Declaration of Independence

More times than I care to count, I've heard "indie" used as a genre label or even sometimes as a put-down, as though "indie" music is automatically inferior to mainstream music.

The truth is that neither of these things are true. In recent years, "indie" has become a genre like rock or hip-hop or pop. In reality, "indie" doesn't really mean anything anymore. I blame this on The O.C., but that's another blog for another time. Radiohead and The Flaming Lips could be called indie rock, but both are signed to major labels and therefore, by definition, not indie. Lil' Jon is signed to TVT Records, an indie label, but I doubt you'd ever hear anyone call the King of Crunk "indie."

Since everyone has a different definition of "indie," here's mine: placing the artistic integrity of music at a higher priority than the commercial result. A band like the Foo Fighters is what it is at face value: a high-energy "alternative" (another label that no longer means anything) rock band that makes a ton of money. But to survive, they have to keep pumping out hits. To keep pumping out hits, they're going to have to do things that might sacrifice their artistic integrity.

On the other hand, you have an "indie" band like The Decemberists who comes out with a modern progressive pop concept album based on a Japanese folk tale, all while signed to Capitol Records, a major label.

I don't mean to come off as biased against the mainstream. I don't hate the player, I hate the game. I wonder why some bands like TV on the Radio and The Decemberists can sign to major labels and still put out albums that work artistically. I wonder why a band like the Foo Fighters can go from making near-perfect albums like The Colour and the Shape to making bloated, overwrought albums like In Your Honor. I guess it's all about the Benjamins.