The Musical Tactics of Ani DiFranco

By Charles Hiroshi Garrett


Over the course of a prolific recording career that began in the late 1980s, singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco has released nearly thirty albums and contributed many songs to tribute albums, compilations, and film soundtracks. In the process she has gained a reputation as a fiercely independent musician, deriving in part from her forthright lyrics, her willingness to explore a wide array of musical influences, and her do-it-yourself methods: DiFranco composes, arranges, performs, and occasionally produces, engineers, and mixes the results herself. She also has established her own company, righteous babe records, to manufacture and distribute her recordings. By releasing so much new music and by touring constantly as a solo performer and as the leader of various small bands, DiFranco moved from playing open-mic events in coffeehouses to performing at large festivals and major venues on the national folk/pop circuit, where she has remained for more than a decade. Since emerging on the national scene in the 1990s, DiFranco has received considerable media attention, becoming an icon of the modern "indie" movement, and has achieved substantial success, as gauged by sold-out tours, critical acclaim, and total record sales in the multimillions.