Originally Posted by Kedvesem

I think someone mentioned this already, but the sub-genre that I despise the most (having nothing to do with its content, just the name) is "indie".

"Indie" is short for "independent", yes? So it's what? Independently released? Not on a big label? But that tells me NOTHING about the sound, only the marketing. And what if it isn't on a little label? Is it literally impossible for big labels to release indie music? I've also heard that "indie" is supposed to refer to music that sounds as if it could have been released on a small label (whatever that means), but then what about the worst, most useless label of all "indie pop"? That seems then to be a contradiction in terms, yet I have seen it used to describe various artists.

Why? Why is this a thing?