To hundreds, even thousands of struggling musicians, it seems the mountain is too high to climb. For those who are starting out as performers, the first goal may be to get a contract with a major recording company. From there, it’s only a matter of time before that talented individual becomes a star, right? But that climb to a spot high enough to get noticed and signed by a major label is sometimes dream-crushing.

Read this statement from the well-known Taj Mahal, from the foreword of a book called The NPR Curious Listener’s Guide to Blues.

“The music business has changed. Its earlier incarnation was of music lovers who got involved in commerce. Just like everything else, that group of people has moved on, and what has taken over is a group of people less interested in the music than in the business. So, with marketing and the record companies and media consolidation, there’s less art for art’s sake.

Of course, that’s where indie music comes in. Independent labels and self-produced CDs, along with Web download capability, have helped spread music more quickly, and widely, than ever before. There is a small percentage of industry people who still rely on the major-label method. But the numbers in the indie world continue to grow, in a challenge to the status quo.

Tags: what’s the truth, music, indie music, indie, independent music