Underground Music

Hesmondhalgh says that “one of the successes of the post-punk independents in the 1980’s was there ability to set up a network of distribution which enabled not only musicians to get signed to their labels, but also to string other companies and musicians across the country to reach a much wider public than would have otherwise been possible” (37). Hesmondhalgh later implies that they were unable to maintain such successes later into the 1990’s. This may be true of independent mainstream, but is this necessarily true of all independent music (which I will refer to as underground music)? Increases in smaller record labels that press DIY albums and networking sites, like Myspace, have allowed bands to create music and travel the world playing to audiences outside of where they live. Does an underground label have to sell 100,000 records to be successful? Can’t it be successful in just putting out great music? Isn’t that the point of Indy/Underground music?

It seems like all of these articles talk about how Indy music has positioned itself against mainstream music and mainstream culture. I wonder how much of this is actually conscious on the part of musicians and listeners? Hesmondhalgh says on page 38, “the post-punk independent sector set itself determinedly against these commercial methods.” Are underground musicians really “reconciling conflicting aims towards being different and being popular?” (Hesmondhalgh 52). Furthermore, I have never thought, “wow… in this album that sounds like it’s recorded live, the artist is exposed to us, caught naked in the act of his creation” (Hibbet 62).

Last time we talked about Indy culture possibly being like high culture according to Bourdieu. All of the articles talk about image and the cultural capital as an entrance into underground music scenes. “Collecting and studying old rock bands is a rite of passage for young men (and women) entering the scene” (Bannister 85). Soyouwanna.com advises on how to “fake being an indy rock expert” (Hibbet 56)…presumably so you can fake your rite of passage to enter the music scene. Do these examples support another social structure in which Bourdieu’s definitions of taste and cultural capital can be applied? Is this what Hibbett is arguing? Does he prove this?