Collating more than 150 interviews, ''Independence Days'' traces the story of the UK independent record label boom from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, a period which saw a new generation of independent spirits take up the baton and revolutionize the course of popular music. The era's most celebrated labels are covered, including Rough Trade, Beggars Banquet/4AD, Factory, Cherry Red and Mute, as well as releases by such notable acts as the Smiths, Joy Division, the Buzzcocks, Elvis Costello, Gary Numan, Teardrop Explodes, and Nick Cave. Interviewees include Rough Trade founder Geoff Travis, Mute Records founder Daniel Miller, 4AD founder Ivo Watts-Russell, Zoo Records cofounder Bill Drummond, Crass cofounder Penny Rimbaud, Beggars Group founder Martin Mills, Cherry Red cofounder Iain McNay, Good Vibrations founder Terri Hooley, DJ Charlie Gillett, I.R.S. Records founder Miles Copeland, and Sire Records cofounder Seymour Stein.