As Singapore's indie, or independent, music scene grows, a major problem emerges: Singapore's indie bands and musicians are undervalued and not given enough opportunities in their homeland. This document explains why we need to give more opportunities to indie musicians. Indie music is “music [that is] produced and financed by any band or label not affiliated with… major corporate labels such as Sony or Epic.” (Andrews, 2006, paragraph 4). A few factors have led indie music to gain popularity around the world over the years. Using social media as a marketing tool is one factor. Websites like YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook have made it easier for indie bands to distribute their songs, reach a larger audience, and grow their fan base. Podcasting is another important advertising method. George Smyth, host of the Eclectic Mix podcast, states that people are able to discover the music of talented indie bands through podcasting (as cited in Scott, 2010, p. 81). The success and recognition of indie music at the Grammy Awards in recent years is another reason for the popularity of indie musicians. Lewis (2011) states that at the 53rd Grammy Awards, more than half of the total nominations went to indie musicians. Independent musicians won 45 of 108 awards, a significant increase from “195 nominations and 36 wins four years earlier” (para. 7). Additionally, indie musicians Arcade Fire and Esperanza Spalding won the top awards of “Album of the Year” and “Best New Artist” respectively (par. 1-2). These show why indie music has become more popular and recognized around the world. Unlike indie musicians overseas, the talent of Singapore indie musicians is not recognized by locals. Most Singaporeans only know pop singers who have done… middle of paper… Factiva database. More nominations, but local singers want more support. (2007, May 10). The new card. Retrieved from the Factiva database. National Council of the Arts. (2009). Population of the Arts Survey 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2011, from http://www.nac.gov.sg/static/doc/population_survey_of_the_arts_2009.pdfScott, D. M. (2010). The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use Social Media, Blogs, Press Releases, Online Videos, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.Toh, C. (2010, August 5). Sing-pop over the years; From the past to the present, here is a musical journey of the bands that have left their mark on local music. TODAY. Retrieved from the Factiva database. Toh, C. (2010, August 9). Dreamers of Singapore: The Pinholes. TODAY. Retrieved from the Factiva database. Toh, C. (2011, July 12). Honey, you've come a long way. TODAY, pp. T2-T3.