Creativity, autonomy and authenticity: Indie musicians in Spain

Abstract

This article focuses on indie musicians in Spain. Drawing on thirty in depth interviews with musicians, the paper addresses authenticity as a source of conflicts within alternative scenes. Indie musicians belong to a specific space of creation, a ‘subfield’ according to the terminology suggested by Pierre Bourdieu. Indie music is a space with its own standing among popular music, one which has developed complex and shifting relations with the music industry. That is a space where artistic partnerships coexist with patterns of internal conflict. Our analysis points at a transformation in the priorities of many of these musicians. Insisting on a particular profile vis-a-vis other musicians in terms of reputation and authenticity has become a clear priority. These strategies of differentiation, which we address as expressions of subcultural capital, are built on a search for innovation, particularized knowledge and spaces. This article proposes a reading of musicians as relevant expressions of larger conflicts and value shifts about the meaning of independence in contemporary societies.