Fighting back against commercialism: Is Universal attempting to kill indie music?
Indie music has become a dirty word. In fact, when people ask me what sort of music I listen to, I shudder, before wincing and pitifully delivering the line, “I guess it would fall into indie but…”
The “but” being the crucial element of that sentence for leaving it to hang lets the recipient know indie is actually more than black skinny jeans and Chelsea boots.
Music at the turn of the millennium is largely responsible for this. A new wave of alternative music has retrospectively been labelled ‘indie sleaze’ and as such is indelibly linked to what we perceive as indie music. But ultimately, it’s far from the real truth. Indie music isn’t a four-piece band, led by guitar solos, nor should it be exclusively linked to derivatives of what we would consider rock music. Indie music is independent, whatever the style.
The very reason it became so popular as a “genre” is for that representation. Music fans are always desperately craving a sense of authenticity, an antidote to the pressures of modern life that are already largely driven by commercialism. For people who consume it, art has never meant to be another byproduct of that; rather, a tonic through which they can understand alternative ideals.
So through that, we pledge faith in record labels that we know share those ideals. Rough Trade, Domino and Heavenly are some of the bigger indie labels, proudly representing an economy of hundreds, all working in the industry for the good of music. They support the releases of artists who haven’t cultivated a finely tuned brand and instead represent what’s really going on in society.
Traditionally, ‘The Big Three‘ record labels haven’t been bothered by that. Universal, Sony and Warner are largely incentivised by dollar signs, be it through record sales, gig tickets and merchandise. Currently, they represent a ridiculously large portion of the market, accounting for 70% of recorded music revenues worldwide.
So it’s already close to a worryingly homogenised market, where corporate control is almost absolute in music. And these labels are fairing just fine with their 70%; in fact, in 2024, their revenue combined had increased by 4.8%, hitting $29.6billion, according to IFPI’s Global Music Report 2025.
But if history has taught us anything, it’s that financial success breeds more greed. Universal’s planned $775m acquisition of the independent music services company Downtown Music was clearly another step in that direction, taking ownership of their publishing, distribution, artist and label services and royalties data. Within that, not only will a wealth of independent artists be subjected to the bureaucracy, but the label will be in possession of vital data that can eradicate all market diversity.
It was this very fact that resulted in an EU intervention. “Opening an in-depth investigation will allow us to assess more carefully whether this acquisition would have a negative impact on artists, labels and, ultimately, European consumers,” Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU’s Economy Chief, said in a statement.
Because ultimately, as Helen Smith from The European Independent Trade Association Impala explains, “There is a point when big is too big for the ecosystem”.
However, could the diversity and originality of independently made music ever thrive in a uniform world of three-minute commercially distributed music?
It’s not even like Universal has a great deal to gain from the acquisition, with an already overwhelming portion of the market in their pockets and truly eyewatering revenue figures. Instead, they’ve noticed what I, too, have noticed in those cringeworthy conversations about music taste. That indie has now become a brand, and in a brand, there is always money. When is enough, enough?
