Personally, I don't agree with the journalist who wrote this article, Indie films offer not just a voice for small filmmakers, the stories are more original and a good indie film can fuel the imagination of young kids to pursue a career in film to be an alternative to formula studio plots with interestingly new types of characters.
Some of my favorite old films are the independent science fiction and horror films of the 1980s. Some look goofy by today's standards but they are still memorable.