It’s not hard to envision a healthier, more eyes-open, gigantism-averse musical environment, where people might make identity statements by deliberately seeking out musicians other than global megabrands—people whose work is not only better aligned with their personal aesthetic values, but also more expressive of their innermost feelings.

Auspiciously, today more people than ever have the technical means as well as the time to create original music.  Of course, not all of what they’re coming up with is memorable, or even worth listening to all the way through.  But there are more gems being produced in the creative “hinterlands” than most people would suspect.