CJ Cox

UWRT 1102
10 March, 2015
Dr. Griffin

The Trouble With Independence

What is Independence in Music?
Independent Musicians are thrown into a convoluted obstacle course when they decide to
remain independent, or indie. It is important to investigate these obstacles, and how they can be
resolved in the context of todays massive industrial musical infrastructure. There are many
musical groups who fall under the category of Indie. What exactly does this mean? One that
is independent; especially: an unaffiliated record or motion-picture production company
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary). To expound upon this definition, Indie music is, as worded in
the definition, unaffiliated with any type of production company. In other words, there is no
middle man. An indie musician, or group of musicians, is responsible for the recording,
production, sales, and publicity of their product.
Why would anybody want to be part of an independent music group? A better way
answer such a question is to look at it in terms of a professional career. Sure, anybody can work
for a large corporation, and maybe even land a managerial position, or some other kind of
leadership role. Another path to take is the entrepreneurial path, in which you manage your own
business entirely. In this analogy, the indie band is the entrepreneur. They set their own

deadlines, make their own tour schedules, put out albums however they like, and have no
interference from any external force. Often times, bands who offer their signatures to places like
Warner Brothers, Universal Records, Sony BMG, and EMI (also referred to as The Big Four)
are deferring their creative rights, as well as large percentages of their revenue, to these
monstrously influential music corporations. That being said, remaining independent CAN be
more profitable, but likely will not be. The experience these companies are equipped with will
well eclipse the knowledge any indie band thinks they have of the music industry. From a
business perspective, independence is the high risk, high reward option.
Signing With a Record Label: The Safe Alternative
There are pros and cons to both sides, of course. For the most part, the cons of signing with a big
record company are the pros of remaining independent, and vice versa. Signing with a big record
label can yield impressive perks. In most cases youll be offered a facility in which to record
your music. This is a notable perk when taking into consideration the expense and inconvenience
of recording and producing professional quality music. These studios usually belong to the
company itself, so there is no jostling for a time slot. This calls for a much more organized and
schedule-friendly recording experience. Studios can be expected to contain equipment of high
quality. The greater company is just as interested in a bands record sales as the band itself. Their
pay depends on the publics acceptance of the product. If that product is poorly produced, then
the public wont take it seriously, and it will probably be less enjoyable to listen to.
Another plus that can be expected from signing with a record company is their
experience. As was referenced earlier, a bunch of 20 year olds with guitars probably know a lot
less than a music industry veteran. There are people in the industry who could not possibly care
less about the sound of your music. That doesnt make these people any less valuable. They can

identify things like the demographic you are appealing to, or the medium that is most effective,
and make business decisions based off of these numbers. They can look passed the dream
scenario that every band would like to believe: that everyone who hears their music is going to
love it. That simply isnt the case, and these impartial marketing gurus are smart, or maybe just
apathetic, enough to realize that.
One major difference between a young musician, and a music industry veteran:
connections. Odds are that a young man from, say, Raleigh, North Carolina has very few
connections to larger music world. On the other hand, an executive from Epic Records who has
spent time with artists like Jay-Z, Rihanna, or Kanye West will have certainly met some high
profile managers, and met the owners of more than a couple music venues. Experience in the
industry can unlock many doors for emerging artists, and having an experienced manager decide
where you should play can keep you from playing for 100 people at a 100,000 person venue, or,
on the flip side, prevent you from selling out a show at a 50 person venue, when 100 people
would have come. This experience is priceless, and gives any band a huge advantage.
The Independent Struggle
While there is no shortage of benefits derived from signing with a record label, there are plenty
of alternatives to be discussed in the second option: independence. As an independent
artist/group there are many desirable options for those with an entrepreneurial intent, and the
business savvy and connections to go with it. It would be outrageous to think that an artist gets
paid based off of his/her talent. If this were the case, Kanye West and Iggy Azalea wouldnt be
famous. People like Guthrie Govan or Andy Wood would be the ones performing in sold out
shows. It can be all but guaranteed that the last two people named, both professional guitarists

with outrageous talent, will not be familiar names. Success in music is based off of image and
how it is marketed.
If such a group plays their cards right, they can be making nothing but pure profit.
Therefore, from a financial standpoint, this has the highest potential for making money, though
managing everything alone would be no easy task. All decisions can be made on the spot, by the
musicians, without any sort of processes involving anybody else. No label is present to decide
that a song a band wrote isnt up to their standards Musicians believe that they know how to
find and produce the kinds of music that the listening public wants. Over the years, labels have
tried to take that control away from musicians.(Google Scholar) If freedom is absolutely
necessary for a band, then independence is really the only appropriate route.
musicians are juggling more work, shouldering more risk, and are tasked with more
career-management dutiesoften for lower rates than before.(SAGE) The hardships involved
in independent music are also well illustrated in an interview with the band A Lot Like Birds. In
this interview, the band spends a lot of time talking about their last tour, which overall was a
success. In the interview, they thanked their audience for their support both on the stage and off.
The off-stage support that the band referenced wasnt just album sales. As an emerging band,
A Lot Like Birds did not have the means during the tour to cover all of their expenses. They
elected to reach out to their fan base for support, not by asking for money, but for a place to stay.
Luckily, their fans were as supportive as the band had hoped, and the band spent many of their
nights, gratefully, in the homes of their fans.
This freedom comes at a cost, literally. Lets look at an example using a common band
layout of five musicians: two guitarists, a singer, a bass guitarist, and a drummer. Expenses for
an experienced guitarist getting quality equipment, include things like a guitar, an amplifier,

cables, pedals for effects, humbuckers, and possibly much more. Using equipment that can be
purchased from Guitar Centers website, a guitarists set up can be created. Beginning with a base
price of $1200 for an Ibanez RG Series guitar, $800 for an Ampeg Portaflex electric guitar
amplifier, and $180 for a Boss Loop-Station effects pedal. Those are the minimal expenses for
one guitarist. In this is example, there are two, bringing the total cost to $4360. Drum sets are no
less expensive, with small low quality sets ranging from $200, to prices over
$10,000(GuitarCenter). There still remains the bassist, whos costs will be about the same as the
guitarist; and the singer, who still needs a minimum of a microphone and an amp. Needless to
say, it takes a lot of capital to become a rock star.
The incredible costs of instruments is only the beginning of the road. The costs
mentioned include only what it takes for a band to have instruments to play with. The process of
recording independently is yet another costly endeavor. To get a professional sound, professional
tools are the only option. The choice to be made at this point is this: Buy equipment and record it
yourself, or rent a space at a professional recording studio. The easiest and most beneficial route
to take here is the professional studio route. At a $300 rate (plus a recording engineer/assistant), a
studio can be rented. However, there is more than one artist/group trying to record their sound, so
a spot may need be reserved, often times months in advance (Jackpot! Recording Studio).
Modern Media Influence
In todays society, every business in existence is trying to grab your eyes and ears, even if just for
a moment. Musicians are no different. Arguably the most important aspect of an up-and-coming
musician is publicity (Tristan Harvey Interview). How does a little band from Raleigh, North
Carolina deal with such a dilemma? An interview with guitarist Tristan Harvey from the band
The Second After yields some answers. Social media is honestly the most important way of

getting our music out there, explained Tristan, things like Facebook, SoundCloud, even
Instagram. This comes as no surprise to most people. Obviously a new band cant afford to
advertise on television, or even on a place like YouTube. Tristans band started their campaign on
the public by posting their professionally recorded video on all of their friends Facebook walls,
via a link to YouTube. YouTube has become a major hub for musicians, as it offers a free space
for them to share their sound with the world. The downside to this is the other nearly 100
MILLION other users jockeying to get your eyes on their videos instead. Other social media sites
like Facebook offer a place for the band to make announcements like album release dates, tour
dates, and any other information they deem important enough to share with their audience.

It is fortunate that technology is such that musicians can make their music accessible to
anybody with a computer and an internet connection. Many observers are quick to categorize
these technological developments as a good thing for musicians, especially when compared with
the music industry of yore with its gatekeepers and onerous record label contracts. And, indeed,
there are many examples of how musicians have lashed together musical talent with
technological adeptness to grow audiences, engage with fans, and sell music. But technology has
also contributed to the disruption of many traditional music business revenue streams.
Beyond the problems associated with unauthorized file sharing, we have witnessed the closing of
retail stores, a drastic drop in physical album sales (and the subsequent reduction of mechanical
royalties for songwriters), lower advances, and less financial support to artists signed to record
label deals. Faced with a reduction of income from these revenue streams, many musicians have
either branched out to take on more or other music-related work, tapped new sources of income,
reduced costs, or all of the above.(JSTOR) Kristin Thompson, the author of the article , and

member of the Artist Revenue Streams Project, uses this article as a way to publicize the findings
of her project, which aims to learn more about the roles, revenue streams, and responsibilities
that many of todays musicians are managing. Unfortunately, as Thompson touches upon,
piracy is a major issue in todays music industry. Piracy is the result of an entire industry
drastically going from a physical, in-store purchasing, to an extremely convoluted and absolutely
digital market. It is quite simple to go download free torrenting software such as uTorrent, then
venture on to a torrenting website like thepiratebay.se, or kickasstorrents.com and gain access to
free music files of just about any song imaginable.

In the discussion on which is better between being an independent musician or signing

with a record label, there is not a decisively correct answer. It mostly comes down to how much
value is put into your own creativity and freedom. Odds are, a label knows what is best for a
band, at least in terms of revenue and publicity, if that does mean putting aside your bands own
agenda. A group must weigh how much they value success, and what it even means to them.
Both paths involve a lot of risk, and significant time should be spent deciding which one is
actually better. Regarding piracy, it is important to keep tabs on the music a band decides to
publish and make available to the public. It is also important to understand the law. It is
important to remember that artists of any sort have a lot more on their plate than painting,
writing, performing, and signing autographs. Musicians, like other artists, are business men.
What we listen to on the radio, on Spotify, on iTunes, and Pandora are the end-product of days,
months, and even years of work; work that only of a fraction of which was spent on what the
listener actually hears. Music will surely be exponentially more satisfying knowing what
musicians went through to bring the music to our ears. Be grateful every time the sound of music

reaches your ears, because there is an unimaginable amount of hardship each artist endures.
Those artists made that music knowing one thing: There is only one way to completely entirely
avoid the obstacles blocking the road to musical stardom, and that is to choose a different career.

Works Cited
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