Five years ago, the term "indie rock" was not widely known in Taiwan--the media wrote about "alternative" or "underground" music. But Taiwanese musicians felt that the former drew too many associations with "alternative rock" from abroad and was too narrow in scope, while the second made it sound like non-mainstream acts were doomed to stay in smoky basement dives forever, never to break out and see the light of day and compete in the mainstream market.

Pushing the boundaries

Freddy, lead singer of the band ChthoniC, is one of the biggest promoters of Taiwan's band scene. Though ChthoniC's black metal sound is far from the mainstream, Freddy still doesn't like being labeled "underground." Not only does ChthoniC produce and distribute its own records, Freddy's company TRA Music puts on all sorts of concerts and festivals and is a partner in Taipei's important live venue The Wall. They are actively expanding the boundaries of Taiwan's indie rock scene.

Freddy believes that opportunity won't just fall from the sky--a band has to pursue its own ideals, rather than waiting for a record company to come along and give them a shot or being happy to stay in the basement. Independent music is a spirit that shows the artists' determination to express themselves creatively without sinking into self-pity or being commercially manipulated. It's a calling to be followed passionately.

In addition to this sort of attitude, independent music can also refer to records put out by independent labels--labels unaffiliated with the four major multinationals Universal, Warner, EMI, and Sony BMG. Though the indie labels are smaller, they were formed by people who are passionate about music. When it comes to new styles, they have better instincts than the majors and are therefore on the cutting edge. They are the pacesetters of the industry.

In the mid-1990s, established local companies like Rock Records started releasing fewer and fewer records as major multinationals started moving in. The overall market for CDs has continued to shrink since then. This cleared the way for smaller independent labels to open in Taiwan in recent years. Notable ones include White Wabbit, Willlin Music, A Good Day, TCM, Trees Music & Art, Silent Agreement, Music 543, Wonder Music, and Click Music. Together, they're forming a trend.

Independent labels have opened new possibilities for the way recorded music is bought and sold in Taiwan.

Young upstarts

Some of these indie labels were started by young music fans who were willing to face all sorts of troubles in following their passion. For example, White Wabbit, the home of Peppermint and Bad Daughter, was started by 27-year-old Ye Wan-ching in a tiny unused restroom of Taipei's Zeitgeist Live House. Now it's a mainstay of Taiwan's indie rock scene.

Broadcaster and author Ma Shih-fang's Music 543 formed around an online community of music fans. Its sound is a more mature one. Its productions include a series of Golden-Melody-Award-winning records by Sandee Chen as well as the ambitious Indie Soundcheck Project. The Indie Soundcheck Project was originally to be a showcase for musicians Ma and Chen felt were not getting the exposure they deserved. Those artists would not be able to release an entire album in the mainstream market, so Ma and Chen decided to put out a sampler of their works.

Many of those artists were under contract with other companies, however, so the Indie Soundcheck Project was done on a non-profit basis. After the expenses of making it are recouped, the rest of the money goes into a special account earmarked for recording the next in the series. That's why it's also called the "Zero Income Project." Participants have included veterans like Kay Huang and Lim Giong, as well as newcomer bands like Sodagreen and Natural Q appearing on record for the first time. The series is now on its third volume.

ATB Music, a music store and band rehearsal space in eastern Taipei, has long been a favorite of local musicians. There's always a steady stream of young customers there loading up on the gear they need to chase their rock dreams.

Breaking away

Some of the indie labels were started by people in mainstream companies who saw which way the tide was turning and struck off on their own. Producer Will Lin, for example, used to be with Rock Records subsidiary Magic Stone, the record company of Faith Yang and Cheer Chen. When Rock Records restructured in 2001 and Magic Stone ceased operations, he opened his own independent label, Willlin Music.

Lin says that he was given a lot of space at Magic Stone, and as a subsidiary of a mainstream company Magic Stone was able to break new ground with unique releases. But with the economic downturn, the company's scope for experimentation disappeared. Meanwhile, Lin noticed more and more young artists performing at festivals and pubs. He decided to take the plunge and start his own company.

"My strong point was always music production, but after starting the company I had to start thinking about marketing and promotion to give a record a chance in the market," Lin says. In addition to the usual promotions used by mainstream artists such as music videos, ads, and CD signing events, Lin says his artists have more creative ways to expand their audiences.

For example, every so often Willlin Music will release an EP. That keeps the artists in the habit of going into the studio and practicing, and also lets the fans take a chance on an unfamiliar artist by buying a CD for only around NT$100.

Lin Hui-pin, who has produced mainstream artists like Melody Chiang and Fish Leong, also started an indie label, Wonder Music, in 2003. Artists on the label include major indie bands with loyal fanbases such as Tizzy Bac, Totem, and Won Fu. Tizzy Bac is unique in that it has no guitarist--its sound is driven by piano. The band is also known for its moody lyrics about the turmoil of youth, which have earned it the nickname "the band of mopers." Totem adds an Aboriginal flavor to its danceable mix of folk, reggae, and rock, and has found success in the last few years. Won Fu's Anglo-American retro rock sound and playful lyrics have also found an audience among Taiwan's youth. The music of these indie bands is not so far from the mainstream. With the right packaging and heavy touring, their CDs are well received.

The independent group Totem, made up of five young Aboriginal men, has become very popular in recent years.

Do It Yourself

Technological advances are partially responsible for the indie whirlwind. Back in the era of reel-to-reel recording, just about any piece of equipment in a recording studio would cost over NT$1 million. Such major investment made the backing of a record company a necessity.

But with today's digital recording technology, much less capital is needed. With an investment of just a few hundred thousand NT dollars, a musician can record a demo or even an entire album at home.

After the indie band Jasmine were crowned champions of the 2004 Hohaiyan Music Festival, they were approached by record companies interested in signing them. But the companies wanted to change the band's style to win a bigger audience, so the band turned them down. Lead singer Chang Chieh decided to insist on the band's creative control, and recorded their album Run to the Ocean herself on a computer. She was responsible for recording, design and distribution. "I had the plant press 2,000 copies," she says. "So far we've sold 1,000, at concerts and in limited distribution. It's tough, but it's real."

In addition to recording at home, some artists record in professional studios owned by indie labels like Willlin Music and TCM. These studios give bands a place where they can comfortably perfect their sounds. Will Lin, with his background as a professional producer, initially felt disdain for the rough, overly DIY sound of most indie music, but he's changed that attitude now. "There are no right answers in recording," he says. "The important thing is how the band wants to sound."

Many of Taiwan's indie records were recorded in the studio Noiz. Owner Luxia Wu says that even as the market for recorded music shrinks, more and more studios and rehearsal spaces are popping up. Many young bands want to play outdoor festivals or live venues and work hard producing demos and practicing.

Walking around Taiwan's college campuses, you'll notice that the acoustic-guitar-playing folk troubadours of the 1970s and 80s are long gone. In their place is a new breed, rock bands made up of kids with electric guitars and effects pedals who hole up to practice in the hopes of one day playing in front of tens of thousands of fans at a festival like Formoz or Hohaiyan.

Modus operandi

Ma Shih-fang says that the value of indie labels is that they allow artists to present themselves to their audiences as they wish, without having to compromise to vulgar fashions. Sandee Chen, for example, had a high degree of autonomy when she released records on the Friendly Dog label, but she still occasionally had to take part in some promotional events she didn't care for. "Now," Ma says, "Sandee can choose to do as she likes."

Lin says that indie labels "allow happiness and money-making to co-exist." He says he was never a revolutionary: "I would rather be a reformer on the margins of the system, because in the market most products don't pass the test of time. What Taiwan lacks most right now is actually mature pop songs."

Especially after the market began shrinking, mainstream labels had to focus their efforts even more narrowly on the most easily targeted market--junior-high students. They comprise the most stable market, and they are the most easily influenced by ads and their peers. The music and the lyrics, accordingly, became increasingly monotonous. In contrast, indie labels don't invest as much so they allow greater room for error. "We're not like the big labels, who have so much riding on each artist," says Lin. "It's only natural that they'd be more conservative and that it is harder for them to break new ground."

For example, one major label, when promoting singer Cyndi Wang as a pop idol targeted at teenagers, planned to release three of her albums over two years and then put out a greatest hits package, all with a marketing budget of around NT$70 million. Indie labels don't take such big gambles. For each of their albums, they typically invest around NT$1 million. Through steady touring, artists gradually build up an audience, and then have a chance to break. Sodagreen built up a following over the last two years in this way.

Unfortunately, the gradual breakthrough of indie music has been largely ignored by the mainstream media. In July of 2006, the veteran indie band 1976 held a press conference for the release of their album. The host of the event, who was wise to the reporting style of the commercial media, kept causing a scene by trying to get singer Zhang Xuan to kiss the band's singer A-Kai. The band and Zhang ended up getting a lot of coverage in the press--that's what it takes to get the media to notice these hard-working musicians. The event led music critic Chang Tieh-chih to the conclusion that this sort of media environment is incapable of showing any respect to artists at all.

Finding a place

The breakthrough of these Taiwanese indie artists shows that their music is no longer just a hobby--they are working hard to get their music heard. In the future of Taiwanese pop, will the "mainstream" vs. "indie" dialectic end up producing something new and exciting?

Neutron Innovation CEO Landy Chang believes that Taiwan's strength is its variety of lively, small-scale creative communities such as its indie rock scene, its online writers, and its crafts merchants--all of which are flourishing now. Not only have they stimulated their respective industries, they've formed a cultural phenomenon in recent years that is not yet seen in other Chinese societies.

Will Lin, who is willing to take on the mainstream, cites Mayday, Wu Bai, Cheer Chen, Jay Chou, and Sodagreen as evidence of Taiwan's free-speech, unrestrained society that is once again, as in the past, the fountainhead of Mandarin pop. Such a relaxed social environment could not be easily recreated just anywhere.

Freddy, a tireless promoter of band culture, advocates self-sufficiency for independent music. He says bands don't need to play the game as set up by the big labels. Bands shouldn't hold on to unrealistic dreams of stardom, waiting around for a label to sign you. You can focus on your band's creativity and do it all yourself, recording, promoting and touring. As the movement gathers momentum, it will become a new force that can't be ignored.

The Aboriginal band Totem had had countless ups and downs before winning the Battle of the Bands competition at Hohaiyan in 2005. As they sing in their song "I'm Not Jay Chou," "Actually, I want a girlfriend like Jolin Tsai, too / Never mind the way I act / I have confidence / My mind is still clear / There's nothing at all / That can strike me down / Who'd dare to strike me? / Holding to the melody / I'm going to keep going down that road, searching."

If Taiwan's independent musicians "keep going down that road" like the song says, Taiwanese pop will have a vital future.

Taiwan's Indie Labels and their Representative Artists

compiled by Chang Shih-lun / art by Wei Chin-hua

Independent labels have opened new possibilities for the way recorded music is bought and sold in Taiwan.

Independent labels have opened new possibilities for the way recorded music is bought and sold in Taiwan.

Independent labels have opened new possibilities for the way recorded music is bought and sold in Taiwan.

Independent labels have opened new possibilities for the way recorded music is bought and sold in Taiwan.

Independent labels have opened new possibilities for the way recorded music is bought and sold in Taiwan.

Independent labels have opened new possibilities for the way recorded music is bought and sold in Taiwan.

The number of rehearsal spaces has been rising steadily lately. They give bands a "hide-out" where they can practice to their hearts' content. Pictured is Peppermint's bassist, Jubow.

Independent labels have opened new possibilities for the way recorded music is bought and sold in Taiwan.

Independent labels have opened new possibilities for the way recorded music is bought and sold in Taiwan.

Independent labels have opened new possibilities for the way recorded music is bought and sold in Taiwan.

Independent labels have opened new possibilities for the way recorded music is bought and sold in Taiwan.

Independent labels have opened new possibilities for the way recorded music is bought and sold in Taiwan.