recordings in stereo, while Sun and Chess introduced slapback echo and makeshift echo chambers. Additionally, independent labels were often the only platforms available for marginalized artists in America at the time, which included many Black musicians, as viable mediums to release and distribute their work. By the 1960s, several British producers and artists launched independent labels as outlets for their work and artists they liked Independent labels gained further prominence in the American 1960s underground music scene such as ESP-Disk and International Artists. Other independent labels included those in Germany's krautrock scene like Kraftwerk's own label Kling Klang Records as well as Ohr, Brain, and Sky Records. Prior to the late 1970s, major record companies held so much power that independent labels struggled to establish themselves. During this time, some popular artists formed their own labels, such as the Beatles' Apple Records, Frank Zappa's Straight and Bizarre Records, as well as the Rolling Stones' Rolling Stones Records and Grateful Dead's Grateful Dead Records. However, these ventures often failed commercially or were eventually absorbed by major labels, until the launch of new labels like Virgin Records. However, this dynamic began to change in 1979 when Rough Trade released the album Inflammable Material by Stiff Little Fingers which went on to be the first independently-released album to sell over 100,000 copies. This success sparked major record companies' interest in independent music and by the end of the decade, the establishment of the UK indie charts signaled the growing popularity of the movement. Other notable early indie labels include Mute, 4AD, Factory and Creation Records. Emergence as a style During the punk rock era, the number of independent labels grew as they became integral to the early years of punk rock musical distribution, as seen with Beserkley Records in the US, who put out the debut album of the Modern Lovers which was recorded years earlier. By 1977, Manchester-band Buzzcocks released Spiral Scratch, which alongside the Desperate Bicycles early singles showed listeners how to produce and distribute their own records independently at very low cost, inspiring a wave of DIY punk bands like Swell Maps, 'O' Level, and Television Personalities who helped popularize independent rock releases. Distribution was further improved with the establishment of 'The Cartel', an association of companies like Red Rhino and Rough Trade Records who would take the releases from these small labels and get them into record shops nationwide. 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. As well, American grunge bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and the Smashing Pumpkins received mainstream success. In 1991, the Grammys added an Alternative section to its awards ceremony, for "non-traditional form[s]" existing "outside of the mainstream music consciousness". 21st century musician Lorde in 2022|185x185px The internet's ease of spreading information influenced indie music's popularization in the United States and global spread. Music fans no longer relied on publications or magazines to hear about new artists. At the beginning of the 21st century, the term indie came to describe a number of related but distinct subgenres. One example is indie folk, a stripped-back low fidelity approach to folk music, as seen in Fleet Foxes or Bon Iver's first album, For Emma, Forever Ago. Widely popular indie rock bands of this era include Arcade Fire and Arctic Monkeys. 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". == 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. They are often able to support artists working in niche styles of music, and rely heavily on personal networking, or word of mouth, to expose their acts. Indie labels are usually small operations, with almost no outside assistance and run out of tiny offices. Some artists 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. Distribution There are a few ways an independent label may go about distributing its music. Some independent labels are owned by major labels, who carry out the distribution for them. Other labels instead go through independent distributors. There is the potential for artists to gain large numbers of streams on Spotify if their music is included in certain popular playlists or has gained traction on social media. For both independent and major labels, the label generally owns the copyright to the sound recording. Artists who maintain their copyrights usually must sacrifice other parts of their deal, and must give the label a temporary license to the recordings. 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. Independent labels generally give out much smaller advances than major labels, if any. Additionally, some independent labels will cover an album's recording costs instead of proving a set dollar amount as an advance. One advantage of smaller advances is that artists have less to pay back, and therefore can begin to profit quicker. There are a number of ways that an independent label may structure their contract. Some independent labels have contracts that are essentially equivalent to major label deals. On a major label, a typical royalty rate (what the artist takes) is 13% to 16%; however, some independent labels offer 50-50 splits, which functions more as a partnership. One issue is that artists often forgo their mechanical royalties in 50-50 deals, and it can be more difficult to recoup the advance, meaning it takes longer to turn a profit. Some labels forgo a formal contract altogether, and their deals include few restrictions. == Styles ==

Independent music is a broad category that is made up of distinct subgenres with influences from various other genres. Indie pop was one of the first independent music genres, and was initially synonymous with "indie". It features the homemade intimacy commonly found in independent music. The New Zealand Dunedin sound of the 1970s and 80s was also influential in indie rock's development. By the 1990s, indie rock had separated from alternative rock and gained popularity in the mainstream, The genre grew from traditional and contemporary folk, but took a distinctly independent approach inspired by indie rock. The genre gained further popularity and support in the 2000s from labels such as Saddle Creek, Barsuk, and Sub Pop. Indie folk is distinguished by its acoustic instrumentation – and often consists of just vocals and acoustic guitar – although some artists experiment with more diverse instrumentation. As well, indie folk artists are often singer-songwriters. It is not considered a scene or movement, and often combines influences from a variety of genres. Indietronica artists usually release their music on independent labels, with examples including Sub Pop, Warp, and Ghostly International. ==See also==