Why is it called indie music/movies?

Question

i dont understand why; indie is short for independent and was first used in the context of independent low budjet firms , and now its used as a name for completely non-indepent corperate music. and for example the movie juno was labed as an indie movie even though it isnt independent at all why is that?

Answer 1

I agree independent has become a label for movies and music, when  ten years ago, it was just a word to describe a movie or a song. most "indie" movies today don't even come close to true independent movies from the 80's and early 90's. Kevin Smith made a movie for 25,000 bucks, and Juno was made for well over 5 million. These movies that are independent today do not stand up to Stranger than Paradise, Resevoir Dogs, and She's Gotta Have it.

I especially have a huge problem with Juno. This director Jason Reitman is a poser. He is not an independent filmmaker, his father is one of the most successful directors of the 80's. How can he be and independent filmmaker?

Why are there companies funding independent movies, like Paramount Vantage or Fox Searchlight. These are still the same distributors that made freaking Transformers. It has become another marketable item. You can tell when a movie and music has lost it's artistic value when Wal-Mart sells it.

Answer 2

I think an independent film is considered a film that is out of the ordinary these days. Also, a film might be distributed by a big-name company, but the production companies under the distributors are particularly no-named companies. I hope that makes sense.