There's no doubt that indie music is on the rise. According to recent studies, nearly half of all music listeners now prefer indie music over mainstream options. This has led to a surge in demand for indie artists, and consequently, higher prices for their music, or is that an exaggeration? So how much should you be paying for indie music?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which means pay whatever you think it's worth. But there is a big difference between buying indie music and buying mainstream music. In this blog post, we will explore the current market for indie music and shed some light on what is the real value of the indie music market compared to the mainstream music market.

To learn how much indie music costs, keep reading.

Why indie music has more value than mainstream songs

1. They're More Unique

Indie songs are often more unique than mainstream songs. This is because indie artists are usually focused on their daily surroundings and it heavily influences the music they make. Once an artist hits the big time, their lifestyle starts to look like every other A-list celebrity. The mansion parties, the yachts, the expensive jewelry, and gated communities.

Those artists are no longer in touch with where they came from or who they used to be. Soon they become like everyone else on their level and lose that uniqueness that got them where they are. As a result, indie artists' songs often have a more unique sound that can't be found on the radio.

2. They're More Creative

Indie artists are also usually more creative than mainstream artists. This is because they have more freedom to experiment with their music and try new things. As a result, their songs often have a more creative and original sound.

3. They're More Passionate

Indie artists are usually more passionate about their music than mainstream artists. This is because many are not in it for the money or the fame. They make music because they love it and they want to share their passion with the world. As a result, their songs often have more emotion and feeling than mainstream songs.

Indie music has a long history of producing some memorable tracks.

4. They're More Authentic

Indie artists are usually more authentic than mainstream artists. This is because they're not trying to please everyone or fit into a certain mold. They're just being themselves and making the music that they want to make. As a result, their songs often have a more raw and real sound that people can relate to.

5. They Have More Character

Indie songs usually have more character than mainstream songs. This is because they're not mass-produced by a team of writers in a studio. Instead, they're usually written and recorded by the artist themselves, which gives them a more personal touch.

6. Underground appeal

Indie songs are more valuable than mainstream songs because they are not as heavily promoted and thus have a more underground appeal. When you get your hands on a song that you know most people haven't heard there's instantly a connection between you and the artist who created it. This creates immediate value for you, far greater than the retail price could ever reach.

7. More experimental

Indie artists are usually free to write songs that record labels are afraid to play or radio would get fined for airing. That freedom leads to a level of experimentalism that mainstream songs won't dare touch. Even if it's not a hit, it's sometimes good enough that the song got you to think about something different.

You know as well as I do that mainstream radio song all sound the same which stunts your mentality to the world of music. The more carefree an artist is the more experimental their sound.

8. Smaller record labels mean smaller budgets

Indie artists usually land on small indie record labels on their way up the ladder. These indie record labels have infinitesimal budgets compared to the major labels and as such artists on their labels have to make do with what they got.

However, with smaller budgets come smaller expenses that allow their artists to get more creative and release more non-radio-friendly songs because their labels aren't chasing big paydays or sponsorships that require their artists to make a specific type of safe music.

If you haven't tried listening to indie music you're sure to miss out on the next wave of new music.

How much should you pay for indie music?

That question has an easy answer: as much as you feel it's worth. The question should be, how did I come to that conclusion? When considering the price of music I think we all undervalue the craftsmanship, the dedication, the inspiration that is required, and the mastery that is required to not only create the background music but also write lyrics that you remember for the rest of your life once you hear it.

Compared to mainstream music, indie music is an errand of passion. Indie artists at most are paid next to nothing, and at the very least earn nothing at all! No, this isn't a charity request where you pay more for indie music just because an artist is starving, I am saying, you pay more for indie music so that the indie artist has enough money and motivation to keep making the music you love.

Major record labels have unlimited budgets and mainstream artists have massive bankrolls. Whether or not you buy their music is nearly meaningless to them. If their album or single flops, no problem for them, they're rich and the label makes more than a billion dollars per year and can recoup losses on a nearly unlimited number of busts at the retail storefront.

So you see if an indie artist sells their song for $1.99 then it should be worth $4.99 because that money is going straight to that artist's pocket to pay their bills and buy them enough breathing room to write music in between 9-5 jobs and afford them enough money for studio time once a week.

Here at SharePro, we run a true indie music store and indie artist community so we know exactly the prices for indie music and we know how much is made by our members.

Here's a snapshot of average indie music prices

The average price range, as you see indie songs is priced from $1.00 to $1.99 70% of the time.

1. Song Price $.01 to $.99: 5.2%
2. Song Price $1.00 to $1.99: 70%
3. Song Price $2.00 to $2.99: 15%
4. Song Price $3.00 to $4.99: 7.5%
5. Song Price $5.00+: 1.1%

You will find most indie songs range between $1.00 and $1.99, pretty much similar to mainstream music. However, there are many indie artists that still charge nothing for their songs because they are looking to gain fans or just love to make music.

But the true value of the music created by an indie artist has such a unique value proposition that it is worth offering them a little bit more than the average asking price because this is one of the few times where you know the money you put in goes towards creating more value coming back out.

Share this blog post with indie artists and fans of music to let them know how important indie music is, and how affordable it is to invest in the journey of indie artists who may end up becoming a future generational star.

Discussions all over the world about Indie Music vs Mainstream