Indie will always love you

When you talk and think about music to an unhealthy degree, as I do, you realize that there are terms that much like marriage advice from your parrot, or sex with the only other person on a desert island somehow manage to be both convenient and meaningless. Words like “alternative” and “electronica” and, now, “indie.”

Indie used to mean a couple of things. Some wavy-haired, corduroy-pants-wearing people insisted it was a genre, which mainly consisted of wistfully delicate bands that sounded as if my hamster could beat them up. To the American and UK music press it was often also a genre, but one that encompassed R.E.M. and The Smiths and basically anyone Q magazine ever put on their cover (before they instituted their “all senior citizens, all the time” policy). The most practical definition of independent or indie music—one that was not tied to nebulous notions of genre—was the one that stated that it was simply music from an independent label, as opposed to a major label.

There is a glorious history of independent labels and the music they came out with, from Stax to Rough Trade to Sub Pop and so on. We are not going to go into it. (Maybe some other time, dear readers.)

On the local scene, our bands found their independence in the late 90s and the early 2000s. This is not to say that small independent labels did not exist before that—they did, and they managed to exert their own deep influence, like Twisted Red Cross did for disaffected youth in the ‘80s—but with the advent of the internet and cheaper home recording technology and CD-burning, “going indie” became the first and only option for many. You even saw bands that had originally come out on major labels go the independent route—and then jump back to major labels (like Sandwich and Imago), or stay indie (like Ciudad).

Being on a major label used to mean that you had access to a superior distribution network and a support system you couldn’t get anywhere else. It meant studio time, and wide promotion. These days, the ultimate distribution network is available to pretty much any band with access to a computer. The thing with music is, no other art form can be transmitted over the ‘net with so little degradation of the experience of consuming it: not comics or books or images, moving or otherwise. Hence distribution is not the issue. Neither is studio time, given the results one can achieve at home now with the right software. It’s true that an independent label probably still can’t get you a billboard along EDSA, but the promotional value of that in terms of a listening audience is questionable anyway, especially these days.

So if sheer reach isn’t a factor, is there some other, less easily defined quality that marks independent music? We’ve always clung to the romantic notion that there is a certain purity to indie music, unsullied as it’s supposed to be by commercial considerations. The fact is, whether a band is on an independent or major label often has no bearing on whether or not they are any good. Indie music can be self-indulgent, boring-ass tripe; major label releases can be face-meltingly brilliant. Great big commercial pop has its merits, and we can talk about principles all day, but you can’t argue someone into liking a song.

Wanting to appeal to as wide an audience as possible is not without its pitfalls, however. If there’s anything that kills whatever special spark a band may have had, it’s pandering: giving the audience what you imagine they want, even if your own music is making you sick. As an audience, we say we value the uncompromising, but we don’t blink when bands do stupid TV themes or jump into bed with sponsors. We understand the financial reality and don’t begrudge them the chance to make a living. And anyway, you don’t betray your music by having sponsors; you betray your music by sucking—but sometimes, having sponsors can be very conducive to sucking. There is a line, and it can be very hard to find, so it’s hard to tell sometimes when a band has crossed it.

If indie means anything now, it might mean the conviction to prioritize the quality of your music above all else: above any theme or message or agenda, above your own convenience and comfort zones, and yes, above the audience.

The word indie can mean everything and nothing. Shut up and enjoy the music.