Music comparisons and differences?

S

storywriter

New member
I'm doing a compare and contrast essay with Indie and Mainstream.

What are the similarities and differences of the two? Really need some similarities... and more information about Indie.
 
they're both overproduced styles marketed towarRAB adolescents and young adults that try to deny the fact that they're incredibly similar, often from the same parent sources, and not nearly as profound as they purport themselves to be.
 
This.

They both aren't legitimate genres of music and are just blanket generalizations for, in indie's case any band or artist not on one of the big four record labels and mainstream as any band or artist ever heard on any top 40 radio station.
 
Indie and mainstream are by definition opposites, so there really aren't many similarities... As Charlemagne said above me they're not genres but blanket terms describing mainly the levels of success. I suppose one similarity would be the instruments? All I can think of really.
 
It's actually the extended title of the album No More Stories by Mew, but it also features as the lyrics of one of the songs on the album. It's an incredible album, by the way, definately give it a listen.
 
The main difference is that mainstream music is released by a 'major' label e.g. Sony BMG, Warner Bros, etc. whereas indie music released 'independently', through the band themselves, or an 'independent label', eg. Elephant 6.

The main reason people started to go for indie labels in the first place was to have more control over their music and such. Mainstream music is marketed towarRAB the general population, and so has to appeal to many people, making the type of music the musicians must create very limited. People seeking more flexibility and creative control decided to sign with indie labels.

However, these days, humans being naturally built to conform, 'indie' music is starting to sound all the same anyway, and starting to sound 'mainstream'.

Thats how i see it anyway.
 
^The definition of indie as music that comes from independent labels is not sufficient really. If you're a norwegian prog band today, chances are your music would be released by some small time independent company. Still, that doesn't mean people will call your music "indie" or "indie prog". Most people probably wouldn't apply the indie label at all.

Defining indie is a really hard task because it means both music coming from independent companies and a (collection of) musical style(s) - usually those that don't fit neatly under other genre descriptions. If you want to compare indie and mainstream, you have to start with an explanation or definition of what you mean by indie and what you mean by mainstream, I think. Both can be a challenge to define.
 
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