What's "indie" mean?

A great post from the Audio Asylum forums:

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In Reply to: RE: What's "Indie" BTW? <486010.html> posted by
Feanor on July 07, 2007 at 13:49:11

Indie is just short for independent which in simplest terms just
means you have no affiliation with a major label.

However the meaning goes deeper now. Back in the 70's depression
when all US indie labels died (and most major ones too) everything
changed. Pop music, as in the "pop" scene, started it's death spiral
because majors no longer had indie labels feeding them talent. (like
the guy in the camper in the movie "The Wonders")

It used to be majors just wanted the #1 song, they didn't care who
it was because they knew some other act would come along next week,
next month, and next year. But when indie labels stopped feeding
them acts, and they couldn't find them on their own (because they
never did) they started trying to manufacture "stars". Instead of
selling 50 thousand copies of 20 different albums, they now sell a
million of just one.

The indie scene revived itself in the UK in the 80's and was
referred to as alternative, and many bands from it became known here
(Human League, The Smiths, Depeche Mode, Modern English etc etc..)
however by the early 90's most of these UK indie labels tanked also.
The majors then stepped in and started offering what they called
"alternative" (which would be bands like smashing pumkins or green
day) only there was nothing alternative about it. They were marketed
just like anything else the majors touched and you didn't find out
about new, upcoming bands.

The majors thought they killed Indie but it found a home on the web
in the mid late 90's. Most of the best stuff right now comes from
scandinavia, but it exists everywhere and these are kids motivated
by the UK bands of the 80's and as a result they all sing in
english. You NEVER hear about any of them, but I see the music
getting used on TV commercials all the time. The song playing in the
Geico commercial with the caveman going thru the airport terminal is
Röyksopp and features vocals by Erlend Oye from Kings of
Convenience, whos music has also been used in AT&T ads. Target used
a Concretes song for their jingle once, Postal Service songs have
been used in car commercials, and some wireless companies new ad is
using an Architecture In Helsinki song for example.

So if we were to extrapolate back, indie is essentially old
fashioned "pop" music. Get Dick Clark, spin the cut and let the kids
dance. In other words, music for people who like music. The stuff
that makes brains go dead and puts smiles on faces."

From Peter Gunn, http://www.indiespinzone.com/