What Is Indie Music?

Hip-hop artist Chance the Rapper, rock band Arcade Fire, singer Frank Ocean, and punk rockers Fugazi all make dramatically different types of music. But they also all have one thing in common: They each managed to make big splashes in the music industry as indie artists. But if these artists are so different, what is indie music? Keep reading to find out.

Defining What Indie Music Is

If you’ve spent enough time listening to music throughout your life, you’ve undoubtedly listened to indie music, even if you didn’t realize it. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you know the answer to the question, “What is indie music?”

Indie music, or independent music, is any music not backed by a record label. Once upon a time, indie artists would record music on their own without a record label breathing down their necks, pay to have their music mixed and mastered, and invest in physical copies of their music so that they could sell cassette tapes and CDs at their concerts, on their websites, etc. But today, technology has made it easier for indie artists to record and upload music to different streaming platforms. It has also made it simple for them to utilize social media to promote their music to the masses.

For these reasons, there has been a definitive rise in indie artists operating within the music industry. Many indie artists, such as SunKissed Lola, feel comfortable operating without a record label and have figured out ways to do independent music promotion to launch successful careers.

The Benefits of Being an Independent Artist

Now that you know what indie music is, let’s talk about some of the pros and cons of being an independent artist like Victor Thompson or Lumi Athena. We’ll begin by breaking down the benefits to see why so many artists are entertaining the idea of keeping their independence from record labels.

First and foremost, many artists who make indie music appreciate that they can maintain complete control over their creative processes while making music. They can record the types of music they want without worrying about what record labels think. Indie artists love receiving 100% of the profits through music sales, streaming, merch, and more.

But, above all else, with indie music, what is more important than ownership? Indie artists like owning the master rights to their music since it opens up more opportunities for them to license their music later. Taylor Swift has re-recorded her old albums so she has more ownership, and Ice Spice has been very outspoken about how vital this ownership is to her, as well.

The Drawbacks of Being an Independent Artist

As you’ve just seen, many advantages will come along with being an independent artist. There are, however, also a few pitfalls that music artists need to keep in mind when attempting to jumpstart their careers independently. For example, indie artists like PLAYERTWO are responsible for paying for just about everything when they’re recording music, getting it mastered, and even independent music promotion. At the beginning of their careers, it can be very costly and force indie artists to take on debt.

Indie artists also typically have to put a lot of effort into getting their careers off the ground, especially when they’re brand new and unknown to most people. Social media has made it possible for indie artists to connect with fans. Still, these artists often have to spend hours online communicating with fans and submitting their lyrics to websites like LyricsOnly to get the results they’re looking for. Not all artists want to do this, which is the appeal of working with a record company once they get their name out there.

How to Support Indie Artists

After learning what indie music is and discovering more about the pros and cons of being an independent artist, you should have a newfound respect for indie artists. If you would like to lend your support to them, you can do it in many ways.

To start, you can listen to their music online on YouTube or through one of the many music streaming services. You can also follow them on social media, invest in their merch, and show up for their concerts. Additionally, you can use LyricsOnly to support artists, learn the words of your favorite indie songs, and share the lyrics with your friends.