Artistry is, and always has been, the lifeblood of indie music. For decades now, independent artists and record labels have been writing, producing, and distributing songs that don’t always follow mainstream rules or expectations.
The music — whether it’s indie rock, indie pop, indie folk, or any other style — typically has a uniquely alternative feel. Many artists also place additional emphasis on storytelling through their choice of instruments and lyrics.
To license this type of music, you have a couple options: 1) You can negotiate with copyright owners yourself and pay ongoing royalties or 2) you can find and license indie music from a royalty free music company and avoid making royalty payments altogether.
If you opt for the latter approach, this guide will be especially helpful to you since we’ve put together a roundup of the newest and most trending indie tracks in our catalog to-date.
To make your search for the right music even easier, we’re also throwing in a few curated indie playlists that are worth checking out.
An intro to indie music
If you’ve ever thought that indie music exists outside of the mainstream, you’re not alone. By definition, this type of music is made independently so that the artists (instead of the major record labels) have creative freedom and control over their own music.
However, like funk and disco, indie music made its way into popular culture simply because people liked what they heard. Bon Iver, Arcade Fire, and The Smiths are a few of the many indie artists who have crossed over into the popular music scene.
At Soundstripe, we love working one-on-one with established artists around the world to produce indie music for our catalog. Not only do we get to support artists and musicians in the creative community, but we’re also able to build a diverse music library for you.
To give you a better idea of your indie music options, let’s start off this guide with a few of our most popular playlists:
Indie Rock
Listen and license here.
Indie Pop
Listen and license here.
Indie Radio
Listen and license here.
Indie Staff Picks
Listen and license here.
Pro Tip: As you check out these playlists and find songs that you like, select the “Similar Songs” icon to get a list of more relevant tracks.
Our top 10 indie tracks
Whether you’re looking for a specific type of sound or not, there are thousands of tracks (7,000+ in fact) to choose from in our catalog. If you’d like to search on a song-by-song basis instead of sorting through playlists, then here are 10 trending indie tracks to listen to first:
1. “Indi Heart Magazine” by Reel Life
Genre: Pop
Instruments: Bass and drums
Listen and license here.
2. “Chasing Horizons” by Dreamlamp
Genre: Pop
Instruments: Acoustic guitar and bells
Listen and license here.
3. “Cloud Pillow” by Neon Beach
Genre: Pop
Instruments: Samples and guitar
Listen and license here.
4. “Stand Here And Wait” by Fantoms
Genre: Indie Rock
Instruments: Electric guitar and claps / snaps / stomps
Listen and license here.
5. “Happy” by Empyreal Glow
Genre: Pop
Instruments: Synth and electronic drums
Listen and license here.
6. “The First Time” by TAYME
Genre: Rock
Instruments: Guitar and drums
Listen and license here.
7. “The Count” by Adrian Walther
Genre: Pop
Instruments: Drum kit and drums
Listen and license here.
8. “Overtime” by Simple Thieves
Genre: Pop
Instruments: Synth and electric guitar
Listen and license here.
9. “Love Like This” by Centerpiece
Genre: Rock
Instruments: Percussion and claps / snaps / stomps
Listen and license here.
10. “Free” by Makenna Susan
Genre: Pop
Instruments: Electronic drums and electric guitar
Listen and license here.
New indie music for 2022
We release new music every week, and the eight songs below are just a few of the many new songs to join our catalog in 2022.
Pro Tip: If you’d like to stay updated on what’s new in the library, our Recently Added playlist is a great resource for finding new indie music going forward.
1. “Strawberry Summertime” by EILOH
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Percussion and drums
Listen and license here.
2. “Lavender” by VAULTZ
Genre: Indie Rock
Instruments: Synth and guitar
Listen and license here.
3. “Red Door” by Lee Of The Stone
Genre: Rock
Instruments: Synth and guitar
Listen and license here.
4. “Curious” by TAYME
Genre: Rock
Instruments: Percussion and claps / snaps / stomps
Listen and license here.
5. “Smoke And Mirrors” by Taiym
Genre: Indie Score
Instruments: Synth and percussion
Listen and license here.
6. “Yeux Cachés” by Nom Fabriqué
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Drums and electronic drums
Listen and license here.
7. “Film School” by Aaron Sprinkle
Genre: Rock
Instruments: Guitar and drums
Listen and license here.
8. “Like Quicksand” by Terminals
Genre: Indie Score
Instruments: Bass and drums
Listen and license here.
Looking for more royalty free indie music?
Hopefully, we’ve been able to give you a comprehensive overview of your indie music options with Soundstripe in this guide. If you haven’t found exactly what you’re looking for, don’t worry — there are thousands more tracks in our catalog.
Feel free to peruse our library and continue your search for the best indie music. By signing up for a free account, you can start favoriting songs and building your own playlists today. That way, when you decide to subscribe, you’ll know exactly what you need to license for an upcoming project.
If this guide was helpful and sparked your interest in other types of royalty free music, these articles on the Soundstripe blog are worth checking out next:
