Overstating the Case ...
I always took "indie" to just mean "independent," though usually there's more of a DIY aesthetic to it, and therefore it's usually a little rawer, messier and less slick than what's produced for mainstream radio and such.
I think your definitions are pretty slanted -- not that I want to defend the sad state of "pop" music, but just so the terms are right. "Indie" music has the heritage of a lot of ground-breaking bands, and at its best, challenges and/or creates new directions because the artists are just trying to express themselves and have little to no hope of large commercial return. However, that's best case. I have seen a fair amount of "independent" music in Singapore that is basically the same "pandering" and "comfort zone" music you describe above -- it's just that the people had to make and pay for the music themselves rather than it being on the radio.
So just as "pop" isn't always shorthand for "crap" (though *shudder* it is pretty often the case especially here), neither should "indie" be shorthand for "good," "creative," what have you. What matters is what's behind the music, what it says, and how it says it. Because all of us will still have some great "pop" songs near and dear to our hearts. It's just that we have to make sure we leave room for the "indie" ones to reach us as well.
