-
The Velvet Underground record their first demos. In 1967, they released their first album ‘The Velvet Underground and Nico’ which according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame started the hype and bring up of indie and rock. -
Nick Lowe’s record “So It Goes” was released by the indie record label Stiff, making it the first UK punk single. According to Stiff Records, their label is “The Maverick Indie” and served as a guide for many other indie record companies that followed. More radios and producers started playing and getting into indie. -
On January 29th, 1977 The Buzzcocks released their debut 'Spiral Scratch EP', the first ever punk record to be self-released. This inspired people to release their music as it showed that you don't need a record label to release a record. And showed that "different" music could gain popularity. -
Depeche Mode is formed. They are known for their synthpop aesthetic and began selling out stadiums worldwide by the end of the 80s. They sold out London’s O2 arena in 2008 in less than an hour. This made many other indie bands want to showcase their music and go on tours to get it out there. -
The Smiths were one of the biggest indie influences of all time. In 1982 The Smiths were formed. In mid-1983 the band started working on and recorded their debut album, 'The Smiths'. This brought a different view to indie as The Smith's music had a different sound and look to it. -
On November 24th, 1983 The Smiths performed for the first time on national television after a year of successful gigging in Manchester. Throughout this year or so they built up a very strong fan base. Their performance on, Top Of The Pops was regarded as the first breakthrough of indie music to the mainstream. -
New Musical Express, or NME, releases cassette gathering popular indie music artists called C86. According to NME, this compilation defined the indie-pop sound of the 80s. -
Sub Pop Records is created. The label adopted Nirvana, a grunge band consisting of Kurt Cobain, David Grohl, and Krist Novoselic. Nirvana was and still extremely popular and influenced a lot of future indie artists. -
XL Recordings is formed. The label has developed into an indie powerhouse with acts such as Vampire Weekend. The label is highly selective as well and typically signs one artist every year. This showed how truly amazing indie is and the genre as a whole started getting more listeners.
-
Nirvana’s second record, ‘Nevermind,’ is released, and has sold at least 31 million copies, proving that indie bands do have a place on the charts. -
The Strokes, hailing from New York City, burst onto the scene with their debut album “Is This It” in 2001. Their energetic and catchy tunes influenced by garage rock and post-punk revival captured the essence of the times. -
"First Day of My Life" was released. It changed the focus of indie music. Surely there were already songs about refounded love but The Bright Eyes showed people a new side to Indie music. This band was also heavily influenced by The Smiths. -
Domino Records released the Artic Monkey’s debut album “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not,” selling 363,735 copies during the first week of release. The band went on to win the 2006 Nationwide Mercury Prize8, which recognizes the album of the year for British and Irish bands and singers. -
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 71% increase in indie musicians since 2003. Statistics like this prove how much indie has grown not just in America and how this music has influenced everyone.
-
Vinyl record sales witnessed a 33% growth in sales, selling six million copies in 2013. This statistic is closely related to the growth of indie music as many artists release music on both CD and vinyl.
-
Mitski has been releasing music for decades before this but in 2023 she released an album, "The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We." It hit the charts and had the highest views. Her song, "My Love Mine All Mine" hit the charts above many pop songs scoring number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100.