British record label One Little Indian, which has released music by Björk, Sigur Rós, Emiliana Torrini, and Ásgeir Trausti, has changed its name, RÚV reports. Label founder Derek Birkett said he made the decision after a fan explained why the name was offensive.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Derek said, “I have immediately started making arrangements to stop using the One Little Indian Records name and logo…From today the label will be called One Little Independent Records.” He went on to say that as a teenager living in London in the late 1970s, he was deeply inspired by the philosophies of the Indigenous People of the Americas, which was a “huge influence in our anarchist punk movement. I was naive enough at the time of founding my label to think that the name and logo was reflective of my respect and appreciation of the culture.”
He concluded that he is aware that his white privilege sheltered him and fostered ignorance on how harmful the record label name is. He apologised, and said that the label should have changed its name a long time ago.
Read the entire statement below:
Note: Due to the effect the Coronavirus is having on tourism in Iceland, it’s become increasingly difficult for the Grapevine to survive. If you enjoy our content and want to help the Grapevine’s journalists do things like eat and pay rent, please consider joining our High Five Club.
You can also check out our shop, loaded with books, apparel and other cool merch, that you can buy and have delivered right to your door
Buy subscriptions, t-shirts and more from our shop right here!
