Article: Indie Labels Lead Grammy Nominations

Not much for the Grammy's, but this is good to hear.

Indie Labels Lead Grammy Nominations : The Record : NPR

"For over 50 years, the Grammy Awards have rewarded everything that's larger than life about popular music. The biggest stars and, not coincidentally, the biggest record labels have generally taken home the top prizes — that's just one reason the awards have been dubbed, 'The Grannys.' They tend to play it safe — especially in the big categories. But that's changed. This year, more than half of all Grammy nominations went to smaller, independent labels.

Take one of the top categories: Album of the Year. You'll find some of the usual major label suspects — Lady Gaga, Katy Perry — but you'll also find Arcade Fire.

The Canadian band's ambitious album, The Suburbs, came out on Merge Records, an indie label based in North Carolina. Merge co-founder Laura Ballance says the Internet has helped level the playing field in the music business.

'Now, whether something is on a major label or an independent label doesn't matter,' Ballance says. 'If you live in Wichita, Kansas, you can still get to hear whatever band you want. Because it doesn't have to be in your local record store or in the Wal-Mart.'"

(Continued... Indie Labels Lead Grammy Nominations : The Record : NPR)