Have you heard of Indie Rock? According to wikipedia.com, “Indie rock” is used as an umbrella term covering a wide range of artists and styles close to rock music, connected by some degree of allegiance to the values of underground culture and counterculture. In other words, it is a music of group of people who manage and organize their own music and careers. They, themselves are responsible for their album releases, airplays, and promotions. The following are some indie rock genres of the 1990s:

• Lo fi
• Noise rock
• Riot Grrl
• Math rock
• Post rock
• Indie pop

According to the article I have read, a lot of indie record shops are disappearing. Why is this happening? Most of these shops are closing because they cannot afford to stay open. What is the main reason for this? I think because of the fast phased technology especially the advancement in the world wide web, it is already possible to get your own copy of album for free. How great for consumers, but how sad for producers! This is the sad thought and reason why many artist especially indie artists fail to go the extra mile because of these hindrances and challenges in music industry.

One of the things II like in indie music is the unpredictableness of the artists and the song itself. Unlike with the other usual songs we hear from the radio, indie music is a kind of music that you would want to hear every now and then because of its uniqueness.

For indie artists, knowing what people seek in a song, you must be unpredictable. Catch their attention. Since indie songs are not as popular as rock, pop, or jazz songs, when people got to hear this the first time, your song must make an impact to them so that they will seek for your song every now and then.

In the indie music industry, it is important to produce your own genuine song. For those who are naturally talented, this is easy for them to do. But for the beginners, challenges will surely come your way. There will be risks around. If you will just focus your mind and if you know your target then the crooked road may go straight. You can know step by step what producing genuine song means.

Being genuine is being authentic. The great thing here is, it does not matter if you have an organized idea or thoughts. What is important is your personal touch on the song.

Recorded songs are very consistent; the beat in guitars will send harmonies into listener’s soul.

“Often, a deal from an independent label is quite the same to that of a major label. In instances where an independent label is distributed by a major label, the independent label itself will have to have a major-label deal. In this case, the independent label would want to be sure that their contract with their artists covers the same issues as the independent’s own contract with the major label. In other cases, independent labels offer similar contracts to major labels because they want to look more professional. An independent label that thinks it will eventually be dealing frequently with major labels will have a similar contract in order to avoid having to redraft contracts in the future. There are also plenty of cases in which independent labels have contracts that do not resemble major label contracts in any way. In general, independent labels that are not affiliated with a major label are more willing to take chances and are able to be more flexible in their deals.”Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_(music)#Going_major_versus_staying_indie

 “When a band goes on tour, it may or may not have the financial backing of its label. An artist receives a fixed fee or a percentage of the tickets sold by the venue owner or promoter. Touring is an expensive process. A moderate estimate of touring costs with a bus and small crew can easily reach $15,000 a week. If an artist tours with the support of their label, the expenses are all recoupable, thus potentially increasing a band’s debt. Many successful bands tour without the support of their label so that they can keep all of their touring revenue. An independent band would have more difficulty than a highly successful one in being self-sufficient on tour.”

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_(music)#Going_major_versus_staying_indie

Digital services offer the opportunity of exposure to new fans and the possibility of increased sales through online retailers. Artists can also release music more frequently and quickly if it is available online. In addition, artists have the option of releasing limited edition, out-of-print, or live material that would be too costly to produce through traditional means. With the arrival of newer and relatively inexpensive recording devices and instruments, more individuals are able to participate in the creation of music than ever before. Studio time is extremely expensive and difficult to obtain. The result of new technology is that anyone can produce studio-quality music from his or her own home (wikipedia.org).

I guess everyone is quite aware with online formats being sold in the market. There goes indie going with the flow this time around. Indie music, combined with Internet technology allows artists to introduce their music to a potentially huge audience at low cost without essentially affiliating with a major recording label. The design of digital music software encourages the discovery of new music. Sites with larger libraries of songs are the most successful. This, in turn, creates many opportunities for independent bands. Royalties from digital services could prove to be an important source of income. If artists have already paid to record, manufacture, and promote their album, there is little to no additional cost for independent artists to distribute their music online.

Indie artists are concerned more with self-expression than commercial considerations. It actually originated with punk during the year 1970, is often associated with indie, with people in the scene being involved in bands, labels and nights. Indie often has an internationalist outlook branching from unification with other fans, bands and labels in other countries who share one’s particular sensibilities. Small indie labels will often distribute records for similar labels from abroad, and indie bands will often go on self-funded tours of other cities and countries, where those in the local indie scenes will invariably help organize gigs and often provide accommodation and other support.