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Re-examining the concept of the ‘independent’ record company: the case of Wax Trax! records

1995/01/01 by Stephen Lee · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Music History and Culture #Musicology and Musical Analysis #Cultural Industries and Urban Development #Blues #Music industry #History #Musical #Enthusiasm #Jazz #Profit (economics) #Genealogy #Economic history #Economy #Visual arts #Economics #Art history #Art

paper · doi:10.1017/s0261143000007613

openalex publication_date 1995/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/10

Abstract

In the American record industry, independent record companies have long held a cultural status that far exceeds the actual economic impact they have in the market-place. Independent record companies, or ‘indies’, have become understood as innovative and creative oases for new or unconventional musicians in the midst of a capital-driven and profit-oriented record business. The development of a wide range of musical genres and styles – from rhythm and blues and soul to punk and industrial – are often attributed to the small companies that operated outside of the control of the larger ‘major’ labels.

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