I think it is somewhat arbitrary, but I think of pop as the catchy drivel that 12-year-olds hear once and love immediately (think Britney or the Backstreet Boys). I mean, that is why it is categorized as POPular, right? To get a bit less arbitrary, I've read somewhere that pop songs tend to follow a very limited set of formulas - and that a computer program in Germany has analyzed enough pop songs that it can now crank out a hit pop song (following the formulas) at the push of a button. Whether this is completely true or not, I think it speaks volumes about the nature of pop music. Pop is the result of record producers creating a performer and a product that is designed to appeal to the masses yet is innocuous enough to not offend anyone.
Indie, on the other hand, supposedly gains a following before being signed by a major label, and it is, in my opinion, more of an acquired taste. It may not be instantly loveable and suitable for all environments, but it also may resonate in a deeper way with us than a catchy pop tune. Whereas pop attempts to improve or create a variation on a tried-and-true formula, I see indie music as more experimental - ideally attempting to break new ground, make a statement that is more controversial, etc. Of course, the lines between pop and indie become blurred as indie bands are signed to major lables who then try to make them more palatable to a wider audience, and as indie becomes more trendy, pop bands may borrow from that genre as well...
But that is at least how I differentiate between the two.
Indie, on the other hand, supposedly gains a following before being signed by a major label, and it is, in my opinion, more of an acquired taste. It may not be instantly loveable and suitable for all environments, but it also may resonate in a deeper way with us than a catchy pop tune. Whereas pop attempts to improve or create a variation on a tried-and-true formula, I see indie music as more experimental - ideally attempting to break new ground, make a statement that is more controversial, etc. Of course, the lines between pop and indie become blurred as indie bands are signed to major lables who then try to make them more palatable to a wider audience, and as indie becomes more trendy, pop bands may borrow from that genre as well...
But that is at least how I differentiate between the two.
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