{
  "id": 15744992,
  "title": "Molly Neuman on the Evolution of Independent Music From the ’90s to Now: ‘It Was a High-Risk Business’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/molly-neuman-on-the-evolution-of-independent-music-from-the-90s-to",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-20T13:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Billboard",
    "slug": "billboard",
    "url": "https://www.billboard.com/pro/cd-baby-molly-neuman-evolution-indie-music-90s-now/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the early 1990s, the landscape of independent music was vastly different from the modern era of online distribution platforms like DistroKid, CD Baby, or TuneCore. For aspiring artists like Molly Neuman, president of CD Baby, and her friends, the process of getting their music out to the public was a high-risk endeavor. Back then, simply creating a record involved substantial studio and manufacturing costs, and even then, getting their music into record stores nationwide presented a formidable challenge.\n\nNeuman recounts the difficulties of her early days, forming the Riot Grrrl band Bratmobile with her peers. \"It was a high-risk business,\" she explains. \"In many cases, the records were returned due to the overwhelming expense of ordering 2,000 copies and spending $20,000 just to have the records sit on a shelf.\" This daunting reality made it clear that independent artists faced significant hurdles in promoting and selling their music. Despite these obstacles, the early 1990s era was also marked by a strong sense of community among musicians, who found inspiration in one another and sought to emulate the success of their peers.",
  "summary": "On the latest episode of Billboard On the Record, the CD Baby president talks the move from physical to digital and why 150,000 songs are now uploaded daily.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}