The History of Indie Music

Many of us have heard the response “indie music” when we ask someone what type of music they are interested in or like to listen to. People often think that indie music is a genre, like classic rock or pop, but in reality, indie music doesn’t really refer to a genre or style of music;instead, the term derives from “independent.” This refers to the idea in which a record label operates independently from commercial, mainstream record companies.

It has slowly evolved into a genre of music, and wasn’t just defined as an independent record label. Indie emerged from post-punk, new wave, as well as “alternative” music that was released in the late 70s, by UK independent labels. Groups such as “The Modern Lovers,” “Suicide,” and “The New York Dolls” were credited as being the progenitors of punk and indie music.

When indie music started, there wasn’t an exact aesthetic that would define it. Instead, it varied from a dark, heavy, rhythm-centric intensity to synth-laden, upbeat electro-pop. In the mid-80s,the band “The Smiths” exemplified indie both musically and culturally. Later on, in the mid-90s, indie music reached a commercial peak, with Britpop, which was a form of guitar-led indie-pop/rock.

Indie music has been described over the years as being vibrant, exciting, poetic and catchy. In modern times, indie music isn’t a single genre of music, but has many sub genres. Some of these include “indie-classical,” “indie-rock,” “indie-folk,” “indie-hip-hop,” etc.  According to The Conversation, indie music is viewed as “…an all-encompassing terminology that describes general resistance to popular and mainstream culture, evoking realism, independence and authenticity.”

Indie music and culture have been criticized for various reasons, one of them being the lack of strong socio-political messages it was once known for, but it won’t take away the huge scale influence it has caused on the music industry the last decades, as well as on people.