To what extent did KCRW influence independent music listeners?

Depends on how you define "independent music listeners" and whether you think KCRW actually shaped taste or just mirrored it. Sure, they broke acts like Beck and Radiohead early, but let’s not pretend they were some underground oracle-their playlist got plenty of major-label handouts and NPR-friendly curation that felt more like college radio lite than real discovery. For listeners who wanted something beyond Clear Channel’s monotony, KCRW was a gateway, but the idea that they single-handedly made indie music mainstream is overstated; they just happened to be the station that got the press releases first.