Can someone please explain indie to me?

Question

I've heard it used to describe undiscovered up and coming diy type bands.
And then I've heard it used for bands like Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs.
Confused?

Answer 1

as others have mentioned it simply means independant label...just like there are indie movies so are there indie bands..since its so broad it covers alot of music styles..for example, bands like Beirut, rilo kiley, joanna newsome are all indie and so are bands like the shins, old modest mouse,etc even though they sound nothing alike.... bloc party may have been indie which just means they were on a low profile label until they got discovered and signed to a big label like sony, bmg, columbia, elektra, etc...some people still call modest mouse indie even though they havent been on an independant label for quite some time--- so take the label with a grain of salt

Answer 2

There are really two separate definitions. There is the genre of indie rock that on it's own is kind of broad. I'm not sure that I would consider Bloc Party and the Kaiser Chiefs indie rock (I would kind of see those acts as alt rock), but there are a lot of people who apparently do these days because I see that a lot. I think more of bands like the Shins, Band of Horses, Built to Spill. Stuff like that.

Then there is independent music. Stuff that is on an independent label. I find this term to be completely useless though as it has no descriptive power. People try to call some ridiculous stuff indie these days, and even a lot of indie labels are high enough profile to where their markee acts aren't exactly under the radar. I think the only really valid way to use indie is in reference to the indie rock genre, but you should be aware of the other definition because some people try to use it.

Answer 3

The meaning has changed. it used to be mean rock bands on independent labels (indie) that got little or no radioplay or MTV time (made up mainly, though not exclusively, of punk and goth). After Janes Addiction and Nirvana in the early 90's, which helped expose a lot of punk and underground rock to the general public, a lot of these indie bands became mainstream and were instead labelled "alternative". Some people use the terms interchangeably, but that wasn't always the case.

Hope that helps.

Answer 4

indie is short for independent, which means the band is on an independent record label company.

Answer 5

It's the British genre close to alternative for the USA. Although the Brits tend to be more eclectic with their art styles. So that, what is Indie is not necessarily alternative. What is alternative is not necessarily indie.

Answer 6

i think its just a weird version of alternative.