The Definition of Indie Music

February 12, 2007 by Jo Minor 


Here’s a really interesting vid I picked up from YouTube, by Tim Rideout. Tim’s talking about the meaning of “Indie Music”:

[ev type="youtube" data="MtckA9aTpcI"][/ev]

Here’s a few important points from the video:

  1. The classic definition of “Indie” would be that you’re paying for it, so you’re making the decisions
  2. If you say you’re “Indie” than you have to incorporate proactive values, otherwise you’re just misuisng the word
  3. Financial problems is the biggest obstacle for Indie bands, and the second is quality
  4. You don’t have to be an indie artists to have creative control over your music - even signed acts can have this
  5. It’s not about the music - it’s about how you present yourself
  6. It’s everything like running a business - it’s about marketing your music and managing your act professionally
  7. Don’t be too stuck to indie - if you get a chance of signing a record deal or making a lot of money - go for it!
  8. Don’t sneer at artists that make a lot of money. Instead, ask yourself what you can learn from them

The thing is, most bands get confused.

They think if they make money and get signed, then they’re selling out. At the same time, this is exactly what indie bands want to do - earn a living by playing music.

“Indie” is not about the music you play. It’s about being an independent artist cum entrepreneur.

It’s still all about the music..

Filed under: General
Tagged:

Comments

One Response to “The Definition of Indie Music”

  1. James T. on February 25th, 2007 2:49 pm

    Very interesting video. Apparently this guy is a big time Montreal composer and producer - http://www.timrideout.com - done stuff like Splinter Cell IV and tv shows. Cool that he still keeps his indie cred. Great video

Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!