Alternative culture is a fussy beast. Independent artists are, by nature, pioneering and stubbornly independent. They work against the mainstream and push the boundaries of music. Or at least they used to.
Originally used to describe the sub-culture in Britain’s music scene in the ‘80s, the word “indie” refers to independent record labels and musicians.
But somewhere between then and now, the word and the genre of indie has become sullied as it’s been co-opted by mainstream culture.
Initially, there were a lot of reasons why indie bands couldn’t break into the mainstream.
First was the ethos: going mainstream meant compromising your integrity for commercial reasons.
Second, the sound and style of the music was incompatible with mainstream tastes. The music and lyrics might have been too whimsical and innocent, too sensitive and melancholy, or even just too weird.
Distorted, dissonant guitar sounds, angular melodies, awkward rhythms and unusual song structures are one end of the spectrum of indie.
On the other end: plucky tunes that feature jingly guitars and keyboards as well as toy instruments, glockenspiels and all-too-sweet lyrics. Jazz, country, surf-rock and blues; all of these genres and more influence the sounds of “indie.”
In the early 2000s, the music industry underwent seismic changes because of the Internet, opening the door to wider audiences and wider tastes. The rise of digital devices and the growth of websites like Myspace for self-promotion allowed a new wave of indie bands to achieve wider success.
Sites like Pitchfork.com also allowed readers all over the world to hear about new music for free as albums were released and reviewed.
Canadian music is a perfect example of the change in indie music. In the ‘90s, bands such as the Rheostatics were limited to play on alternative rock radio stations.
Today, bands like Arcade Fire and Feist are big, mainstream names that started out the same way. Even indie record labels have adapted and grown.
Toronto label Arts & Crafts began in 2002 to produce and distribute the album You Forgot It in People by Broken Social Scene.
The co-founders Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning, both members of the band, worked with friend Jeffrey Remedios, a former Virgin Records executive, to self-release the album.
The label’s self-made system of promotion and distribution was so successful, it was also used to release the albums of other artists affiliated with Broken Social Scene, including the now super-star, Feist.
Arts & Crafts now works with big-shot record label EMI Music Canada. EMI helps the label with distribution.
Arts & Crafts has released more than 50 albums from 30 artists and has earned 15 JUNO awards for its work. It is widely considered one of the most important music labels in Canada.
So what to make of all of this? Is indie just another buzz-word like grunge or Brit-pop, terms and sounds brought into the mainstream for commercial reasons?
If Arcade Fire, whose album The Suburbs hit number one on the Billboard chart and won a Grammy for Album of the Year in 2011, are any indication, it’s safe to say the indie ship has sailed.
The word is still used, but more as a marketing tool than a reference to the style of music. But don’t mourn the loss.
Indie was good while it lasted, but continuing to use this same word to describe a marketable band that can make it in the big leagues is a disservice to bands that are out to push the boundaries of music.
Artists and fans on the fringe always find something new, different and exciting to delve into.
It’s not about the semantics of the term, be it indie or otherwise. It’s about good, quality music that defies mainstream taste and makes being a music lover worthwhile. Indie is just another word music lovers have to lose.