Karl Whitney: Independent message fades within art’s stifling corporate structures

The corporatisation of culture and fear of losing sales puts pressure on creator independence, generating a surreptitious conservatism

Steve Albini was fiercely independent and a severe critic of the music industry and its exploitation of young bands. Picture: Jim Bennett/WireImage

The notion of independence has been on my mind lately. Mainly because the rigorously independent producer and musician Steve Albini died, leaving behind him a legacy of quite astounding records, including Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me and Nirvana’s In Utero. 

What was notable about him, beyond the exacting quality of his work and his habitual acidity (and occasional obnoxiousness, at least earlier in his career), was the unpretentious and critical approach he adopted towards his own industry.