Indie style music is music recorded and created by a small and tightly knit group of individuals with a deep-rooted passion for what they are making. This group of individuals is often seen as having musical tastes similar to those of a hipster.

Hipster Urban Dictionary: [Racking up less than a million views a month] Hipster Urban Dictionary defines hipster as: “An older person who pretends to be a hipster in an attempt to fit in with youth culture”.

Followed by an explanation of a hipster, thus: “A person who is always putting in effort into the world and willing to say the wrong thing to people”.

Indie style music

Indie style music is not a trend that exists purely in the realms of youth culture, however, there is no doubt that it has certainly become a viable entity within that realm.

Become a 'Drummer 4/4 Life' with our exclusive JA t-shirt!

Show your dedication to rhythm with our unique 'Drummer 4/4 Life' t-shirt. Proudly display a music staff with the 4/4 time signature, the heart of most popular music beats. This piece of Jam Addict attire not only makes a bold statement about your passion for drumming, but it also lets you be a part of the JA community, a team dedicated to fostering musicians for years.

When it comes to the rise of indie style music, one of the main reasons can be said to be the relative ease of acquiring a quality recording device.

Digital music has caused a huge increase in the amount of people making or producing music, not only as a passion, but as a viable alternative to being a full-time musician.

The reality is that musicians used to rely heavily on selling their music to other musicians, who would then in turn sell it on to the general public. This was often achieved by selling CD’s and getting support from record companies.

Whilst this is still going on, it has changed dramatically in the last ten years.

In the last few years, a massive shift has taken place in the music industry. This change in the music industry came about from the influx of digital technology and the integration of it into music.

As far back as 2004, popular music charts were dominated by “reggae” (music in Jamaica) and rock music, however, now in 2018, this situation has completely reversed.

In 2018, “rock” music is now in a minority and is at the bottom of the chart. In fact, rock music as a whole is no longer charting anywhere near as often as it once did.

In terms of genres, the main ones that fall into the “indie” style music umbrella include indie rock, indie dance, indie pop, indie rap and indie techno.

Furthermore, the indie style music sector has a range of sub-genres. These include Indie Electronic and Indie R&B.

Hipsters and indie style music

This is just a brief outline on the development of indie style music over the last couple of decades, however, if we look at the reaction of the general public to this music, we can begin to understand a little more about this culture and the culture that surrounds it.

The general view of hipsters within the indie scene is one of rejection and exclusion. Whilst many musicians and artists within this space share similar attitudes, there is a marked difference between how they approach this.

The reaction of hipsters towards the “indie” scene is very reactionary. Hipsters who are involved in this scene appear to have a common sense attitude that no one should accept the music they enjoy, or want to play them at the local pub.

Some hipsters believe that everyone should get a proper education, follow their passions and enjoy the lifestyle that they want to lead.

Whilst this is very true, and many of these musicians are actually very talented musicians, many of the more intellectual and artistic performers in this space have now grown up and are leaving the youth culture bubble they grew up in.

In a report by the Independent, it was explained that: “When hipsters hear their old-school peers talk about the rise of indie style music and the importance of talent and skill, they often look shocked at their own intellectual, personal and commercial shortcomings, or remember how they were treated by the older generation”.

What also matters for many is the sense of ownership, self expression and identity that indie style musicians have created within their work.

As far as the general public is concerned, the self-expression of their favorite indie bands gives them a sense of identity. This identity is expressed by the way that they dress, the way that they present themselves to the public and the way that they interact with the public.

What this means is that indie style musicians have created a new culture that is based on identity. Some have suggested that this new culture gives those who join it a sense of belonging.

In this sense, indie style music and culture might actually appeal to those who feel lost, or are uncertain about who they are.

This is not to say that the majority of indie style musicians do not have a sense of identity

Many do, however, feel alienated from mainstream culture, and in some cases have been directly and indirectly disenfranchised by it.

The rise of indie style music and the popularity of bands such as Arctic Monkeys has led to a gradual, but continual increase in the media coverage of indie style music and related individuals. This has resulted in a democratization of public perception, by which those in this culture are now being perceived as normal people.

This might be seen as a positive, but what is not known is that the increased media coverage has only fostered a climate of acceptance amongst the general public of indie style musicians.

The problem for indie style music, however, is that it has not developed an accompanying community, one that is based on real experiences, real sense of self-expression and real identity.

This is where the more cynical of us might say that this “alternative” or “anti-establishment” scene is actually creating a subculture that lacks cohesion.

This is something that other people, like myself, might say that we have already witnessed happen within our community.

There are people, both younger and older, that are attempting to bring the two communities together, and are trying to create a more substantial culture within indie style music.

This might be done by talking to others in the scene, offering their opinion and arguing for their belief, and by supporting each other in any way possible.

Sadly, these people will always be outnumbered, and never have the level of engagement that they crave.

This is because this new culture, while widespread and being inescapable, is still within the youth culture bubble.

What might be needed is a revolution within this cultural bubble, one that will result in a gradual, but definite, change in the culture of the indie scene.