Skip to main content
Dictionary
Store
Blog
World
Help
Advertise
Chat
System Status
Information Collection Notice
Trademark Concerns
reCAPTCHA Privacy
Terms of Service
reCAPTCHA Terms
Privacy Policy
Accessibility
Report a Bug
Data Request
Contact Us
Security
DMCA
© 1999–2026 Urban Dictionary ®
Mugs
Tees
Hoodies
Pro Customization
Create unique products with your own words and definitions
Preview
Personalize Your Design
Your Word
Your Definition
Indie from independent Came into usage in the late 1970s early 1980s to describe records distributed independently of the major record companies. Some of the larger independent record labels such as Rough Trade acted as distributors and at one point independent labels collaborated to distribute records through the Cartel. Although in recent years the term has become associated with guitar bands it was not originally so. For example records by Kylie Minogue appeared in the indie charts because her record label used an independent distributor. By the late 1980s the independent music scene ceased to have any real meaning as major record companies set up fake indie labels and some of the larger independent record labels sold out to majors. Nowadays the term is associated with a style of guitar music and has to some extent become a pejorative term. For example in the phrase "landfill indie", expressing the lack of originality in much of the genre.
Text fits
Save
Cancel