Amerindie: AM-er-IN-di (from
American and
independent)
n. The American Independent music scene, a phenomenon mainly pertaining to the 1980s American music scene which grew out of the punk movement of the 1970s. The idea that musicians need not belong to a "major label"--those with large industry support and capital--in order to be heard; related to the DIY aesthetic of British punk. Mainly dealt with the establishment of "indie labels" (independent record labels), usually run by either artists on the lable, or those who work closely with the artists.
Though the movement still persists, it doesn't have quite the sway it had in the 1980s and early 1990s, when many Amerindie bands moved from these small labels to the "major labels"--bands like R.E.M., the Replacements, Sonic Youth, and Nirvana.
Examples of bands:
Examples of Labels:
Thanks to wharfinger for pointing out that I can't spell "label" to save my life. (It had been spelled "lable")