What is indie music and how do you define it?

The definition of indie has always been a debatable issue in the music industry, regardless of the fact that the sector has been around for quite some time now. Even today, people struggle to understand what indie music is and how it can be defined, an issue Sessions X sought to tackle head-on with a colorful and highly educative infographic on the industry, its major players, and its future.

Essentially, indie music is a genre of this popular art form that allows the artist to retain creative control, an apparently invaluable commodity for musicians with unshakable DIY mentalities. The definition also includes factors in music creation and production that would basically not be expected in a mainstream music production environment.

The Internet has been a godsend for indie music. In the past, only the big music labels, of which there are three, had the financial muscle to corner the market and make a musician reach the masses. The Internet has changed all that: indie musicians and their labels can reach large audiences very easily and without having to spend lots of money. In the past, it took copious amounts of money to attain such levels of publicity.

Surprisingly, the battle between indie labels and the major labels is far from over. Still, while in the past the indie labels did not stand a fair chance against industry majors, these players, largely considered underdogs in the industry, are now gaining popularity initially exclusive to the industry majors. Blogs, social media, online forums, as well as social media have helped level the playing field when it comes to market reach.