The word "indie" seems to have lost its meaning. If multi-platinum bands such as the Kooks, Razorlight and Snow Patrol are categorized as "indie", isn't the definition — a label run as a cottage industry, supporting new or esoteric music — now dead? In fact, the old ideal of indie, as in "independent", is in ruder health than it has been for years. While the rest of the record industry is grappling with the demons of piracy and declining record sales, new independent labels, many of them digital-only or single-band affairs, are sprouting at a faster rate than at any time since the birth of the sector in the aftermath of punk.
With MySpace and YouTube firmly established in music's promotional circus, anyone with a demo and a spare evening can potentially become a mini record-company mogul. Find yourself an artist and upload their music to the web via a chart registered online store, such as IndieStore.com, and you're in business.
According to Adam Taylor, head of digital at Ministry of Sound (whose download store sells contributions from 2,500 labels), independents were quicker to grasp the potential of the digital world. "It's easy to set up a label deal with a download store. There are bedroom DJs producing amazing tracks and putting them out, there and then," he said.
With recent changes in the rules allowing download-only tracks in the charts, it is now theoretically possible to score a top-40 hit without leaving your bedroom. This weekend, unsigned English three-piece Koopa are expected to enter the chart on download sales alone. "If I started out now, all I would be doing is pressing up a few seven-inch singles for the collectors' market, and then putting things out digitally. It's so cheap," says Alan McGee, the Creation Records founder turned Internet evangelist and artist manager.
Daniel Tickner set up Wi45 last year, one of several labels doing just that, and on a shoestring budget. "The future of the album is a bit uncertain. But while people can download a song for GBpence 79, the single will prosper again. It made sense to marry the two formats. In a way, it feels like we're going back to the 1950s and 1960s in that it's all about the songs again. It's a good leveler," he said.
Reversing the trend
At the other end of the scale, Franz Ferdinand's decision to sign for Laurence Bell's Domino Records in 2003 is viewed as a watershed moment in reversing the trend for artists to sign for the biggest check. The example of Alex Kapranos and co was followed by Bloc Party, who signed to London's Wichita and are about to release their second album, A Weekend in the City, and Arctic Monkeys, who also followed Franz Ferdinand to Domino.
"Franz's success was a huge factor in Bloc Party signing to us. Everyone was after them, but Franz were having their first hits and it showed an indie could compete with majors for the first time in a long time," says Mark Bowen, the co-founder of Wichita. "It's been great to think that in the last couple of years we can compete when it comes to signing artists with major labels, because artists are more savvy about what we can offer. Managers and bands have become a lot more aware in terms of creative development, and the indies have been better at providing that."
The ability of indie labels to adapt to digital technology has been crucial, suggests Alison Wenham, chair of trade group the Association of Independent Music. "All change signals a rethink," she says. "Independents by their very nature are small, flexible, light- footed early adopters. Anything new tends to evoke a 'he who dares wins' mentality rather than a defensive attitude." Moreover, say the optimists, the Internet is helping the cream rise to the top as recommendation engines and amateur podcasts become more sophisticated — and if indie labels are attuned to this, they are in a position to take advantage.
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