Why Ben Gibbard, Chris Young, Jill Scott, Ricardo Montaner & Bebe Rexha Went Indie: ‘My Creative Voice and My Vision Are Heard Better Now’
Five prominent artists on the long and winding roads that led them to independence — and what they learned on the way.
Black News 
Independent artists turn to major labels for myriad reasons — resources, reach, prestige, and seemingly lucrative contracts, to name a few — and once they arrive, they usually stay there. But for some artists, the arrangement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, or at least not for the longterm. A new act may find that attention on them wavers or fades once a newer, shinier one comes along — and the attention lavished on a once-indie artist isn’t always the good kind, and can feel creatively stifling. Maybe an artist wants to create on their own terms and timeline; maybe that artist simply doesn’t vibe with the executives calling the shots, or the label’s corporate culture. And sometimes, both parties simply find that their relationship has a natural expiration date — no hard feelings on either end.
But as the music business has evolved, so too have the contours of what it means, exactly, to be signed to a major or an indie label. And as the definition of success has concurrently evolved, a major label contract is no longer the surefire ticket to stability and happiness that it once was. Today, plenty of independent labels punch above their weight — and can address a substantial portion of the needs for which artists once fled toward Major Land.
Jill Scott, Bebe Rexha, Death Cab For Cutie, Chris Young and Ricardo Montaner represent different genres of popular music and bring with them different levels of experience in the industry. Some started out in the indie world, only to be lured to a major; others immediately gained access to a major and the promise it seemed to bring. But they all share one strong commonality: when it came to their career longevity, creative freedom and overall happiness, independence was ultimately the only way forward.
