Gawker’s Hamilton Nolan correctly calls for a moratorium on the term “indie”, especially when applied to musicians who willfully seek out any possible cross-market corporate tie-in in order to sustain so-called “independence.” Or as Nolan succinctly states:

…to sell a single freaking song in today’s environment, musicians must rush around bootlicking every monster corporation of any type willing to give away some airplay and free promotion.

The Wall Street Journal’s sample “indie” artist is Greg Laswell, whose label, Vanguard, plans to have Laswell’s music piped into movie chains and hotel lobbies all in the name of getting the word out by circumventing the normal channels. Or, to simplify, because no one actually would care otherwise.

His list of embarrassing buzz word nonsense promotional gimmicks includes posters in Whole Foods’ grocery checkout lines where customers see him “compared to EMI Group’s Coldplay.” Sold!