Indie was originally shortened from the word ‘independent’ in the 1950s and 60s. In a world where huge labels dominated the musical industry, stifling creativity and originality, independent music was a back-street rebellion. With a distinctly low-tech approach to every aspect of the music-making process – from recording to publicity – this ‘do-it-yourself’ movement symbolised a rebirth of popular music.

Originally interchangeable with terms such as ‘alternative rock’ and ‘underground’, Indie music ranged from the dreamlike and evocative beats of The Velvet Underground to the primal teenage rebellion of the Stooges. Slowly Indie record labels grew up and developed a small but devout following, whilst encouraging musical experimentation and developing connections with other art forms like film and painting.One of the most experimental and influential musicians of the early days of Indie was Captain Beefheart. His 1969 album Trout Mask Replica brings together shards of pop, jazz, blues, poetry and rock to create a collage of surreal fantasy that has inspired dozens of musicians, including the likes of The Beatles.

The history of indie

No genre is harder to define than Indie. At some point or another in music history dozens of music styles could be classed as Indie. With no clear reference point or outline, Indie music has spilled over musical boundaries and seeped into almost every genre available. The growing popularity of Indie music was reflected in the sales; record label Cherry Red’s Indie compilation record ‘Pillows and Prayers’ sold more than 120,000 copies, and new order’s 1983 ‘Blue Monday’ became the best selling 12-inch single of all time, with UK sales estimated at over 1 million.From that point on Indie’s rise in popularity seemed unstoppable, culminating in the 1989 Reading Festival with a line-up entirely devoted to Indie music. Indie was overtaking rock and pop as the voice of a generation.

HIstory

HIstory

In 2006 it all changed, with Arctic Monkeys utilising new social media to self-publicise their debut album Whatever You Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. Rapidly becoming the fastest selling debut album of all time, selling almost 400,000 copies in the first week, the Arctic Monkeys showed how the Internet had truly changed the music industry in a way that was beyond the control of major record labels. In a way, the Arctic Arctic Monkeys introduced a new generation of listeners to Indie, and kick-started a new musical chapter.

In the wake of Franz Ferdinand and the Arctic Monkeys Indie ‘landfill bands’ have flooded the charts: The Wombats, Vampire Weekend, Friendly Fires, the Cure, the Horrors and Fleet Force, to name just a few of the bands that have defined this new musical generation. Fans of the Stooges, The Sex Pistols and the Ramones were fuelled and inspired by a sense of exclusivity and the discovery of something new. Now, clubs across the country are playing bands whose predecessors performed in garages and cellars, and even the most musically unaware schoolgirl can sing along to ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’ and ‘I Bet That You Look Good on the Dance Floor’.

But does the fact that Indie is now unashamedly mainstream alter its message, or stop it from being good music? I can proudly say that I am a fan of modern Indie music; I have entire playlists dedicated to it, I know every lyric to The Wombats’ second album The Wombats Proudly Present, This Modern Glitch and I think festival line-ups are all the better for including more and more Indie bands. Whilst being mainstream does not automatically equate to creating bad music, I will readily admit that Indie music no longer holds the attention of

those who want to break away from popular music. I would personally suggest Dubstep. The high-aiming concepts behind the music of Nero, Skillled and Deadmau5 are not dissimilar to those

behind Captain Beefheart and Joy Division, with the same sense of exclusivity and mild superiority.

Using Twitter and YouTube, Dubstep music has generated the same effect as the underground posters and slogans of the 1960s. The

sound produced is very different, and connections with Indie music are not immediately obvious, but if you look carefully, they are closer

than you might think. However, with Nero already scoring number ones with the single ‘Promises’ and their debut album Welcome Reality, one can only wonder how long it will be until Dubstep

explodes into mainstream music consciousness and starts to lose its grime of underground cool.

HIstory

Key artists in the development of the genre /at the moment

The key artist at the moment for indie is Joy Division which is part of the NME music magazine, Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis (vocals and occasional guitar), Bernard Sumner (guitar and keyboards), Peter Hook (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Stephen Morris (drums and percussion). Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences to develop a sound and style that pioneered the post-punk movement of the late 1970s. According to music critic Jon Savage, the band "were not punk but were directly inspired by its energy".

Audience / fans – who are they? Demographic?

The target audience for indie is normally listened by men who are between the ages 15—24 years old . This is normally due the dressing sense and cultural lifestyle which relates to male audience. Indie music has a response among youngsters as its been shown to be a famous child we all watch grow up. The word indie comes from ‘independent’.A lot of students embody this theme as it gives the sense of freedom. Within this genre being low-budget is hard to compose an idea based on others interpretation.

Indie pop

Extreme metal

Afro punk

Death metal

Post-metal

Indie rock

Hardcore-punk

Art rock

Skate rock

Doom metal

Cowpunk

Dark-caberet

Sub Genres Of Indie

Public perception of the genre, is it a popular genre with mainstream appeal or more niche?

Creative freedom with smaller, independent record labelsMost people do not know about indie music. Independent music, in my opinion, is the form of all music with out the persuasion of the general public, as well as the persuasion of the immense gain of wealth that we see today by current mainstream artists. These independent artists have an unexpurgated, pure of form music with out the control of demanding labels and corporate companies. Independent music is superior to mainstream garble because you can appreciate the music for exactly what it is, and not have some preconception of the music just because it’s popular, or enjoy it because the “artist” puts on a “good show”.Indie artist are superior compared to mainstream artists because they are not owned by corrupt labels and corporate companies, and have not been created in order to please the general public. Today’s indie artists can range from post-punk garage rock, to new wave lo-fi, but they all have something in common. All these independent artists stay true to their artistic integrity. They are able to do this because their creative talent is not constrained by the large labels. Compared to the most of the current mainstream, they have not been conjured up by a corporate company in order to seduce the general public into enjoying their music by using depraved tactics in pursuance of pleasing the mind and senses of the easily manipulated. Certain widely accepted artists tend to lack originality. This is because they eradicate their off beat artistic ideas, in order to make their music more digestible for the masses. This causes their music to be muddled with pointless simplistic beats that most people enjoy. Therefore, compared to the current mainstream, Independent artists do not break down their creative ideas and boil them down into nothing so that a large majority of people will accept it.

Record labels / key industry figures?..

Rough Trade

The big daddy of British indie labels, Rough Trade has had its ups and downs since 1978 when Geoff Travis founded it in the back of his Notting Hill record shop. Its early roster was an embarrassment of riches: the Smiths, the Fall, and Stiff Little Fingers whose Inflammable Material, Rough Trade’s first ever album release, sold more than 100,000 copies. The label went bust in 1991, losing a decade, but soon after its relaunch in 2000, Travis happened upon a little-known New York band called The Strokes. Now owned by Beggars Group, the label manages acts as diverse as Antony & the Johnsons and Micachu

XL Recordings

Not many labels combine critical acclaim and profitability with greater aplomb than XL Recordings. It started out in 1989 as a dance offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records and has since grown in scope and success. The label’s roster reads like a who’s who of exciting crossover talent – MIA, Dizzee Rascal, the xx, Vampire Weekend – and with Adele’s second album, 21, dominating the charts, XL’s accountants must be grinning ear to ear. While his label thrives, boss Richard Russell still commands street-level credibility: his latest acquisition is LA rap wunderkind Tyler.

Competition: what are the other magazines covering the genre..

How many do they sell each issue?How often do they come out…

What sort of features do they contain..

what other magazines covering the genre indie:

Snare sell their issue by attracting the buyers attention regarding how the magazine is Placed out, for example as you can see across its in big bold writing which catches buyersAttention very quickly. The main focus would be the main image of the magazine which Attracts many buyers.Snare is a popular magazine in the indie sector, many people rate it to be very good.Snare comes out once a week, they contain different features such as fashion, bands and mostly based upon feminine characteristics'.

SNAREmaster head

BarcodeIssue date

Main image

Banner

Cover lines

RELEVANTRELEVANT has been the leading platform reaching Christian twenty- and thirtysomethings. RELEVANT Media Group is a multimedia company whose purpose is to impact culture and give voice to what God is doing in and through our generation. We believe encountering God changes lives, so the magazine looks at how we can live that out in tangible and intentional ways. We talk about culture and real-life issues that other faith-based magazines might shy away from, because we believe it's important to address the gritty stuff of life—even when it makes us uncomfortable. If it's relevant to our readers, you'll find it on our pages.Relevant comes out every week and isn't very pricey therefore many people tend to buy it who enjoy indie music.

PULP!

PULP is a visually charged bi-annual fashion magazine. The unapologetic editorial content within each issue depicts and explores thematic ideas and trends relevant to the current mood of fashion, street culture and the world. PULP MAGAZINE utilizes home-grown and international contributors to weave the multicultural point of view that is distinctly Canadian into international fashion. PULP breathes, invigorates, inspires and encourages creative thought. Pulp is normally sold for £3.00They normally come out every week as many indie fans enjoy reading pulp.

Cross media – what other media covers that genre? TV

stations / shows? Radio stations / shows? Websites?

INDIE TV SHOW

Indie has a TV show which contains music from all the best artist that are working for indie, this TV show makes money of providing it for the audience. Also you can personalise your own music or even play karaoke by going on to the website. So as you can see indie is portrayed in several ways to the target audience.

Website slogan

Indie Artist Portrays different genres

The radio station for indie works through the internet, as below I have placed a site where you can stream live indie music. So from this its portrayed that indie music has been constructed nation wide.

Radio Station/websites

Artist Case Study:• Oasis

• Radiohead – EMI to XL recordings

Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher(vocals and tambourine), Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs(guitar), Paul "Guigsy" McGuiganbass guitar) and Tony McCarroll (drums, percussion), who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher (lead guitar and vocals). They have had eight UK number-one singles and eight UK number-one albums, and won fifteen NME Awards, nine Q Awards four MTV Europe Music Awards and six Brit Awards.

OASIS

• Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke (7 October 1968) is an English musician, artist and philanthropist who is the lead vocalist, principal songwriter. Guitarist and pianist of the rock band Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but has also played drums and bass guitar (notably during the Kid And Amnesiac sessions). In July 2006, he released his debut solo album, The Eraser to critical acclaim. Thom Yorke is also the lead singer of Atoms for Peace.

• Yorke has been curtsied among the most influential figures in the music industry; in 2002, Q Magazine named Yorke,6th most powerful figure in music,[and Radiohead were ranked #73 in Rolling Stone's"100 Greatest Artists of All Time" in 2005. Yorke has also been cited among the greatest singers in popular music; in 2005.

RadioHEAD

Predictions for the future? How might the genre develop? What direction does it appear to be heading in?

Prediction for indie music is very unlikely to get very famous due to the fact R&B and Hip pop seems to be the most famous in todays media. The genre may at least develop if there were more artist which were portrayed to others to unsure everyone got in sight of indie music and how it really is. To be displayed in shops with posters or even playing songs in shops which right know the only music we tend to hear its either R&B or hip pop.