2. 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.

3. H
I
No genre is harder to define than Indie. At some point or
s
another in music history dozens of music styles could be
classed as Indie. With no clear reference point or outline, t
o
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‘ r
y
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.

4. 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
H
I
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
s
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
t
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
o
r
Floor‘.
y

5. 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
H 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
I 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
s Nero, Skillled and Deadmau5 are not dissimilar to those behind
Captain Beefheart and Joy Division, with the same sense of
exclusivity and mild superiority.
t
o
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
r 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
y into mainstream music consciousness and starts to lose its grime of
underground cool.

6. 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".

7. 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.

9. Public perception of the genre, is it a popular genre with mainstream
appeal or more niche?
Creative freedom with smaller, independent record labels
Most 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.

11. 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

12. 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.

14. SNARE
master head
what other magazines covering the genre indie:
Main
image
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 buyers
Attention very quickly. The main focus would be Cover lines
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.
Banner
Snare comes out once a week, they contain
different features such as fashion, bands and
mostly based upon feminine characteristics'.
Barcode
Issue
date

15. RELEVANT
RELEVANT 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.

16. 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 £3.00
They normally come out every week as
many indie fans enjoy reading pulp.

18. Website slogan
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.
Indie Artist Portrays different
genres

19. 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.

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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.