What Is Indie Music?

I don't want to make this boring or too technical, so I am going to try to keep this short and sweet. My inspiration for this little overview comes from the fact that although I understand what indie means, I sometimes have a hard time really defining it. This made me think that it might be important to provide a brief definition of the term "indie", just in case other people have the same problem.

So, what is indie music? As a rough starting point, indie can be defined as any genre of music that is independently produced apart from major record labels (currently there are arguable only 5 major labels). It usually lies outside the flow of mainstream music production and development.

Who can we consider indie? Indie envelopes many different types of music that can range from rap groups to emo bands.

When did indie start? It could be assumed that technically indie music has been present since the advent of the first major record labels in the 1900s. But lets be realistic here. The term 'indie' became widely used in the 1990s.

Where did indie come from? My guess is as good as yours. So, here's mine: since the difficulty of attaining a major label contract is universally undeniable, bands/artists were forced to start somewhere else. Thus the beginning of independent productions and recordings.

Why does indie exist? I think this has already been at least partially addressed, but I'll add on. We have indie music today because there continues to be a demand for it. Further, I think that the creativity and uniquess of indie arists/groups coupled with the record label monopoly keep this genre alive.

I hope that was at the very least insightful. I would love to hear your thoughts or comments on this topic, so feel free to let me know!