Before delving into cliché about independent artists, you should make up your mind to do away with these stereotypes before reading ahead.
Why?
The idea behind this blog post is to correct these cliches and help indie artists fans see beyond the beret-wearing, cigar-smoking, or the idea that an inner demon tortures indie artists.
Interestingly, these cliches about independent artists are both positive and negative. Regardless, you should focus on avoiding these cliches and see indie artists for who they truly are. We’ll address four of these cliché for a start;
1. Indie Music is Unbearably White
When you talk about Indie artists, what comes to the mind of many is that you are referring to a white, guitar stringing artists playing in a bar. Since the start of the last century, many have constructed music genres around race that didn’t start today.
While many think of hip-hop as black, whiteness is construed to be synonymous with indie music. However, these cliches are far from reality.
This cliché about indie artists boils down to the thinking that indie music is a genre rather than what it truly symbolizes.
That’s why you’ll see about 132,000 signatories asking the organizers of the Glastonbury Music Festival to replace Kanye West as the headliner, all because of his color.
But what of Chance The Rapper? These are indie artists, not because of his skin clour, but because he does not have a relationship with a major record label.
2. The Emotional and Moody Tone of Indie Artists
Where do you all get that from? Maybe because the word moody and emotional is that most indie artists describe their music. But the message of indie music is far beyond just emotions; there’s more to it than just being one that you listen to when your guards are down and you are in a loop.
The message of indie music is diverse. You’ve got to thrash that moody and emotional cliché to see it vividly.
Indie music is one that can change your outlook on life entirely. That’s if you allow it to go through you. In the words of Katie King, lyrics are written in anger, which does not just apply to indie artists.
However, even when the feelings change, the lyrics will continue to live within us.
3. Indie Artists Are Broke
That use to be in the past; Indie Artists are breaking the revenue charts now. The days of putting up with penny payouts are over for indie artists. Today, indie music is the fastest-growing segment of the music industry.
According to an estimate by Merchant Bank Raine Group, indie artists’ revenue is expected to grow by 32% to about $2 billion in 2020. This is traceable to DIY uploads and the global growth of the music segment.
This is what we believe is happening; with widespread streaming of their works thanks to Disctopia and other platforms, indie artists can sell more tickets and merchandise.
The days when indie artists are unable to decide what comes in as revenue for them is also over, thanks to unique release models.
4. Indie Music is Grossly European
You are far from the truth if your nurse this opinion. It’s not far to give indie music a geographical connotation when the race thing has failed.
There’s a reason why there are so many indie artists in Europe than in the Americas. Let’s look at London, for instance, with tons of music recording studios, a culture that is rooted in pop music, and the people that live there. It’s easier to start an indie music business right in London than anywhere else.
While some may think of London, Berlin is also there with a sprawling and teeming number of indie artists. Outside of these two places, indie music is thriving in the United States and everywhere you can think of, with the digitalization of music distribution and streaming revenues.
Final Thoughts
While cliché about independent artists are inexhaustible, these four will be a good place to start. If you can avoid these cliché, you’ll be able to see indie music for all it stands for.
If you have any other cliché about independent artists, please share with our growing community of indie music fans.
