It feels like I'm watching something dyin'

What is "indie"?

A sound? A philosophy? A label affiliation?

An important question for one who is particular about the labeling of genres and ideas. By the dictionary's definition of the term (here being "independent") - along with a bit of contextual assumption - I imagine its meaning to be something produced and distributed without connection to the mainstream establishment. As a person living an eclectic and slightly Bohemian lifestyle, this is a definition I find terribly appealing. Not that mainstream is inherently bad, mind you, but I feel at times it can be somewhat unwieldy, sometimes archaic and possessing of values that don't align with my own. Arguably this definition of indie could be applied to just about anything, which threatens to make even indie itself begin to become unwieldy, but for simplicity's sake I'll restrict my thoughts here to music. (Though I must admit a deep interest and admiration for indie news - even if it does at times lean a little to the left, I have to respect its telling of the many things that would otherwise not be reported.) Thinking just of independent music quickly runs into a large problem, in that so little of what is being produced today remains truly independent of the mainstream labels. Additionally, the depth of knowledge and history required to define what is and is not indie is simply out of the grasp of the majority of the population. I confess that I can be more than a little obsessive when it comes to the definitions and organization of my music library, but even I have never gone so far as to look up and define the status of individual labels, nor do I have any interest in doing so. Because of this it is my opinion that this once meaningful term has now become corrupted. Which makes me sad. I think of myself as traditionalist and appreciative of the old-fashioned, and I don't like how so many of the old ways and aspects of cultural have fallen by the wayside.

Another way to look at it is in terms of a sound or a genre, but there are issues with this outlook as well. "Indie" is commonly used as a definition specifically for rock music, but what about hip-hop? There's a strong movement in hip-hop for artists and the general style of art that remains independent, perhaps better known as underground. There are some deep-running feelings about it. Just look at how much controversy got stirred up when Nas came out with "Hip-hop Is Dead." He sure got people all riled with that one. I'm sure there are ways the term could be applied to many other genres as well. To be thorough and safe I typically classify my music as "indie rock" and leave it at that, but... if I think about it too much it leaves me with an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach that, at best, this is not specific enough. At worst, I worry that it means nothing at all. Certainly there is enough breadth that it's difficult to justify fitting all these wildly different-sounding artists under a single umbrella. I can't say I'm very happy at the thought of yanking the rug out from under what forms such a significant percentage of what I listen to, though.

Ultimately, what I'll likely have to do is largely leave things as they are and not think too hard about this. Flawed as it is, were it to be taken away I don't know that there's something better to replace it. If this requires wearing blinders, or even screwing my eyes tightly shut and hiding under the bed, so be it. (I will not be sticking my fingers in my ears, it should be noted, cause then I wouldn't be able to hear the music.) As long as I don't read many more disturbing articles like the one that prompted this rant I figure I should be safe and able to sleep at night. The alternative is just too unpleasant to consider.

Paste Magazine - Is Indie Dead?

By the by, though so far I've only been reading this one article (which is fabulously well-written), I think I might be in love with this magazine. I'm considering grabbing a subscription, I'm so impressed by my first look. We'll see how good the rest is as I read further.

Beck - Already Dead