Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records by John Cook, Mac McCaughan, and Laura Ballance tells the story of Merge Records, a small indie rock record label founded in Chapel Hill, NC in 1989. Starting out in a small apartment, Mac and Laura, the cofounders of Merge, wanted to start a label that would help artists create the music that they wanted to create. Embracing the DIY lifestyle, the members of Chuck (just one of Mac's bands) turned to themselves to release their first 7 inch singles, signing with Matador Records so they could finance the project. Eventually, Chuck became Superchunk, and they released a new single making a huge profit, showing that they didn't need to sign with a big, fancy label to make it in the music industry. From financing their own tours, to individually screen printing and folding the sleeves for their records, Mac and Laura were all about doing things for themselves, even if it meant sleeping in a van or not knowing what they would eat for their next meal. Mac and Laura's experience with recording records and successfully promoting them (at an incredibly low cost) lead them to start Merge. They firmly believe that it was their job "to put our records that [they] like. [They're] going to do it in an honest, transparent way."
Mac and Laura's story has inspired me to write about the philosophy of indie culture and it's influence on the music industry and the music independent artists create. The philosophy of indie culture is the reason for everything the culture has to offer, so it only makes sense to research it's impact on not just the music, but the people that live by the "indie code" day in and day out.
Gabby,
ReplyDeleteIndie music, and the indie lifestyle in general, has always fascinated me. I think there is something to be said about living in accordance to the art that one creates. I find it interesting how far one or a group, will go to pursue art and the level of importance that it holds for different people. I'm really excited to read more about this and hopefully read your paper. I think that indie is beginning to become more popular, and I am interested to see if the philosophy is as well as the music. Great post!
Although I am not the biggest fan of Indie music, I am a fan of great entrepreneurs. This is an inspiring story for anyone who wants to start small and make it in this country. It's even more incredible that they pulled it off in possibly the most competitive industry out there. Although many different philosophies promote this sort of hard work in order to reach a goal, there are so many things that indie culture bring together besides that. I am looking forward to learning even more about this exciting group of people!
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