Why We Need to Talk About Nepotism in the Indie Scene Too

Photo by Ekaterina Belinskaya

Nepotism isn’t just a Hollywood buzzword or a TikTok talking point. It didn’t begin and end with “nepo babies” on magazine covers, being shocked that people noticed their parents own half the industry. It’s not only a top-40 problem, a pop-star pipeline, or a major-label engineering project. It’s alive and thriving in the so-called “independent” scene, too; we just pretend it’s not, because the branding tells us everyone here is grassroots, self-made, and living off oat-milk tips from gigs at coffee shops.

Indie Doesn’t Automatically Mean “Earned”

We love the mythology of the indie artist: broke, brilliant, building an audience one cracked vocal and one Bandcamp Friday at a time. But let’s be honest. Some “independent” artists are independently bankrolled by trust funds, industry parents, private school networks, and managers who only answered the email because of a last name. That doesn’t mean they aren’t talented. It means that we need to stop pretending everyone is starting the race from the same spot.

If your dad’s an A&R, your mom runs distribution, and your cousin has a blog that magically premieres your first single, you’re not “building from scratch.” And again, that’s not a crime, it’s just context. Transparency shouldn’t be a threat if the art holds up.

Connections Aren’t the Problem, The Silence Around Them Is

The issue isn’t that some artists have connections. The issue is the weird industry gaslighting that happens when fans, journalists, or other artists point out the obvious. Suddenly, everyone gets defensive, and the narrative becomes: “Why can’t you just be happy for people who chase their dreams?”

We are happy for them. But we’re also allowed to talk about a system where two equally talented artists release a song, and one gets playlisted, publicist support, and editorial coverage within 48 hours because their uncle played golf with somebody who mattered. That’s not jealousy, that’s data.

Nepotism Can Kill Discovery

When gatekeepers pretend there are no gatekeepers, independent music stops being a space for actual discovery and becomes a low-budget replica of the mainstream industry, just with better fonts and cooler merch. The result?

• We hear from the same circles of artists over and over.

• Journalists are pressured to cover whoever’s “bubbling” (translation: already connected).

• Fans miss entire universes of artists they would have loved if they weren't buried under the well-connected few.
  

That hurts the culture, period.

This isn’t about discrediting artists with privileged access. Some nepo-adjacent musicians are innovators. Some are making the kind of music that drags you through your own memories like a film reel. Talent can exist anywhere; privilege doesn’t cancel that out.

But denying privilege doesn’t protect indie culture, it destroys it.

What Accountability Looks Like

Not cancellation. Not shame. Just honesty.

• If you came up through industry connections, say it.

• If you have safety nets others don’t, acknowledge it.

• If this were all easier for you because of your last name, own that fact.
  

Because if indie music is going to remain a space for outsiders, misfits, genre-breakers, and people who don’t have anyone to open a door for them, then we need to protect that value by telling the truth about who gets in and how.

It’s about lifting up the artists who don’t have industry parents, PR budgets disguised as “organic buzz,” or connections that come with blue checks and backstage laminates. It’s about making sure the indie scene doesn’t become the same closed loop, wearing thrifted jackets instead of designer ones. If we want real discovery, we can’t keep romanticizing a meritocracy that doesn’t exist.