10. Illegal Downloading
It's affecting everyone. Five years ago, 19 out of every 20 downloads was illegal, so goodness knows where that stat sits now. It's the global warming of music; we need to address it, rather than sweeping it under the carpet and turning to Spotify, because it's stopping young musicians from getting a break; no one's prepared to take a chance on a band who needs an album or two to find their feet, and without that platform, we'll never find the next Blur. And though this problem isn't idiosyncratic to indie, it's one that indie's suffered from especially; despite the fact that indie bands are supposed to be cool, aloof and not bothered by money. Something needs to be done: we can't persuade everyone to buy music if it's free, and likewise, it's not fair to raise the price of gigs, and it's not sensible to continue with the model we have. It doesn't have to come from indie, but a solution is desperately needed.