One Little Indian Records Rebrands as One Little Independent After ‘Eye-Opening’ Letter From a Fan

One Little Indian Records, the U.K. label home to acts like Björk, Crass, the Sugarcubes and Olga Bell, is changing its name to One Little Independent, effective immediately.

Founder Derek Birkett announced the change on Wednesday, after receiving “an eye-opening letter from a Crass fan that detailed precisely why the logo and label name are offensive, as well as the violent history of the terminology,” Birkett wrote in a statement and apology. “I felt equally appalled and grateful to them for making me understand what must be changed.”

Birkett originally chose the label name as a tribute to “the philosophies of the Indigenous People of the Americas, of peace and love for each other and for nature and the planet,” he wrote. “I realise now that the label name and logo instead perpetuated a harmful stereotyping and exploitation of Indigenous Peoples’ culture.”

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Birkett said he is also donating to organizations like the Honouring Indigenous Peoples Charitable Corporation and The Association on American Indian Affairs on behalf of the label.

The announcement comes amid a period of reflection in the music industry, in response to recent protests over racial inequality and police brutality in America. Republic Records and management company Milk & Honey have removed the controversial genre term “urban” from company verbiage, while country group Lady Antebellum changed its name to Lady A, acknowledging that the word “Antebellum” refers to the period of history prior to the Civil War, which includes slavery.

Read Birkett’s full statement, below.

 

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ONE LITTLE INDIAN RECORDS NAME CHANGE OF IMMEDIATE EFFECT TO ONE LITTLE INDEPENDENT RECORDS I have immediately started making arrangements to stop using the One Little Indian Records name and logo, with our digital properties in the process of this change right now. From today the label will be called One Little Independent Records. The last few weeks have been a monumental learning curve. Following the receipt of an eye-opening letter from a Crass fan that detailed precisely why the logo and label name are offensive, as well as the violent history of the terminology, I felt equally appalled and grateful to them for making me understand what must be changed. As a teenager living in London in the late 1970s, my friends and I were deeply inspired when we learned about some of the philosophies of the Indigenous People of the Americas, of peace and love for each other and for nature and the planet, and in turn they were of 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. I’m aware that my white privilege has sheltered me and fostered my ignorance on these issues. I realise now that the label name and logo instead perpetuated a harmful stereotyping and exploitation of Indigenous Peoples’ culture. This is the exact opposite of what was intended. However, I know that it is not the intentions but the impact that is important. I want to apologise unreservedly to anyone that has been offended by the name and the logo. I recognise now that both contribute to racism and should have been addressed a long, long time ago. It is my responsibility to take ownership of my mistakes and I still have so much more work and learning to do. I have begun by immediately implementing the label’s change of name and logo. Furthermore, I have on behalf of One Little Independent, made, and will continue to make, donations to a number of organisations including the Honouring Indigenous Peoples Charitable Corporation and The Association on American Indian Affairs. Sincerely, Derek

A post shared by One Little Independent Records (@onelittleindierecords) on Jun 10, 2020 at 11:06am PDT