Indie means independent, not major record label

Warner Brothers Records is getting into the business of podcasting. A major record label doing such things is not the worst thing in the world, but I take issue when they start calling it “indie” and refer to the music played as being by “independent artists”.

Murmurs and whispers around the podosphere have hinted that Bands Under the Radar, described as “a music podcast featuring unsigned bands and indie artists,” is not “indie” at all, but is in fact a podcast being quietly produced and distributed by Warner Brothers Records.

The podcast features music from “indie bands”, such as Tom Petty, Chris Isaak, Kasey Chambers, Better Than Ezra, Mark Knopfler, Johnny Cash, Loleatta Holloway & Muse – all Warner Brothers artists. [podcastingnews]

The creepy thing is that when you go to the website of the podcast, it seems like a total independent setup, complete with a Blogger look and feel to it. I have yet to listen to an episode, but let’s be clear about what’s going on here. This is not what it is being portrayed as. Tom Petty and Johnny Cash are far from being considered “indie”.

Kami Knake, the host for the program is New Media Coordinator for Warner Brothers Records, and the podcast is served up by Warner Bros. […]

We asked Knake whether her podcast, which has a low-budget “indie” quality to it, is in fact an official corporate podcast made on behalf of Warner Brothers Records.

“It’s something I started before I came to WBR,” said Knake. “I do play WBR artists, but that’s by choice. My podcast has nothing to do with WBR. 😉 ”

While Knake’s official word is that her podcast has nothing to do with Warner Brothers, Bands Under the Radar features Warner Brothers artists, is created by a Warner Brothers employee and is delivered from Warner Brothers’ servers. [podcastingnews]

I’ve often said that major labels need to start something different to compete in a vastly changing industry. This, on the other hand, is not what I had in mind. It’s down right sneaky.