What’s Next for Indie Music?

The problem, then, is that unlike indie, whose definition is rooted in animosity toward any corporate attitude (independent from the mainstream), authenticity is a slippery concept. (As music critic Chuck Klosterman once noted, “The White Stripes are simultaneously the most fake band in the world, and the most real band in the world.”) Even worse, authenticity, rather than saving indie culture, might be partially to blame for its current false victory. Which means the future of indie can no longer be about keeping it real. Instead, it must involve a return to financial transparency. In other words, it’s the economy, stupid.