Sunday, February 9, 2014

The Indie Revolution – My Music My Way

A revolution is upon us and it has the music industry scrambling to find the key to control. The music industry has been undergoing an over decade long paradigm shift. For a very long time, big labels, big marketing and big production ruled the day. However, in the 2000’s, the industry witnessed an over 50% drop in total revenues going from a $14.6 billion industry to a $6.3 billion one in a single decade (Goldman. 2010.)  Contributing factors that lead to this drastic shift were new social technologies that drove changing consumer demands, and a severe economic downturn resulting in two recessions. For some industry professionals the results were unrecoverable. For others, especially those in the independent market, it brought about a more level playing field and opened doors that historically had been closed.

In the past, major recording labels held all the cards and were able to control and manipulate the market through enormous market budgets and distribution channels. The Internet and its proliferation forever changed that model and the music industry never saw it coming. Instead, the social movement it brought about and music sharing sites like Napster forever changed the face of the industry. The industry has fought back against so called “free” music, but the financial damage has already been done. Shutting down sites such as Napster and the introduction of paid sites has begun to corral the market. Yet, new social arrivals such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter have once again shifted the power back to the consumer.

I have been, and will always be, a fan of the underdog. It is a uniquely American thing that we love to see someone fight insurmountable odds and come out on top. It is the same thing in the Indie Revolution. We love watching talent shows hoping to witness a rags to riches story or a diamond in the rough show up and belt out an amazing vocal. The consumer has become so empowered by the access the Internet, that we now have the power to choose how and when we get the music we like. More importantly, social media has given us a way to share our favorites with like-minded individuals. 

The big winners in all this are those unsigned indie artists who are not only looking to build an audience, but looking to find their way into the record labels themselves. As the old saying goes, there is strength in numbers and indie artist are building their fan base up through like-minded individuals connecting to their music. While major record labels still retain a certain level of control over the industry, the tides continue to shift. Never has there been a time in the industry when an Internet video by a South Korean pop singer could be the first to reach a billion views and surpass that of major label and industry mega star Justin Beiber’s “Baby” (wikipedia.com).


The indie revolution continues to grow and it was never more apparent than at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. Indie artists took home half of all the Grammy’s awarded in 2014 (hypebot.com. 2014). This is the highest since the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) began tracking the awards in 2006. With that being said, join the indie revolution and support your favorite artists at all levels. Have your music your way and support those with talent and ambition to reach their dreams.





Goldman, David. 2010. Music's lost decade: Sales cut in half. CNN Money. Retrieved from: http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/02/news/companies/napster_music_industry/

2014. Independent Music Wins 50% of 2014 Grammys. hypebot.com.  Retrieved from: