What Is Indie Music? The Truth Behind this Unique “Genre”

Did you know that the term ‘indie’ is originally the abbreviation of ‘independent?’

Most people didn’t. The musical term has been confusing people for years. Is it a genre? Is it a subgenre?

No one knew for sure, and the dramatic diversity of its artists wasn’t helping either.

Most people enjoy indie music but ask them to define the genre, and they’re at a loss of words. That’s because, contrary to common belief, indie isn’t a genre. It’s more of a label, and I’ll tell you why.

In this article, I’ll shed some spotlight on one of the loosest musical concepts: indie music.

What Is Indie Music?

In a nutshell, indie is a term that describes music created by independent artists, which means major record labels don’t support them.

The artists don’t play the same music, and a single genre doesn’t identify them, so we can’t consider indie a single genre. It’s more of an umbrella that classifies artists according to their approach to recording.

Is Indie a Music Genre?

Many people consider indie music a genre because of its association with indie pop and indie rock. However, it’s not a music genre per se.

A lot of people describe indie as an attitude. Without the power of a record label, the artists have better chances to express themselves and create their music without any restraints or limitations. They also have the freedom to make music videos and deliver their music how they see fit.

Depending on each artist’s music, indie spreads out into subgenres, such as indie rock and indie pop. They aren’t different from regular rock and pop, except that independent artists play them.

Initially, artists who played indie didn’t have their eyes on fame or money. They enjoyed music, and they played it to fulfill their passion.

Over time, things changed, and indie artists started gaining worldwide fame. The Arctic Monkeys and Tame Impala are perfect examples of that.

As a result, many people believe indie is replacing ‘alternative music’ as the blanket musical term that comprises anything non-mainstream.

Difference Between Record Labels and Indie Labels

What are artists getting themselves into by creating indie music? Major record labels supposedly offer more security and better chances, but they come with their share of limitations.

Here’s a brief comparison between major record labels and indie labels.

Major Record Labels

The word ‘major labels’ refers to the record labels who’ve been in the business long enough—at least more than two decades. These labels produce music through their own distribution companies, and they aim at making music for commercial success.

That’s why passionate artists prefer to create their music on their own without being burdened by commercial purposes.

A lot of artists don’t have the luxury to choose, though. Major labels provide the thing most new artists need to start their journey: financial backing.

Without adequate financial support, some artists may not have seen the light of the day. If they don’t have alternative solutions, their only way to fame is to sign with a major label.

The most famous record labels currently include Sony, The Universal, and The Warner Music Groups.

Indie Labels

While major labels focus solely on success, fame, and money, indie labels’ only concern is the music itself. They’re unable to offer significant financial assistance, and they don’t provide large-scale opportunities in terms of fame.

Their sole purpose is to produce music without restrictions.

From an artistic point of view, indie labels give chances that major labels don’t offer. They give artists the creative freedom to create anything, which lets them express their passions without limitations.

The Full History of Indie Music

Indie music started hitting the markets in the 70s, but the artists didn’t have enough funding to get their music to worldwide fame. Everything’s changed now, though, and indie music has rightfully earned its place among the top tracks.

Here’s the complete history of indie music.

The ‘70s – How Indie Music Came to Light

Many people would be surprised to know that indie started as punk music by none other than the Buzzcocks. In fact, rock punk bands are the reason there’s a music label called indie; they laid its foundation, sang it, and a lot of artists carried the flag later on.

Indie music’s debut was the Buzzcocks’ extended play, Spiral Scratch, which found its way to light in 1977. The band didn’t have enough money to promote their music, and they raised funds from their families and friends.

Despite that, the mini-album showed huge success, and independent music was born.

It’s believed that the Virgin store, particularly Manchester’s branch, was the reason the album succeeded. Selling the album in a record store made it available for commercial use; the concept of selling independent music put the blueprint of what was to come later.

A lot of producers and unsung artists later adopted the concept of indie music. In 1978, a lot of indie labels were created, including Factory Records by Tony Wilson and Rough Trade by Geoff Travis.

These UK independent labels significantly contributed to indie music evolution, and a lot of indie bands came out under their wing, including Joy Division and The Smiths.

The ‘80s – The Post-Punk Era

In the ‘80s, indie music evolved from rock punk music to include more genres and music styles. The Smiths were partially responsible for that.

In the mid-’80s, the band was signed to Rough Trade. They released their album, Meat Is Murder, which showed unrivaled success, although it wasn’t backed by a major label. Two years later, a new album called ‘The Queen Is Dead’ came out, and the British band was quickly touring the world with their cultural indie music.

After The Smiths’ fame went through the roof, a lot of young artists were influenced, and they started adopting indie music in their way to fame. The list of influenced artists includes the Libertines and Oasis.

Along with The Smiths, R.E.M had their share of indie contributions, too. The American band was formed in 1980 as one of the first alternative rock bands in the country. A lot of bands later followed, such as Pavement and Nirvana, who saw R.E.M as the genre’s number one band.

R.E.M stayed loyal to indie music throughout the ‘90s. When their album ‘Out of Time’ came out, it was considered one of the last standing guards for alternative rock before it went completely mainstream.

Later in the ‘80s, indie bands like Sonic Youth made new genres famous through their independent music. They redefined rock guitar, and their weird tuning ideas–such as using screwdrivers—influenced a lot of artists later on. The influenced artists include Cat Power and Beck.

In a way, the ‘80s era helped define indie music’s sound; that’s why it’s considered the golden era of indie artists. Before that, it was primarily punk music sung without restrictions. But with bands like The Smiths and R.E.M on the scene, the music outgrew the punk aesthetic, and it had a shape.

It was close to classic rock but with a lighter texture and more controversial lyrics. Most songs also had art and political references.

The ’90s – The Indie Renaissance Era

Despite the massive success of indie in the ‘70s and ‘80s, the music style was only brought to the forefront and top tracks in the ’90s. The credit mostly goes to grunge bands, such as Soundgarden and Nirvana, although some of them went mainstream afterward and signed with major labels.

Part of the ‘90s success is also because home recording equipment became more available and affordable. Stores sold digital recording systems, and the artists no longer needed to rent studios and pay a fortune.

One of the most famous indie artists who used their own equipment to record in the ‘90s is Elliot Smith. He gained popularity in Portland, Oregon, where he lived for most of his life.

He was known for recording his albums himself and using his own equipment. Elliot inspired many indie artists to do the same, and self-produced music quickly became popular.

While indie music had a shape in the ‘80s, it progressed in the ‘90s to include more genres and music styles. Anything that was independently produced was considered indie, and it resulted in a wide diversity.

The 2000s – The Road to Mainstream

In the 2000s, the internet made it possible for any artist to promote their music. Records sales took a decline, and everything was possible for indie artists, even if they didn’t have enough money.

As a result, indie music ended up in the mainstream, up to the point that some artists and bands won Grammys and earned their places among the top tracks.

The definition of indie music took a slight curve, and it was more about the music and who it inspired from, even if the artists had ties to major record labels.

Bands who had obvious indie influence were classified as indies, even if they were looking after commercial success. Suddenly, it wasn’t so hard anymore to succeed as an indie artist, and this normally had indie lose some of its glamour.

Several indie genres got popular in this era, including indie-pop. A lot of people expected indie to take a step back since most of the bands on the scene were indies, and it wasn’t special anymore. However, against all odds, indie kept growing and spreading into more subgenres.

The Difference Between Alternative and Indie Music

Most bands labeled as indies are also known for singing alternative music. Indie music doesn’t tie itself to major labels, and alternative music is the same. Both concepts are vague, and they have no rules. This begs the question: What is the difference between the two musical terms?

Some people like to believe it’s a difference of their origins. Both musical concepts are the same, except that indie music was born in the UK through British artists, while alternative music found its way to fame from the US.

Here are the most prominent differences between indie and alternative music.

Sound

After the ‘80s punk era, indie music was all about acoustics, thanks to bands like The Smiths and R.E.M, who adopted guitars as their main sounds. Back then, the term ‘indie’ didn’t ring any bells in the US; it was mostly used in the UK.

As for alternative music, it originated from the ‘80s punk music in the USA, and it had a rocky edge that wasn’t there in indie music. The music was all about electric guitars and rock sounds, and it had a harder edge than its counterpart.

The sound difference can’t be taken into account now since both styles went through diversity, and a single sound no longer defines them. However, when both music styles had a distinctive sound, indie went acoustic, while alternative was all about rock.

Diversity

Alternative music started off as hard rock, and it got its share of evolutions, including some subgenres, such as funk, hip hop, and pop. However, there wasn’t much diversity; most bands either created rock music or guitar-based pop music.

So, while alternative music mainly revolved around two genres, indie was expanding to include genres of all kinds. It was more an ‘experimental’ music style, so any artist could do whatever they liked. From pop to electronic to folk, indie music’s diversity became hard to match.

Definition

Back in the ‘90s, some bands opened the doors of fame to alternative music. A lot of bands like Nirvana gained commercial success, got places on the top 40 lists, and signed with major record labels.

As a result, alternative music got much closer to the mainstream than it was before, and people started using the term ‘indie’ for artists only if they were outside of the mainstream.

In the mid-’90s, bands that started as indies were no longer eligible for being called indies. Their commercial success and ties to major labels went against that, but their music could still be called ‘alternative.’ The best example of that is R.E.M.

The definitions got pretty fuzzy in the late ‘90s, when indie bands started getting close to the mainstream, as well. The line between the two musical terms got thinner, and people started using them interchangeably without being aware of their differences.

The Most Influential Indie Bands Around the World

Millions of people played indie music, but only a few were able to reach worldwide success and influence younger artists to do the same. Here’s a brief list of some of the most influential indie bands in the world, in case you want to start exploring some of their music.

The Pixies

Although underrated, we can’t deny the influence of The Pixies on indie music. Their 1989 album, Doolittle, inspired a lot of rock bands to follow their lead. Nirvana was one of the inspired bands, which tells you a lot about how great The Pixies were.

The band was known for its dynamic shifts and controversial lyrics. A lot of their songs featured offbeat subjects, including conspiracy theories.

Although they originated in the US, their popularity surged in Europe more so than in their birthplace. In 1993, the band broke apart, but they came back in 2004.

Joy Division

Joy Division is an iconic band, to say the least. When it first started, the band was known for its punk music. Later on, its sound and style evolved until it became a pioneer of the ‘80s post-punk era.

Joy Division released an EP called An Ideal for Living in 1978. Since then, they started drawing the attention of some indie producers, such as Tony Wilson, who signed the band to Factory Records.

The band’s album, Unknown Pleasures, is one of the best indie albums known to date.

Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth had a long career; they kept producing music for nearly 30 years, although their lineup changed a couple of times amid their journey. In 1988, the band released ‘Daydream Nation,’ which is considered one of the most iconic indie albums to our day.

The American band started off with an experimental wave, and they played Shoegaze music for a while. They got known for their alternate tunings and noise music, which got them their place as one of the most prominent American rock bands.

The band inspired a lot of young artists with their unconventional music, including Kurt Cobain. They broke apart in 2011, leaving an immortal legacy of indie music.

R.E.M

I mentioned R.E.M a lot in this article, which gives you an idea about their influence on indie music. The band was responsible for the new direction of indie, away from the punk rock scene. Their albums and contribution to the rock scene earned them a place on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

R.E.M always went against the mainstream. They were one of the first bands to stand against lip-syncing. Their singer, Stipe, was known for singing live over pre-recorded music.

Not only that, but the band also took their music to a folksy rock direction, when most of the bands back in the day were singing synth-pop and disco.

Like most bands, R.E.M broke apart, but their music lives forever.