The term 'indie' refers to films and music that is independently produced. In case of films, Indie films are usually low budget films produced without assistance from any major film studio. The same holds good for indie music, any music recorded and released without support from any major recording label is termed as indie music. Indie music and indie films have become more than just a passing phase in the development of music and films.
In 2005 alone 15% of all box office revenue was from indie films. However the term indie has also been used to describe art films that are usually not meant for mainstream cinema. The true meaning of indie cinema however is independently developed films. Throughout the 1990s and the 2000s the indie film scene has benefited greatly from easy availability of equipment and the reduction in price of 35mm cameras.
In addition the spread of CGI (computer generated imagery) has made it possible for indie films to get access to high quality graphic manipulation capabilities. The same holds good for the indie music scene, (also know as underground music) indie music has become increasingly popular with talent scouts and people looking to enjoy music that is not mainstream. In fact the competitive pricing of recording equipment has meant that many successful artists too have started buying their own equipment and have started distributing their own music (Shady Records being one such example).
Ironically the same recording equipment is also available to consumers, and making digital copies of any recorded form of music is not that difficult. In fact piracy has hit the indie music scene the most, for a struggling or independent artist every record sold can make a lot of difference. And it has become increasingly difficult for indie music artists to remain solely dependent on selling records, unlike main stream artists independent artists do not have massive brand contracts to add to their income. Also indie musicians are yet to become popular in mainstream music and are still trying to find their feet in the music industry. Earlier it was difficult for indie music and indie films to be distributed on a large scale.
However with the prices of equipment dropping, and also with the digital copying equipment becoming relatively easy to find, the indie entertainment industry is set for a boom and many new artists are expected to rise as a result of the indie music scene. Already indie music artists have started making mainstream music and it is not uncommon for indie films to be box office successes. In fact each year an independent films festival is held to show case the best in independent films. The future of indie music and indie films is no longer uncertain, and with time the indie music and indie film industry is expected to flourish. Each year the number of indie films being made is on the rise and more and more artists are getting an opportunity to show case their talent, without having to run from pillar to post for a recording contract.
Antony Gardner is the author of this article on myindie,. Find more information about indie rockhere.
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