got the music in you baby, tell me why got the music in you baby, tell me why

But the music industry itself has a much broader definition. LOU: (Singing) Didn't want to be told what I'm supposed to look like, didn't want to be told what makes a woman look right.ĬALDWELL: Lou is at one extreme of what it means to be an independent artist, a do-it-yourself model that avoids record contracts altogether. But I've decided that that's an investment that I want to make. LOU: It takes a lot of time and a lot of money (laughter) which I have to find somewhere. She paid engineers, producers and musicians from her own pocket. She made this album and is now touring internationally without a label.

LOU: I've always kind of settled on doing things as independently as possible just because it feels so worth it to build yourself up without just taking something that is prescribed.ĬALA: Lou is based in Berlin. LOU: (Singing) The moon was full and it left me howlin'.ĬALDWELL: We caught up with her at the end of the week in a rare break between shows. LOU: It was an independent release by yours truly. NOAH CALDWELL, BYLINE: She's mostly performing songs from a brand-new album called 'Paper Castles.' We've got a few more songs for you.ĬHRISTINA CALA, BYLINE: Like many artists at South by Southwest, Alice Phoebe Lou is playing a marathon of live sets, ping-ponging around Austin to different venues. They started by talking to one artist who has stayed fiercely independent over the course of her career.ĪLICE PHOEBE LOU: All right. NPR's Christina Cala and Noah Caldwell were there in Austin to try to find an answer. And that question of what it means to be an independent musician is pretty complicated. LLOYD BLACK: You basically backing yourself financially, getting your movement started from zero, basically.īROOKE: I think that somebody can be an independent artist and be with a label.īLACK: No, not really - kind of defeats the whole purpose.ĬHANG: The voices there were from the South by Southwest music festival. JOHNATHAN WAITS: Someone who's kind of grassroots, kind of does their own social networking. RACHEL: I think of an artist that's constantly innovating and pushing the boundaries. But what exactly does it mean to be independent? Independent artists now make up nearly 40 percent of the global music industry - the highest share of the market since the early 1990s.

Got the music in you baby, tell me why got the music in you baby, tell me why