Product Code Database
Independent music (also commonly known as indie music, or simply indie) is a broad style of music characterized by creative freedom, low budgets, and a do-it-yourself approach to music creation. It originated from the liberties afforded by independent record labels. Indie music describes a number of related styles, but generally refers to guitar-oriented music that deviates from mainstream conventions. There are a number of Music subgenre 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 on a definition entirely based on the typical sound of independent music in the 1980s, losing its connection to production style.
The origins of independent music lie in the early distribution of private press albums from the 1960s–1970s as well as late '70s British independent record labels, from the early alternative music scene such as Rough Trade, Factory Records, Industrial Records and Mute Records, which later contributed to the development of alternative rock music. NME released the influential compilation album C86 in 1986, which helped define indie rock. American independent music first emerged in the 1980s, and was spread via Campus radio, which led to the term college rock. Styles that evolved out of indie music and reached wide commercial success in the 1990s include grunge (Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Britpop (Blur, Pulp, and Oasis). In the 21st century, due to the internet, indie music saw a global spread in popularity, as music fans were no longer dependent on physical publications to find new music.
Independent record labels, important to the development of indie music, are characterized by their smaller operations, lower funding, and greater creative control as compared to Record label. 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.
During the 1940s–1950s, labels such as King Records, Sun Records, and Stax RecordsRogan, Johnny (1992) "Introduction" in The Guinness Who's Who of Indie and New Wave Music, Guinness Publishing, 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 Records being the first label to make recordings in stereo, while Sun Records and Chess Records introduced slapback echo and makeshift Echo chamber. 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 Joe Meek (Triumph Records), Andrew Loog Oldham (Immediate Records), Chris Wright with Terry Ellis (Chrysalis Records) and Larry Page (Page One Records).Rogan, Johnny (1992). "Introduction" in The Guinness Who's Who of Indie and New Wave Music. Guinness Publishing.Crépon, Pierre. "Wire Playlist: Musician-Owned Record Labels in Jazz in the 1940s–60s", The Wire, July 2020. 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 like Kraftwerk's own label Kling Klang Records as well as Ohr Records, 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 Records 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. The BBC documentary Do it Yourself: The Story of Rough Trade stated that "when Rough Trade began in 1976 there were about a dozen independent labels in Britain, by the end of the decade there were over 800."Wilson, Chris (13 March 2009). Do it Yourself: The Story of Rough Trade (Television production). Other notable early indie labels include Mute Records, 4AD, Factory Records and Creation Records.
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 stores nationwide.
In the late 1970s, certain UK independent labels (such as Rough Trade, Factory Records, Fiction Records, and Mute Records) 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. 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 Campus radio 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 Grammy Awards added an Alternative section to its awards ceremony, for "non-traditional forms" existing "outside of the mainstream music consciousness".
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.
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 Royalty payment 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.
|
|
