MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Why is indie music so respected compared to indie publishing?

stxopher · 10-31-2009, 11:26 PM

Sure, indie is a popular and basically respectable scene now but remember that it wasn't always so. I remember when more artists started using cheaper recording systems to make their own sound and how badly a lot of them were received because they were "inferior" since they were self published instead of being picked up by one of the big boys.

Yes, a lot were...less than stellar but it was also easy for them to play around to find what worked for them. With the addition of online distribution (Napster and MP3.com are remembered for pirating but they were also big sources of new voices as well as immediate feedback for their efforts) more and more bands found less and less call to need major labels for anything more than CD placement. A lot of groups coming out now won't even work for large labels since they almost always demand all music rights and offer nothing in return for the long run. (In fact often they will work against artists interest by restricting performances, sample and music distribution and collaborative efforts as well as demanding final "creative" control.)

Replace "band" with "author" and you will probably see the same thing. The limits for new bands share many of the same limits that writers have: perception of product quality, availability, common format.

With the introduction of portable readers (not necessarily dedicated, just usable and quick), the slow (oh, how painfully slow) standardizing of format, and probably most important the establishing and growing popularity of smaller electronic publishing venues not tied directly to major houses but instead more author driven, small and self publishers now have a better chance to show their work and gather feedback.

Remember that indie music has been around since the mid-70s but until the means came about to share the unfettered sound with a lot of people it was always considered something for only the truly fanatical to find and listen to. The net, MP3s and a growing base of technical adept users allowed everyone to find what fit them. We're just now staring to see that same convergence with the written word. (It would be a lot faster if we could get them to quit messing with formats.)

10-31-2009, 11:26 PM	#6
stxopher Nameless Being	Sure, indie is a popular and basically respectable scene now but remember that it wasn't always so. I remember when more artists started using cheaper recording systems to make their own sound and how badly a lot of them were received because they were "inferior" since they were self published instead of being picked up by one of the big boys. Yes, a lot were...less than stellar but it was also easy for them to play around to find what worked for them. With the addition of online distribution (Napster and MP3.com are remembered for pirating but they were also big sources of new voices as well as immediate feedback for their efforts) more and more bands found less and less call to need major labels for anything more than CD placement. A lot of groups coming out now won't even work for large labels since they almost always demand all music rights and offer nothing in return for the long run. (In fact often they will work against artists interest by restricting performances, sample and music distribution and collaborative efforts as well as demanding final "creative" control.) Replace "band" with "author" and you will probably see the same thing. The limits for new bands share many of the same limits that writers have: perception of product quality, availability, common format. With the introduction of portable readers (not necessarily dedicated, just usable and quick), the slow (oh, how painfully slow) standardizing of format, and probably most important the establishing and growing popularity of smaller electronic publishing venues not tied directly to major houses but instead more author driven, small and self publishers now have a better chance to show their work and gather feedback. Remember that indie music has been around since the mid-70s but until the means came about to share the unfettered sound with a lot of people it was always considered something for only the truly fanatical to find and listen to. The net, MP3s and a growing base of technical adept users allowed everyone to find what fit them. We're just now staring to see that same convergence with the written word. (It would be a lot faster if we could get them to quit messing with formats.)