July 4th will be celebrated worldwide as the first annual Independents Day - a holiday/campaign/revolution focused on raising awareness and money for independent record companies. The Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) is promoting the events with participation from indies in the US, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, UK, South Africa and Japan. The Listening Post blog on Wired.com reports that each region is compiling its best independent music for a 2 CD release that will benefit charities like "MusiCares, the Musicians Benevolent Fund, the Coalition Against Living Miserably, independent artists and labels in poorer countries and local music initiatives that connect companies with schools and colleges." It also describes a global auction of music memorabilia that will run for 10 days on Ebay.
While the official details about the auction an CD tracklist won't be released until next week, a few places are reporting the first wave of tracks to be included. So far, it's a compilation of cover tunes by some of the more recognizable indie bands:
Tracklisting so far for the Independents Day Album:
Tom Smith (Editors) - Bonny (Prefab Sprout) Feeder - Public Image (PiL) Maximo Park - Was There Anything I Can Do? (The Go-Betweens) Prodigy - Ghost Town (The Specials) The Cribs - Bastards Of Young (The Replacements) Jose Gonzales - Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division) The Futureheads - With Every Heartbeat (Robyn) Jack Penate - Dub Be Good To Me (Beats International) Rodrigo y Gabriella - Orion (Metallica) British Sea Power - Tug Boat (Galaxie 500) The Charlatans - Murder (New Order) Infadels - Steady As She Goes (The Raconteurs)
That tracklist is from indie label Tangled Up! Recordings. I like how they describe the birth of independent labels in their Independents Day propaganda:
It’s actually 50 years since Chris Blackwell and Graeme Goodall, (probably) lazing about in Jamaica, decided to start the first independent record label and called it Island. From the balmy beaches of the Caribbean to the grim streets of Manchester and onto the tenement buildings of Glasgow, Indie labels in Britain over the past half-century have provided music fans with the adventurous, the inventive and the experimental. And thank God for that.
Just remember that Chris Blackwell is a vampire....
The Specials - Ghost Town:
My Trusted MOGs
I stumbled into this yesterday, it gave me a good positive feeling. Thanks for posting it! Can't wait to listen to Prodigy's cover........
My Trusted MOGs
Sounds interesting (but please don't let José Gonzales do "Love Will Tear Us Apart" --> wrong casting)
My Trusted MOGs
Great video, it takes me back. Long live 2 Tone!