“Try a hoagie,” Ted Leo jokes in a faux-Philadelphian accent, to a crowd comprised mostly of Bouncing Souls fans. “They’re great here.” Ted Leo and the Pharmacists are several songs into their set at the June 14 “Indies Only” show at The Trocadero. Tomorrow night’s performance will feature a headlining set from indie icons Yo La Tengo. Almost as interesting as the impressive line-ups for both nights: the Indies Only shows, though not advertised as such, are actually a set of convention parties for the Alternative Music Distribution Alliance. You know, the out-of-towners who Ted has told to eat some Italians swimming in oil.

Alternative Music Distribution Alliance. You may not have heard of them, but if you’ve ever bought independent music from retail stores, you probably have them to thank. Who are these people, exactly? The Alternative Music Distribution Alliance (ADA) was founded in 1993 by a coalition of independent record labels. The idea was simple: help expose the great independent music of the day to a broader audience.

The idea of a bunch of smaller labels coming together to compete with the major label machine (or at least alongside it) may seem about as grassroots as you can get. Great ideas aside, though, it is much more difficult to actually get records into mainstream record stores. Years ago, it would’ve been simply enough to get the records to stores who “knew better”; those are the smaller record stores, independently owned.

As years have rolled on, however, independent shops have had an increasingly difficult time coexisting with the likes of Tower Records, Virgin Megastores, and the TWEC Entertainment-owned enterprises. As a result, it has become harder to find indie records for sale. This unfortunate reality has gradually resulted in Warner Music taking on an overwhelming 95% ownership of ADA – with cofounders Subpop retaining a 5% ownership.

Those watching Leo at the June 14th show have already witnessed performances from retro-rockers The Mooney Suzuki (ironically best known for their “Alive and Amplified” appearing in a Suzuki commercial), the more mellow-flavored This Day and Age, and comedian Eugene Mirman. The Bouncing Souls are set to headline, in what will double as the release party for their ambitious The Gold Record. Right now, though, Ted Leo and Co. are testing the waters for what will probably comprise the majority of their forthcoming album.

The album, whose title isn’t yet known, will be the band’s first full-length on the well-regarded Touch and Go Records. Touch and Go is among the dozens of labels under the ADA umbrella. The band signed with Touch and Go after what Mr. Leo described as an amicable parting with California’s Lookout! Records. Lookout! declared bankruptcy last year following Green Day’s pulling of their back catalogue from the label, but Leo has insisted in several interviews that the bankruptcy wasn’t the primary reason behind the label switch. (He won’t go into the exact chain of events for obvious reasons.)

So it is that Leo’s brand of blue-collared liberal, melodic rock / punk will now be distributed by the Warner parent company. Upcoming songs such as “Army Bound” are proof, however, that his message won’t be sacrificed. For all intensive purposes, it seems the integrity of ADA affiliates hasn’t been compromised throughout the ownership. Labels as respected and innovative as Sub City Records (home to the ultra-progressive Fifteen) and Saddlecreek Records take their products to the shelves with a little help from ADA. It appears to be that – at least thus far – Warner is interested more in the marketing of indie music than in controlling its content.

As independent music continues to broaden in sound and scope, so, too, the definition of what independence means shifts. In an ever-globalizing society, even the most eclectic music is expanding to untold audiences. Indie record labels have begun making use of major label distribution and marketing techniques. Time will tell what this means for the future of independent music.