In a time of Brad Paisley, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, and Metro Station, music has taken a turn for the worst. With heavy rotation on MTV and the radio, these acts have gotten mainstream popularity for being spin-less and unoriginal. While music like this infests the airwaves, true music is being pushed away in a negative way. Independent or Indie music is frowned upon for being different.
Some kids today have a real ignorant view regarding their music tastes. If it isn’t on the radio, it must be horrible, weird, scary, ect. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Many underground music scenes have there own booking agents, record labels, and even their own way of distribution. “Mainstream can be any form of music that appeals to a variety of people,” explains Elliot Archuleta, 12th.
Many times the “mainstream” is a cheap knock off of one of these underground bands. A band many people haven’t heard of is Bloc Party an Indie Band from London. With up-beat drumming, with a post-punk edge, electronic pulse and haunting vocals, it is sure to get your foot tapping. With growing success with Bloc Party, a band called Metro Station came out of nowhere, stealing and watering down what an original band started. Metro Station wasn’t the first.
Panic! at the Disco, or now called Panic At the Disco, seem to want to jump on the band-wagon of the popular Indie electronic scene. The sick thing is bands like Bloc Party have done non-stop tours before getting signed, while Panic! at the Disco got signed before even playing a show.
How come something like this happens? Easy answer. Once a major label sees how an underground scene is growing and making a name for it’s self, that major label steps its foot in and makes a copy cat, changing the whole uniqueness of the music. For example, once the Emo movement started in the later 90’s and early 2000’s, major labels started signing bands who said they were “Emo,” even if they weren’t. Fall Out Boy was a struggling band from Illinois whose growing reputation made them a must-see and must-hear on the Post-Hardcore scene. But in 2004, Fall Out Boy was signed to Geffen/Island Def Jam, which completely changed their music. Instead of fast angsty songs with meaning, they turned into a band of softer down tempo, a band with cheesy, cliche lyrics, and a band whose pants are tighter then their guitar riffs. Being labeled an “Emo” band, kids who listen to the radio started buying girl pants and eyeliner and listening to FOB and calling themselves “emo.” When it became popular, kids forgot what Emo music really was. Bands like Lifetime, Sunny Days Real Estate, and the godfathers Fugazi are the true Emo bands.
After the “success” of Fall Out Boy in the Mainstream, the other major labels noticed. Signing bands left and right in a few months, bands like My Chemical Romance, Aiden, Paramore, and The Used we’re getting heavy air play on Fuse and MTV under the label of “emo” bands.
Even hip-hop has been effect by this plague. If a rapper isn’t talking about drugs, girls, money, or “featuring T-Pain” in their song, they don’t seem to have any radio play. This leads the Indie rappers to do things on their own. A rapper that has been doing it big in the underground for years is Immortal Technique. He brings a new dynamic to hip-hop. His lyrics are meaningful and deep, and his words tell stories that aren’t the cliche rapper’s lifestyle. It’s almost like a fantasy that he creates.
As a true music fan, I’m hopeful that Independent music will get its day and be appreciated as it deserves.