giddy
For Tonight
After visiting her mother in hospital, June comes home struggling to hold everything together. Inspired by giddy’s “kintsugi,” this fictional Song Story follows the small acts of care…
- Love and Support
Ride beyond the release pitch
Independent music. Made, found, and kept moving.
Indie Music Bus investigates how independent music is really being made, discovered, promoted, and sustained, then introduces the people and songs that make the struggle worthwhile.
For listeners and everyone doing the work behind independent music.
Find your way in
Listen deeper
Discover songs with something personal at stake, then meet the artists through Song Stories, interviews, and reviews.
Work with better information
Find practical reporting, useful guides, and current opportunities shaped around the realities of making and sharing music independently.
Bring music and perspective
Artists and music professionals can introduce their work, share context, and choose the opportunities that fit.
Come for one useful answer or one unforgettable song. There is room on the Bus.
Stories in rotation
The song arrives first. The story stays.
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West Texas Grit
West Texas Grit: 3 AM Ledger (01)
At 3:00 AM on a deserted West Texas highway, a fractured radio signal begins keeping records as its machine-like voice turns recognizably human, drawing an anonymous driver into…
- Legacy
- Personal Transformation
- Survival
From Indie Music Bus
Interviews, reviews, and independent perspective
Selected conversations and editorial work from the people behind Indie Music Bus.
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The Novatones: A Catalogue Built to Last Before They Knew It
The Novatones went on hiatus in 2023, but their songs kept finding listeners. Ant Pittman tells Indie Music Bus about the live rooms, closed doors, true stories, and…
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Die Shiny: The More You Listen, the More You’re Rewarded
A Facebook ad led me to Die Shiny. Their history runs backward through a protest-born single, independent production, queer community, My Fair Fiend, family harmonies and a first…
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Finding His Place Through Song: Vedant Dukare’s Independent Journey
From hostel-room performances to Mumbai’s live music circuit, Vedant Dukare is finding his place through song. The independent artist shares how he taught himself production, found a more…
From Indie Music Bus
Editorials and announcements
Perspective, project news, and updates from Indie Music Bus.
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The Long History of Independent Music: How Artists Kept Finding Ways Around the Gatekeepers
Trace the history of independent music from early labels and punk DIY to home recording, digital distribution and the ongoing search for listeners.
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Help Build the First Ethereal Labels: ELS Is Now in Live Beta
The Ethereal Label Society is now in Live Beta. Music fans can apply to create one of the first fan-curated virtual record labels on Indie Music Bus.
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Indie Music Bus Artist Support for Bandcamp Is Now on WordPress.org
Indie Music Bus Artist Support for Bandcamp is now available in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory. It helps people create curated collections of direct Bandcamp links while keeping the…
Artist Support Collections
Hear the first release in each collection, then explore the full selection.
Discovered on Music Substack
First release
Edie Marie Webb
Summer's the Loneliest Time
Preview this release
Load the Bandcamp player to listen. No autoplay.
Edie Marie Webb: Summer's the Loneliest Time
Folk – The Story Teller
First release
Lou Fin
The Dawn
Preview this release
Load the Bandcamp player to listen. No autoplay.
Lou Fin: The Dawn
Recommended Music
First release
The Something Ain't Rights
Rainbow Alley
Preview this release
Load the Bandcamp player to listen. No autoplay.
The Something Ain't Rights: Rainbow Alley