ABSTRACT
In 1991, McGee improved Creation's parlous financial affairs by signing a deal with Sony, whereby Sony bought 49 per cent of Creation and controlled the production and distribution of many Creation artists outside of the UK. This chapter deals with the relationship between the latter two conjunctures and the British indie scene. Within this section, we move away from a categorisation of indie as a mode of production and/or distribution towards the categorisation of indie as a musical genre. Generally, shambling bands subscribed to the following conventions: Indie pop was a subgenre that emphasised innocence and amateurism, a kind of 'kiddy punk' that was heavily influenced by the sound and style of the singles of 1978 and 1979 by Buzzcocks. The government’s ‘Cool Britannia’ tag has proved to be as short lived as its musical predecessor Britpop, yet there is still a healthy independent music sector in the UK.
