WHAT - INDEPENDENT MUSIC

So, what the f**k are indie music actually? Well, it in the popular music, independent music, often abbreviated as indie, is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels and an autonomous, do-it-by-yourself to recording and publishing. Independent Labels have been known to strive for minimal influence on the artist they represent, avoiding the artist-cultivating behavior of many major labels. Artists represented by Indie labels have been known to be focused more on producing music than becoming wealthy and/ or well known.

Independent labels have a long history of promoting developments in popular music, stretching back to the post-war period in the United State, with labels such as Sun Records. In the United Kingdom during the 1950s and 1960s, the major record companies had so much power that independent labels struggled to become established. Several British producers and artist launched independent labels as outlets for their work and artists they liked, but the majority failed as commercial ventures or were swallowed up by the majors. The punk rock era saw a plethora of independent labels. The UK Indie Chart was first compiled in 1980, and independent distribution became better organized from the late 1870s onwards.



Internet technology allows artist to introduce their music to a potentially enormous audience at low cost without necessarily affiliating with a major recording label. The design of digital music software encourages the discovery of new music. Sites with larger libraries of songs are the most successful. This, in turn, creates many opportunities for independent bands. Royalties from digital services could prove to be an important source of income. If an artist has already paid to record, manufacture, and promote their album, there is little to no additional cost for independent artists to distribute their music online. Additionally, artists have the option of releasing limited edition, out-of-print, or live material that would be too costly to produce through traditional means.

With the arrival of newer and relatively inexpensive recording devices and instruments, more individuals are able to participate in the creation of music than ever before. Studio time is extremely expensive and difficult to obtain. The result of new technology is that anyone can produce studio-quality music from their own home. Additionally, the development of new technology allows for the greater experimentation with sound. An artist is able to experiment without necessarily spending the money to do it an expensive studio. Most artist maintain their own websites as well as having a presence on sites such as Myspace.com. Technology advances such as message boards, music blogs, and social networks are also being used by independent music companies to make big advances in the business. Some sites rely on audience participation to rate a band, allowing listener to have a significant impact on the success of a band. This eliminates new talent search and development, one of the most costly areas of the music business. Other sites allow artists to upload their music and sell it at a price of their choosing. Visitors to the site can browse by genre, listen to free samples, view artist information, and purchase the tracks they want to buy. Acts such as Wilco have chosen to make their album available for streaming before they are released.

Many bands have chosen to forgo a record label and instead market and distribute their music only on the Internet. Digital marketing firms such as CDBaby, Magnatune and iTunes offer opportunities such as podcast creation and promoting and video hosting. In the case of digital distribution, musicians lend a company the rights to distribute their music. The contract is often non-exclusive, and the rights to the music generally remain with the artist. The non-exclusivity of the contract allows many artists to have an online presence while continuing to sell directly through their local independent music stores.