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I wear the meaning of indie like a tattoo, it’s a part of me. The term is complicated though, as it has become a homonym due to the changing landscape of the music industry. Is it a type of band? An affiliation? A sound? Or a mindset? It can be argued as any or all of the above, but to me it’s a statement about who I am and what I stand for, both morally and artistically. It is a commitment to the production of quality music, it is a business model, and a personal mantra to never let profit destroy an open, honest expression of art. The term “record label” originally referred to the circular label placed on a vinyl record that prominently displayed the manufacturer’s name. We now understand a record label as a team of people who partner themselves with musicians to handle the majority of the business aspects of a music career, primarily producing, manufacturing, distributing recorded music, and organizing live performances. While a major label deal can seem like the Holy Grail of an artist’s career (especially for extreme right brain thinkers), major labels often do more harm then help. As a business model that is motivated by profit they have been known to sign artists for their own political reasons, sign artists purely based on the intention to shelf their project and keep their work away from cutting into the market share of another artist on their label, pay artists only a fraction of the money they are actually generating so they can offer luxury to major label executives, alter or censor music content, artwork, image etc to increase sales-and that is just the tip of the ice berg. What this type of influence can cause is the homogenization of art and the loss of the artist’s message. A good musician is someone who has found a way to communicate that resonates with their listener. They are a messenger or storyteller that uses their communication to create a connection between people. If the communication between the artist and the listener is the catalyst to creating a fan then why should the artist allow their business team muddy or change the message? Before the creation of the internet musicians needed a middle man (the record label) to have their product distributed so that their music could reach people, but as the internet developed there became more and more ways for people to easily connect to each other, to information, and to art. Also as illegal downloading became common practice for many music lovers it drove the cost of production down, as not even record labels could afford the standards they put in place. This minimizes the need for major labels and their profit loving staff and opens job opportunities for music lovers who excel in business. To be an indie artist is to own your own business. It is to find those music lovers who excel in business and build your own team. It is to develop your own business model, and what you lack in salary you make up for with passion! The main differences in the independent route from the major label business model are 1) The artist owns their business and therefore retains artistic control of their work, and 2) The politics of major labels, in terms of who gets signed and then which artists’ projects get properly funded, are not present. The decision of which artists and projects get funded is decided upon by the listener. Each dollar that comes in from downloads, concert tickets, or T-shirts is like a vote from the listener of who they want to hear more from and what they want to hear. Running my business as an independent musician removes the middleman and strengthens my relationship with the listener. It allows me to have creative control of my art and to work closely with other artists and business professionals whose opinions I highly respect. I’ve seen how listeners can find empowerment in finding their voice, both by voting with their dollar and with their time to fuel the artists with whom they connect. As the independent music scene grows so does the honesty and diversity within our music marketplace and that makes me proud to be indie!
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