3 ms·

The top selling album of 2012 was Adele's "21" and she's an independent.

• coldtea 13y ago
  What does "independent" mean in this context? She released stuff with XL Recordings (a label that had multi-million selling artists even back in the nineties) and then signed with Columbia. Independent used to be somebody in a small label, like 4AD. Nowadays, it's somebody releasing his songs himself or such. Adele hasn't qualified as such for over 5 years...
  • dublinben 13y ago
    XL Recordings is a true independent label. It is not owned by a major record label, even indirectly. That's the definition of independent that is used within the music business. Just because they're incredibly successful, doesn't make them not an independent label. Changing the definition of "indie" to exclude XL makes the claim that 'indies aren't successful' a simple tautology.
    • coldtea 13y ago
      >Just because they're incredibly successful, doesn't make them not an independent label. Changing the definition of "indie" to exclude XL makes the claim that 'indies aren't successful' a simple tautology. Perhaps, but has the benefit that it keeps the definition of "indie" as "not a big marketing and sales behemoth" intact. And that's more to the essense of being "independent" than "doesn't belong to a major record label". If we're to accept incredibly succesful, large selling artists, big marketing as "independent", then what does distinguish major and indie record labels? Simply that it's not a conglomerate?
      • dublinben 13y ago
        Yes, that's always been the definition of independent record labels, nothing more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_record_label https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_record_label
        • coldtea 13y ago
          Actually, it states this: "The boundaries between major and independent labels, and the definitions of each, differ from commentator to commentator" in the link.