The terms "indie label" and "indie" are used incessantly in the marketing of commercial art these days. Both terms are viewed as being chic and earnest, and for good reason: Indie labels are the savvy upstarts, the ingenious ma and pa production houses, the ballsy self-reliant souls, the uncensored and parameter-less vehicles, the reminder of why a free market is so desirable. (Only in a free market are both heinous art AND extraordinary art accessible.) The indie label's artists are those who have yet to sell out, those who value substance over style yet create undeniable style in spite of this attitude.
However, much of that which is labeled as "indie label art" today is in fact little more than poseur rhetoric supplied under the guise of "authenticity" and "freshness" by the dishonest, unethical major label cartel that monopolizes the airwaves, bookshelves, and theatres...the very same cartel that has a "do it our way or get lost" stranglehold on retail (concrete) distribution channels. These billion-dollar, multinational conglomerates position subsidiaries to act as "indie labels," so as to be viewed as innocent and non-manipulative by the discriminating art-consuming public.
Yet, at IN there's no confusion, no manipulation, no poseur bullshit, and we don't buy the act. Instead, we shoot straight from the proverbial hip, and we offer up savvy and literate reviews of the finest indie label art in the English-speaking realm. Enjoy.
Jamie James, IN Editor
