The Confusion of Indie Music's Meaning and Definition

Indie music has lost its meaning, confusing listeners with its broad and inconsistent use across genres.

### The Evolving Meaning of Indie Music: A Deep Dive
* 🎶 Indie music has become a **vague term**, often used to describe a **wide range of sounds** without a clear definition.
* 🤔 The term "**Indie**" is short for independent, referring to artists or bands not signed to **major record labels**, which can lead to confusion about what constitutes **indie music**.
* 🎬 Similar to indie films, indie music often showcases **creative visions that emerge from personal funding** rather than corporate backing, making it **more accessible for artists**.
* 💰 The distinction between indie and major labels is primarily financial, with major labels having **vast resources** that can influence the **sound and production quality** of music.
* 🔄 This financial dynamic has led to a blurred line where artists like Billie Eilish, who is technically **indie**, can also be considered **one of the biggest stars in the industry**.
* 📈 The rise of genres like hyperpop illustrates how many young artists can **produce music independently**, yet the genre labels often **overshadow the indie label itself**.
* 🔍 Ultimately, while the indie label can help listeners find new music, its **current usage has diminished in effectiveness**, and the term may need to **evolve or be replaced in the future**.
* ❤ As the music landscape continues to change, the discussion around what **indie truly means** remains relevant and open-ended, inviting **new interpretations and definitions**.

Indie music is a term that used to mean something but has been absolutely beaten to death. If you're anything like me, as someone that listens to a lot of varying kinds of niche stuff, you might have run into a situation where someone's asked you what kind of music you listen to, and all you can even think to say is Indie. But what does Indie even mean? Does the term mean anything anymore? Who on Earth is going to answer all of these countless questions I have about this music-related term? Uh, hello, that would be me. I've got an interesting relationship with Indie music. You might know, or you might not know, that I've done this series on TikTok for a while where I listen to every music genre. I don't want to be genre-phobic. That's why I'm listening to every single music genre. Today's genre is Vocaloid, Bass, NOA, Hyperpop, Folk Punk, and I'm a firm believer that, for the most part, genre names are good. They're a helpful little tool, purely there to help you know what

you like and find more of it, but I don't know if the term Indie really does that. So, what better way to get into it than to open one of my favorite big books, the [Applause] dictionary. Some people don't know this, but Indie is short for independent. This is basically the label that's given to any artist or band that's not signed to a major record label and is either signed to an independent record label or purely working on their own. And this isn't a term that's just used in the music industry. I'm sure you've heard of indie games, indie films, and whether you've known it or not, probably seen some. Hi, can I help you? Yeah, can I have a dozen red roses, please? Oh, hi, Johnny. I didn't know it was you. Here you go. That's me. How much is it? It'll be $18. Go keep the change. Hi, doggy. You're my favorite customer. Thanks a lot. Bye-bye-bye. And it's pretty straightforward when it comes to movies.

independent just means it was personally funded by a person or people that aren't working with a big production company like Warner or Universal, giving them unlimited money to make whatever. And if you're into movies like me, you might know that indie films can be some of the most interesting and creative movies out there, purely because at some level, someone had to really care about what they were making, about a certain creative vision that they went to the extremely difficult lengths of making a whole ass movie without the help of big Hollywood. And you could sort of say the same about indie music, except the barrier of entry is a hell of a lot cheaper and easier than making a whole movie. And I'm not it down or anything, but as a creative that wanted to make movies for most of my life, it can be pretty unmotivating when you have a cool idea for a story, but every time you're like, Well, I couldn't make some of the crazy scenes I want to without a bajillion dollars, a hundred crew members, and

a Production Studio, but if you have an idea for a song, you can just open Ableton and start putting sounds together. It's still hard, and there's a learning curve, but it's way more creatively fulfilling, in my opinion, when you actually have the power to make whatever you want out of your ideas. So, that low barrier of entry has led to a lot of indie musicians. I mean, if you witnessed the whole rise of hyperpop back in, like, 2020, a lot of the artists were, like, kids. I would be listening to a song, thinking, My God, this is the craziest production I've heard in so long, and then I look up the artist, and it's a 15-year-old. But you might notice that while a lot of hyperpop is technically indie, it's not called indie hyperpop. Meanwhile, there's stuff like indie pop and indie rock, which contains some huge artists. How does that work? [Music] One of the most confusing things about the indie term with music is that it

just gets slapped onto these other genres and basically loses its meaning and instead just becomes a description for this kind of indie sound. This stuff's confusing, but you know what's more confusing? The internet, which is why I'd like to take a second to talk to you about this video sponsor, Surfshark. Surfshark is an app and browser extension that allows you to mask your IP address and explore the very dangerous and unpredictable internet safely. These days, internet safety is as important as it's ever been, and it's important to protect your privacy online. If you're worried about being tracked or getting your data breached, you can block ads, malware trackers, and cookies. But it's not only great for internet privacy. One of my favorite features is being able to use stuff like Spotify or Netflix while traveling, or even if you're still at home. There might be a movie on Netflix in another country but not here. But through the magic of VPN, I can teleport myself to whatever country I want, and Bam, I can watch it now. Surfshark.

supports unlimited devices, and there's also a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you're on the internet a lot like me, I definitely recommend getting a VPN. I have been using them for years, and if you use code Bluster, you get an extra 4 months for free. Link is in the description. Back to the video. When I think of Indie music, there is a specific sound I sort of immediately go to, and that's basically a softer kind of rough-around-the-edges bedroom-produced sound. But some of the biggest sub-genres I see of this are Indie pop and indie rock. So, let's just see what's in the Spotify Indie pop playlist. Fay Webster, Biba Doobie. Sure, I'd say they're Indie. Give it up for Biba Doobie. Oh, uh, the glass glass animals. Didn't know they're Indie. Billie Eilish, my favorite Indie pop artist. I've just been waiting for her to get signed to a major label. Okay, maybe they have indie rock a little more under control. Okay, M Dearco, TV Girl. They're

they're actually Indie. I don't know if I'd say they're Rock, but they're Indie. Ah, The Strokes, my favorite Indie band. Hey, paa, okay, he's actually technically Indie. He's still signed to the same independent label as his first album, which is kind of crazy. Also did, also did you know it's just one person? And I know I got you with that thumbnail thinking T andala Nirvana. That's not indie, that's just mainstream Rock. But Nirvana, whether you like it or not, was technically Indie at first. And even though they ended up signing to a subsidiary of Universal, they were kind of super influential in what would become that well-known indie rock sound. If you think of a term like indie rock versus just Rock, there's definitely a difference of sound, even though all that's specifying is that one is signed to a major label and one isn't. But if you think about it, it makes sense because a lot of bands start out not necessarily wanting to sound Indie, but

they're more so just limited by what they have available. A great modern example of this is with the band Car Seat Headrest. I would say they're one of the big modern staples of indie rock, and their first album, Twin Fantasy, was super lo-fi and not mixed very well. It was recorded in a closet, and it sounds like it, but that didn't stop me from loving it. They stayed independent, but once they got bigger and had access to an actual studio, they decided to completely remake that first album into the vision they originally had but weren't able to execute at the time. Someone will get signed to a major label, and people will go, They changed their sound. It sounds so clean and produced now. Like, that's kind of just what happens when you get a budget in a studio. But the weird thing with indie music is that a lot of the stuff that's considered indie music just isn't. [Music] So, there's two main kinds of record labels: indie labels and major labels. There's tons and tons of indie labels.

out there, but there's only really four major labels, and they're referred to as the big four: EMI, Sony, Universal, and Warner. Now, you might be thinking, Luster, I know some other major labels. Yeah, well, they're owned by one of those four. What's a four-way monopoly called? Is there a word for that? What's the difference between indie and major label, you might ask. Money. That's it. The major labels got those bottomless corporate pockets to get you all kinds of studio equipment and marketing, while indie labels are a lot smaller with smaller budgets and can't really do as much for their artists. And that used to matter before major labels started doing stuff like asking that artists have a certain amount of social media followers to even qualify. Like, is that not your job? We are a major label, and you've gained our attention by building an audience, creating a lot of buzz, and even one of your songs has gone viral. Oh wow, this is the moment that every musician dreams of. A major label wants to sign me. How much are you offering? $2.

million $2 million. I can't even conceptualize having that much money at once. Well, you won't be getting all that money up front at once. You'll be getting paid out over time for every album you complete after you complete it. How many albums will I have to complete in my contract? Six. Six albums. That's a lot, but one album every two years. That comes out to be about $100,000 to $200,000 a year, plus album sales and streaming money. That's a livable wage. Well, you won't be getting any money from album sales or streams. What? Yeah, we will own the Masters to your music, and that $2 million isn't a salary. It's an advance, so that'll just go into the budget of all your records and then be considered recoupable funds. So, I'll use that money to make the albums and live off of. Correct. And then I'll have to pay it back with album sales. That's correct. So, it's kind of just like a loan. Um, yeah, that's correct. Yet another reason why this whole term

and definition is just so fuzzy. Is confusement a word? I'm going to use it anyway. It's the confusement, dude. That can't be a word. It's the confusing line between the technical definition of Indie and the sound of Indie that creates this weird line where stuff like Billy Eilish can be called Indie while also being one of the biggest artists in the world and very signed to a major label. And that's just because this specific song has a similar sound and tone to a lot of actually self-producing Indie artists. And then it also gets fuzzy because a lot of these independent record labels are distributed by the major labels or in some way owned by another label that's owned by that label. So then there's the question of whether an independent label is actually independent. So I mean I could sit here all day and go through what artists are actually Indie and what artists aren't, but at the end of the day, like I said at the beginning, as long as a genre label is helping people find new bands or

artists with similar sounds that they like. Then it works. It's doing its job. Does indie do that? I think it used to, but in its current state, it's kind of useless as far as looking for new music. Then I honestly don't think that'll change. I think that if people get fed up enough with that term, then we can just make another one. There's no rules to this stuff. It's just words, and I think the more, the merrier. That's all I got for this video. If you like the video, feel free to leave a like, and if you really like the video, hit the Subscribe button. It really helps, please. And if you're still here, I love you. The channel has been blowing up recently, and if you've been here for a bit, then you know I've been going at this for a while, and the support lately has just been absolutely blowing my mind. On that note, thanks for watching. Bye-bye.

What Does “Indie Music” Even Mean?

blustre

Indie music refers to artists and bands not signed to major record labels, often working independently or with smaller labels.

The term "indie" is short for independent and is also used in other creative industries like film and gaming.

While indie music offers a more accessible entry point for artists, it can still be challenging to achieve a unique creative vision without significant resources.

The low barrier to entry for music production software like Ableton has empowered many indie musicians, leading to the rise of genres like hyperpop.

The term "indie" has become confusing as it gets applied to various genres, losing its original meaning.

Indie pop and indie rock are prominent sub-genres, featuring major artists like Billie Eilish and Glass Animals.

Indie music is characterized by artists being signed to independent labels, with The Strokes and Nirvana as notable examples.

The sound difference between indie rock and mainstream rock is often due to the artist's resources and label affiliation.

Car Seat Headrest's journey from lo-fi recordings to a polished sound exemplifies the common transition artists make when gaining access to better resources.

The music industry is dominated by four major labels: EMI, Sony, Universal, and Warner, which own most other labels.

The main difference between indie and major labels is the size of their budgets, with major labels offering more resources for studio equipment and marketing.

When signing artists, major labels now often require a certain number of social media followers, and their offers typically come as an advance, which is recouped through album sales and streams.

The term "Indie" is confusing, as it blurs the line between independent artists and those signed to major labels.

The ownership and distribution of independent record labels by major labels further complicate the definition of independence.

While the genre label "Indie" used to help people find new music, its current state is seen as ineffective, leading to the possibility of creating new terms in the future.