Monday, September 14, 2009

A Pet Peeve, re: the term "Indie"

Allan, the proprietor of AWmusic recently (actually, a while ago now) ranted (he called it a rant) about the definition of "indie". And so, I had no other choice than to weigh in and write what follows:

Here's my biggest pet peeve about people/music/and the internet music world: music snobbery and the use of the term "indie" to score cool points or to market an album/artist rather than using the term to describe an album/artist that has released an album independent of any record label support (which means that even if you're on a small label, you are not independent, "indie"). This doesn't mean that releasing an album independently means that its going to be good, or bad, its just a statement of fact. Major labels tend to release albums that are going to appeal to more people. Smaller labels tend to cater to niche markets. Independent albums are all over the map, some bands want to be signed on a big label, some don't. Some artists release the albums as a hobby and some people want to make it a career (although, given the choice, I think there are a lot of people who wouldn't object to being paid zillions of dollars to make music). I guess the point being, which Allan made, is that "indie" is just a short form for independent, it doesn't (or shouldn't) say anything about what the music is like i.e. before The Beatles, Coldplay, the Rolling Stones, KanYe West, and Blink-182 were signed, they were "indie".

Of course, that has not been what a fairly innocuous term has come to mean. Now, it means "not mainstream" or "band that no one has heard of"; and for a certain sub-section of the population this means "cool", and for another sub-section of the population this means "douchey and pretentious starbucks drinkers". But really, the co-opting of the term "indie" or the bastardization of the very simple original meaning, has everything to do with bands, small record labels, and music listeners in concert (no pun intended) trying to sell their music (or themselves) as decidedly different than people who listen to mainstream music. By no means does everyone in the "indie" scene try and market themselves like that, but there are some who do, and obviously it works. I mean, nobody (or very few people) want to see themselves as cogs in the machine, and the "indie" ethos taps into the desire of people (again, most people) to be viewed as individuals. This (the desire to be viewed as an individual), I think, accounts for the success of platforms like Facebook, Myspace, and, well, blogs.

So, while I don't begrudge the success of musicians/bands who successfully market themselves as "indie" (okay, I do a little bit) it seems to me that its counter-intuitive to what music is about. And music can be about a lot of things: advocating for justice, expressing feeling, scoring chicks, grinding it up on the dancefloor, whatever. And those who frequent this blog (Burgeoning Metropolis for people reading elsewhere) will know that I like a lot of different kinds of music -- for instance my last picks of the week have been: #34 a rap album, #33 a college a cappella album, #32 a dance-pop album, #31 a folk-americana album, #30 a roots-rock album, #29 a country-rock album, and so forth. What I'm saying is that I understand that people like music for different reasons, and I think that's a good thing. What I'm also saying is that people should like music for those different reasons -- because they want to advocate for justice, share feelings, etc. -- and not because they get a kick out of telling their friends that they knew about X before they got popular (though, it is fun to see a band you like have success) or because you're looking to score cool points with your friends (though, its important to store up cool points for important occasions like Weddings and Birthday Parties).

This all may sound a little like the pot calling the kettle black since the bulk of the bands that I write about no one (and when I say no one, I mean if you pulled 50 people off the street in Toronto I'd imagine maybe one has heard my favourite record of '09), but the difference is, at least in my head if no where else, is that I'm not trying to score cool points (anymore). To me (at least now), music is best when its heard live and the best to hear live if you can see the facial expressions of the people playing the music. Its about (barf) some type of communal, shared experience, whether that experience is sweating it out at the front of the stage or doing the whiteboy nod/underbite at the side of the stage. Or, its about doing drugs and getting laid...

5 comments:

Jesse said...

1) I made you read The Rebel Sell, right? How much of the marketing do you think is "be different just like everyone else"? How many of the fans?

2) Now I have to throw away all of the stories I was saving up for your wedding about how "this one time, The R.O.B. found this band, and then told me about them, and then they got big". Thanks a lot. Ass.

ack said...

Honestly, do you really think that people care if a band is "indie" anymore? I mean, the term indie is a qualifier - a generic throw away so you don't have to ramble on for ten minutes trying to describe a band - and lost it's true definition years ago.

It's no different than how the definition of punk and pop has changed. Pop music certainly isn't restricted to what's "popular", in fact most "pop" music is the same as most indie music.. no one hears it. The terms just help people set expectations for what they are going to hear.

I'm not sure it's much different than someone saying, xerox this instead of saying, i need to make a photocopy or give me a coke, instead of can you pass me a carbonated combination of sugar, water and colouring that tastes like somewhat like coca-cola?

I think you'd be hard pressed to say to someone, what is indie rock and have them come back and say, "well, it's obviously independent bands that are DIY". They are going to point out a sound that is associated with the genre.

Allan said...

I guess it's because I've heard the term "indie" thrown out a lot. A lot of people are fans of "indie" music or at least identify themselves as such. It doesn't mean anything but yeah I just think they are trying to sound cool...

It's definitely lost any meaning.

I must say I've been averse to seeing live shows. I tend to get disappointed and I'm perfectly happy sitting at home instead of taking that long bus trip to wait around for a few bands. I dread the times between sets and standing around... the comfort of my bed and my laptop makes listening much more comfortable :).

The R.O.B. said...

Jesse: yes, I did read it. I think its the tendency of some majors to market bands as "indie" - meaning cool and independent and not part of major label. Its the political equivalent of John McCain running for the Republican party and calling himself a Maverick. You may be different, but you are not independent i.e. you can't do whatever you want.

Ack: Do you and I care? Probably not. Do other people (teenagers)? Yes. I think when you have hormones running through your body and you are trying to figure out who you are, it absolutely matters whether or not your band is 'indie' enough. When you get older and have bigger problems like, how you are going to pay your rent or what school your kids are going to go to then, no, it probably doesn't matter so much whether band x is indie...

Allan: you just need to drink more at shows... the more you drink, the shorter the wait in between sets is...

historyjen said...

Almost no bands (that you'd see outside a small local bar) are truly DIY these days. I know I know I know but to me "indie" can mean a genre of music as well as the reality that the musicians aren't making much (if any) money off their craft. I'm okay with the fluidity and meaninglessness of the term. (It's like "hipster," yo.)

Listening to these bands DOES make me cool. It means I have gone out of my way to seek out musicians living and working in my own community. There's no need for me to get all pretentious about this, but to me that is important. And it certainly takes effort to seek this stuff out.

And Allan, man! Shows are brilliant. I rarely connect with music before I've seen the band live in concert. You just gotta get more indie with your outings: big shows with big crowd suck.

;-)