Music Genre Research

Genre history • Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and

the United States in the 1980s.

• In the mid-1980s, the term "indie" began to be used to describe the music produced on post-punk labels rather than the labels themselves. The indie rock scene in the US was prefigured by the college rock  that dominated college radio playlists, which included key bands like R.E.M. from the US and The Smiths from the UK. These bands rejected this in the early 1980s and helped inspire guitar-based jangle pop ; other important bands in the genre.

• The 1990s brought major changes to the alternative rock scene. Grunge bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Hole, and Alice in Chains broke into the mainstream, achieving commercial chart success and widespread exposure.  Punk revival bands like Green Day and The Offspring also became popular and were grouped under the "alternative" umbrella.[ Similarly, in the United Kingdom Britpop saw bands like Blur and Oasis emerge into the mainstream, abandoning the regional, small-scale and political elements of the 1980s indie scene]

 As a result of these changes the term "alternative" lost its original counter-cultural meaning and began to refer to the new, commercially lighter form of music that was now achieving mainstream success. It has been argued that even the term "sell-out" lost its meaning as grunge made it possible for a niche movement, no matter how radical, to be co-opted by the mainstream, cementing the formation of an individualist, fragmented culture

• The embracing of mainstream success by Indie rock artists in the late 90s to the early 2010s has thrown this sub-genre into a crisis of identity.

Sub-Genres

• Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include indie pop, jangle

pop, C86, and lo-fi, among others

• The biggest sign of how Indie rock has become extremely popular can be found on TV. Just sample the soundtrack playlists from hit TV shows like One Tree Hill, Vampire Diaries, CSI, Grey’s Anatomy, The OC, NCIS and Breaking Bad; and you will realize how much Indie rock is popular. Its influence doesn’t just stop with TV, but also reaches the big screen with movie franchises like Twilight and videogames like Need for Speed showcasing a lot Indie rock talent.

Cross Media

http://underthedome.hubpages.com/hub/Indie-Rock-The-Most-Popular-Kid-in-the-Rock-Genre

Audience / Fans

• Indie rock- A genre of music and cult following of younger generation which is striving to be different from pop music followers. Music is often “underground”, not known to popular audiences because of independent record labels. The musical style combines British punk, rock and roll, and heavy metal. sound that mainstream listeners do not immediately identify with.

Public perception

•The stereo typical audience - 16-24S•social class – working/middle class, in education•Ethnicity – white

•Interests – Music, Instruments, Tumblr, Photography, iphones, instragam, piercings, tattoos,clothing, shopping, dressing up, bands, gigs/concerts (local bands etc in small clubs)festivals, smoking, reading, cats, twitter.

•Dress sense –suits, shorts, jeans, acid wash, baggy shirts to put over t-shirt, jackets, denimshirts and jackets, brown jackets, jumpers, band t-shirts of indie rock bands or older bands,jewellery, studded stuff, scarf, pretty little shirts for girls with printed stuff on, old vintageclothing, glasses, hippy sunglasses, backpack, dyed hair (natural look though or dip dye)necklaces for girls, natural look, curly hair.

•They like to go to festivals.

Competition • Kerrang! magazine was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in The Sounds newspaper.

Named after the onomatopoeic word that derives from the noise made when smashing an electric guitar, Kerrang! was initially devoted to the new wave of British Heavy Metal and the rise of hard rock acts such as AC/DC who appeared on Kerrang!’s first covering the period 01-Jul-2008 to 31-Dec-2008 Kerrang!‘s circulation sales in the UK and the Republic of Ireland were at a high of 50,128 insuring it remained the market-leading music weekly. These figures display that Kerrang! is a successful magazine despite its audience being one demographic entity.

• This devoted audience of rock fans is made up of 60% males and 40% females. The predominate ethnicity of the readership is white British with a target population of 16-24 year olds. It is evident that the magazine is aimed at a young audience, through the use of graphics, fonts, layouts and presentation. Kerrang! is aimed at the youth and their lifestyles. It has a contemporary and up-to-date look, making use of modern typefaces and a down-to-earth feel. The magazine even accommodates the young readership by using advertisements that relate to their interests.

• Kerrang! aims itself more at a male audience and appeals to them by using content such as hard rock and metal iconic male bands on the front cover pulling angry faces or violent expressions. Female readers are targeted by the use of male bands on free pull out posters and feature interviews.

• The edgy, underground and individualistic style appeals to rock readers and draws them in, this is a crucial element of any successful magazine.

• Pages of letters, drawings and photos, reader’s polls, gig reviews, editorial team recommended entertainment, competitions and the Kerrang! diary of upcoming gigs all give the readers a chance to respond and share their views and opinions. The ‘letter of the week’ receives feedback from the magazine editor and a £50 music voucher. It is these kinds of interactions that make the audience feel more involved with the publication they are buying and less like a sales statistic.

http://journalism.winchester.ac.uk/?page=257

Circulation :44,013Readership: 396,000