25 Independent Record Labels You Should Know

Year Established: 1995

Genre Focus: Hip-Hop

Website: www.rhymesayers.com

You can't rightfully discuss major players in the realm of independent underground hip hop without bringing up the Rhymesayers crew. Founded by the foursome of Sean Daley (Slug), Anthony Davis (Ant), Musab Saad (Musab), and Brent Sayers (Siddiq), Rhymesayers Entertainment has consistently churned out a quality product since its inception in 1995.

Initially compromised mostly of artists from its home state of Minnesota, the label has since extended is geographical reach to include nationally recognized acts as well. Aesop Rock, Atmosphere, Brother Ali, DJ Abilities, Evidence, Freeway, and even MF Doom have all recorded material with the imprint. Beyond just your standard record label, Rhymesayers is also responsible for The Soundset Festival, which they've curated since 2008. Last summer, over 20,000 hip hop heads made the trip to Minneapolis take part in the event's fifth anniversary.

Year Established: 1979

Genre Focus: Underground American Rock, Electronic, Indie Pop

Website: www.4ad.com

As one fourth of the Beggars Group, 4AD is a British independent record label that was started by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1979. It was initially created to serve as a "testing ground" for parent company Beggars Banque Records. The idea was that new acts would spend at least one year with 4AD, and if they achieved a certain level of succss during that period, they would then "graduate up" to Beggars Banquet. Only one group actually followed that program.

In the mid '80s the label focused mostly on underground Amercian rock acts. These bands would include the likes of Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, and The Pixies. Since that time, 4AD has evolved to represent a variety of acts from a mixed bag of genres. The current roster includes Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Blood Diamonds, Bon Iver, David Byrne & St. Vincent, Grimes, Purity Ring, SpaceGhostPurrp, The National, and Twin Shadow.

Year Established: 1989

Genre Focus: Indie Rock

Website: www.matadorrecords.com

In 1989 a guy named Chris Lombardi started a record label in his New York City apartment. The label? Matador Records. The outfit now has two operating locations: its original spot in NY (no longer in Lombardi's apartment) and a second in London. After a few rather short-lived partnership agreements with each Atlantic and Capitol Records, Matador ultimately linked up with Beggars Group in 2002. Predominantly focused on indie rock artists and bands, Matador has represented a long list of the genres biggest names. Previous clients include Neko Case, Guided by Voices, Lou Reed, Liz Phair, and Spoon. The label lists Cat Power, Fucked Up, Interpol, Pavement, Sonic Youth, and Yo La Tengo as current acts.

Year Established: 2006

Genre Focus: EDM

Website: www.maddecent.com

If you aren't yet familiar with the record label Mad Decent, chances are that you've at least heard of its founder Thomas Wesley Pentz aka Diplo. Established in 2006, the imprint originally worked to promote Brazillian Baile Funk and Angolan Kudro. The label's mantra revolves around bringing new genres and cultures to the forefront of an ever diversifying music community.

From Moombahton to Electro House, the label covers it all, and its collection of artists reflects that. Crookers, Dillion Francis, Flosstradamus, Major Lazer, Riff Raff, and Rusko are just a sampling of the talent represented. Beyond recording and promoting, Mad Decent is also known for its free concert series called the Mad Decent Block Party, which pops up in major cities across the U.S. during the summer.

Year Established: 1989

Genre Focus: Indie, Electronic, Dance

Website: www.xlrecordings.com

Despite releasing an average of merely six albums per year, XL Recordings has become a widely recognized and respected force in the indiedendent label space. XL has even superceded the concept of indie in some ways as they work with some of today's largest acts. Founded by Richard Russel, Tim Palmer, and Nick Halkes, the Beggars Banquet offshoot was originally launched to release rave and dance music. In the early '90s the label focused mostly on dance-oriented releases ranging from Belgian Techno and Breakbeat to Hardcore and Drum & Bass. Their willingness to work with more eccentric, experimental artists is evidenced by their longstanding relationship with The Prodigy.

XL's collection of talent has continued to evolve over the years. While the label still represents artists in its original lane, it has clearly branched out through partnerships with acts like Badly Drawn Boy, Jack White, Tyler, The Creator, and Willis Earl Beal. It's this openness that has garnered XL numerous awards and made it an almost household name thanks to one of its biggest stars, Adele, whose album 21 helped increase the label's bank balance from £3 million to £32 million over the span of just 12 months. Other acts on the current XL roster include Atoms for Peace, Dizzee Rascal, Jai Paul, SBTRKT, The xx, and Vampire Weekend.

Year Established: 1986

Genre Focus: Grunge, Indie, Hip-Hop

Website: www.subpop.com

What began originally in 1986 as a fanzine called Subterranean Pop has since evolved into one of the most iconic independent record labels in U.S. history. The 'zine was originally created to focus exclusively on stories about American independent record labels. By the fourth issue, founder Bruce Pavitt had shortened the name down to just Sub Pop, and began including compilation tapes of underground rock bands along with the print release. Sub Pop had a rather short run as a periodical and lasted only nine issues, but the ideas it helped birth would shift the landscape of music forever.

Pavitt and co-founder Jonathan Poneman got their first taste of the business in the late '80s after signing a series of Seattle-based bands that included Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Mudhoney. The label released Soundgarden's first single, a split record called "Hunted Down" / "Nothing to Say," in 1987 and their debut EP the same year. They followed that up with the release of Nirvana's debut single, "Love Buzz," in 1988. It was because of this early work that Sub Pop has widely been credited with helping to popularize grunge music at the time.

In addition to their legendary signings, the label also pioneered a number of recording and marketing tactics that are still used by independent labels today. Their strategy of pressing and releasing a limited number of early singles to generate demand, and their uniform recording techniques and conistent use of producer Jack Endino across multiple artists, helped to create the regional "Seattle Sound," which their bands became so famously known for. As the years have passed, Sup Pop has remained a relevant via their work with popular, cutting edge artists, like Beach House, Fleet Foxes, Flight of the Conchords, Foals, The Postal Service, Shabazz Palaces, The Shins, and Washed Out.

Year Established: 1996

Genre Focus: Indie Rock

Website: www.jagjaguwar.com

Jagjaguwar, sometimes stylized as JAG for short, is an independent rock label based in Bloomington, Indiana. The curiously odd name comes from a Dungeons & Dragons character name-generating program, because that's the second best place to get your moniker if the Wu-Tang name-generator is down for maintenance. JAG's inception was one driven by neccessity. Founder Darius Van Arman had some friends who were in a band named The Curious Digit. They'd recorded an album, but didn't have a label to release and promote it. Deciding that it was best to have any label attached to the project rather than none, Van Arman launched JAG.

Bombay Aloo, The Curious Digit's debut album, was meant to be the label's only release, but after seeing and loving a band called Drunk, Van Arman courted the group to release their new record through his recently established operation. JAG took off from there and now represents the likes of Bon Iver, Dinosaur Jr, Foxygen, Okkervil River, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and Sharon Van Etten.

Year Established: 2007

Genre Focus: Various

Website: www.foolsgoldrecs.com

Alain "A-Trak" Macklovitch and Nick Catchdubs are DJs, through and through. The two turntablists came up through the ranks of hip-hop DJs before branching out into electronic music. What started as love for two related genres became a two-pronged attack when the pair decided to start their own label back in 2007. A-Trak and Catchdubs formed and run Fool's Gold Records like an impeccable, diverse, peak-time set at the funnest party you'll ever be invited to. The split between hip-hop and dance music is even when the releases aren't crossovers between the two, and Fool's Gold has broken some superstars of today; Kid Cudi and Danny Brown both got their start on the Brooklyn imprint, as well as A-Trak's stratospheric rise into the EDM elite as a solo producer and one half of 2010's nu-disco ubiquity, Duck Sauce. Fool's Gold is an indie label everyone has their eye on because they've built a reputation of being the coolest kids in the room by demonstrating unimpeachably good taste, time and time again.

Year Established: 2007

Genre Focus: Indie / Alternative Rock, Folk, Hip-Hop

Website: www.glassnotemusic.com

Daniel Glass founded Glassnote Records in 2007 and proceeded to turn it into one of the most influential record label powerhouses in the scene. After all, they were the ones who released the critically-acclaimed debut record for Phoenix, which won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album in 2010. Following this, Glassnote released the debut record for Mumford and Sons, Sigh No More, which peaked at the No. 2 spot on the Billboard charts and the label also released the Childish Gambino record, Camp. The follow up to Mumford and Son's debut record, Babel, also just won the Grammy for Album of the Year - so Glassnote is doing very well on the awards front. As this label is so new and already so successful, we're excited to see what they do next, but their roster is already rolling pretty deep with up-and-coming acts like The Givers, Daughter, Oberhofer, and Two Door Cinema Club.

Year Established: 1996

Genre Focus: Various

Website: www.stonesthrow.com

If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. That's the philosiphy Stones Throw Records' founder Chris Manak aka DJ Peanut Butter Wolf put into action in 1996. The San Jose-based DJ/producer had previously recorded his debut album with former best friend and collaborator MC Charizma shortly before the rapper's death in 1993. After a few years of compilation features and short stints with other labels, Manak decided to open up his own operation in order to distribute the release. What started with a single recording has since blossomed into what is now one of the leading names in underground hip hop.

Manak is still very involved in overseeing the label's talent. When once asked about the music released he commented, "I put out what I personally like and save the rest for the other labels out there." Stones Throw has achieved great success over the past 15 years with some of its brightest spots coming in 2004 with the release of Madvillain's debut album, Madvillainy, and the very recent re-issue of J Dilla's album Donuts, which even the impossible-to-please folks over at Pitchfork gave a perfect 10/10. Singer Aloe Blacc, a former client, is the label's all-time highest seller. Other artists with ties to Stones Throw include Dam-Funk, J Rocc, Madlib, Madvillain, Mayer Hawthorne, and Tony Cook.

Year Established: 1992

Genre Focus: Blues, Rock and Hip-Hop

Website: www.fatpossum.com

Founded back in the early '90s by Matthew Johnson and Peter Redvers-Lee simply as a way to preserve some of the blues players in their corner of North Mississippi, Fat Possum has consistently released music with meaningful cultural implications. Early on the label stayed fairly true to their blues roots and relied heavily on New York Times critic Robert Palmer when it came to picking acts to sign. But with the changing industry and expanding tastes, Fat Possum have branched out from their early roots and now have a large roster that includes bands like Wavves, Tennis, Youth Lagoon, and Spiritualized. Though their focus has shifted from their traditional blues roots, Fat Possum still strive to support artists who refelct an air of true musicianship and not just celebrity or pop music hype. With bands whose roots go as deep as Dinosaur Jr. to newcomers like Christopher Owens, there are few labels that are more reliable for quality than Fat Possum.

Year Established: 1978

Genre Focus: Post Punk, Indie Pop, Underground Rock

Website: www.roughtraderecords.com

The story of Rough Trade Records is an oldie but a goodie. In fact, the label itself is one of the oldest on our list, dating back to the dusty year of 1978. Prior to its inception, founder Geoff Travis successfully promoted and sold records by a number of punk, very early indie pop, and early post punk bands like The Smiths and Buzzcocks. At the time, Travis was also operating a record shop off Ladbroke Grove in London by the same name. This combination of a retail storefront presence and promotional experience ultimately led to the Rough Trade Records label. Once established, the new platform quickly setup a distribution arm that would service independent retail outlets across the UK, a network commonly referred to as the Cartel.

In the late '80s Rough Trade began experiencing severe cash-flow issues, which landed the label in bankruptcy, and eventually into receivership. After finding sizable success in the late '90s with bands like The Libertines, The Strokes and Antony and the Johnsons, Travis was able to restructure the label and as a result it still remains very active today. Rough Trade currently represents a deep pool of highly regarded indie and rock acts including Alabama Shakes, Arcade Fire, Destroyer, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, My Morning Jacket, Sufjan Stevens, The Hold Steady, The Libertines, and The Strokes.

Year Established: 1993

Genre Focus: Indie Rock, Indie Pop

Website: www.dominorecordco.us

Outside of the Beggars Banquet foursome (4AD, Matador, Rough Trade and XL), Domino Recording Comany is one of the longest running and most successful independent record labels in the UK. Founders Laurence Bell and Jacqui Rice launched their south London-based operation in 1993, and now have a location in Brooklyn, NY that handles U.S. distribution, as well as a German division called Domino Deutschland and a French division called Domino France. Domino has a rich history which includes representing iconic indie acts like Neutral Milk Hotel and the late Elliott Smith. At one time or another the label has also worked with Animal Collective, Arctic Monkeys, Blood Orange, Dan Deacon, Dirty Projectors, Hot Chip, Real Estate, and many more.

Year Established: 1999

Genre Focus: Indie Rock

Website: www.frenchkissrecords.com

The focus of Frenckiss Records has always been on curating the finest unsigned rock bands. Frenchkiss was founded in 1999 by Syd Butler, the bassist of Les Savy Fav's to release the band's second record The Cat and the Cobra, but the label is also credited with discovering a handful of New York bands, including The Hold Steady, The Antlers, Local Natives, and Passion Pit. Butler bassist has kept the team and the roster fairly small, helping foster the same type of discovery and focus that the label began with.

Year Established: 2005

Genre Focus: Indie, Folk, Pop, Experimental

Website: www.papergardenrecords.com

Bryan Vaughan founded Paper Garden Records in 2005 as part of an entrepreneurial program at Belmont University in Nashville, but it wasn't until he moved to New York City and became business partners with Heidi Greenwood that the label really flowered into full fruition. Still functioning on a very DIY scale, the pair work out of their apartment, and yet manage to represent some of the best independent and underground music being created. Whether it be releasing records through their small, independent label, or helping represent bands through the Lovely Hearts Club PR blast branch of the LLC.

Not only that, but PGR also has a presence at major festivals like SXSW and CMJ putting on free shows that often highlight visual and video artists along with musicians. In the past, Paper Garden has worked with folk-oriented pop-rock bands like Little Tybee, Fierce Creatures, Dad Rocks!, Pree, and The City, and Horses. Currently the headliners on their roster are Team Genius and Conveyor - two innovative pop bands with stellar harmonies and an aptitude for electronic rock.

Year Established: 2008

Genre Focus: Indie Rock

Website:www.mexicansummer.com

At first, Mexican Summer was only intended to be a subset of Kemado Records created to release special, limited-release vinyl, and other special packaged records. However, the label has since expanded to include over 100 of it's own releases, including albums by sideline oddball rockers like Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti and Kurt Vile, along with more traditional electronic pop like Nite Jewel and folk rocker The Tallest Man on Earth. In 2009 Kemado, Mexican Summer and several other labels combined forces to open the brick-and-mortar record store Co-Op 87 and recording studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The release of Best Coast's record Crazy For Youin 2010 was also a key step forward for Mexican Summer, as the record sold around 57,000 copies total - including 10,000 vinyl records.

Year Established: 1991

Genre Focus: Indie

Website: www.killrockstars.com

Founded by Slim Moon in 1991 in Portland, Oregon, Kill Rock Stars was initially created because Moon "wanted to put out [his] friends' records because nobody was putting out [his] friends records." Well, the label has come a long way since, with a transition of owners from Moon to his wife, Portia Sabin, in 2006 and the release of a bevy of records. It's now one of the few female-run indie labels in the United States, and KRS has helped a number of artists from a variety of genres share their music.

KRS' artistic mission is difficult to pinpoint, and this is made obvious with artists as Bikini Kill and the late Elliott Smith as a part of their roster. In fact, their signees are so diverse that by 1997, KRC formed a sister label, 5RC, for acts with a harsher sound, like Xiu Xiu and Deerhoof. KRS embraces a DIY approach, believing that they are merely there to assist bands in "[realizing] their visions," truly setting themselves apart from other record labels that may be putting out "mediocre music" in order to make a "quick buck."

Year Established: 1996

Genre Focus: EDM

Website: www.dimmak.com

Since its inception in 1996, Steve Aoki's Dim Mak has been serving up some dance-ready hits and has been home to some of the most eclectic acts. Aoki's determination to become one of the leaders of the game in "all realms of the music industry" is reflected in Dim Mak's impressive roster, both active and former signees. Dim Mak currently represents some of the most popular EDM acts, such as MSTRKRT, Zedd, and Dada Life, but at one point, the L.A-based label was also a platform for up-and-coming bands like Bloc Party and The Kills. Today, 51 artists, including a handful of rock/pop bands and two hip-hop/rap acts, are active under Dim Mak, but that's not all that the label's about. The record label has extended its reach as a lifestyle brand, merchandise, and event production company.

Year Established: 2008

Genre Focus: Bass Music

Website: www.nightslugs.net

There are a ton of great independent dance labels out there, but none feel as consistently vital and of-the-moment as the Night Slugs crew. "Crew" might be the best way to describe the outfit, as it sometimes feels more nebulous and creative than a label; a collaboration of intensely creative artists rather than signees and label heads. Originally founded by Bok-Bok and L-Vis 1990, both DJs and producers whose work features heavily amongst Night Slugs releases, the artists drawn into the fold are all uniquely talented, carving out niches in the genre-titling clusterfuck that is modern dance music that are, more often than not, entirely unique and united by their ability to feel both new and dancefloor-ready at the same time and the singular visuals from Bok-Bok tying every release together.

Girl Unit, Egyptrixx, Jam City and Kingdom are among the most visible of the members of the team, but since its formation the label has expanded the roster without a single false step to date. Kingdom, in particular, has come into his own, creating an American sister label to Night Slugs called Fade To Mind, that has come into its own in the past year or so with an equally compelling sound. For a taster of what Night Slugs is capable of, they've got two label compilations out, and both are worth your time if you're interested in delving into the forward-looking boundaries of dance music.

Year Established: 2008

Genre Focus: Various

Website: www.neongoldrecords.com

In terms of indie pop pedigree, Neon Gold is unbeatable. Their roster is a place to go if you want to see where indie's biggest superstars got their start, and a great bet if you're planning on catching an act early on in what will become a huge career. The boutique label was first founded by Derek Davies and Lizzy Paplinger to release Passion Pit's "Sleepyhead" single. Five years later, the band is headlining Madison Square Garden. A savant-level ability to predict what music is destined to break big on the mainstream is no fluke for these guys; Ellie Goulding, Gotye, Marina & The Diamonds and Penguin Prison are all NG alums, too.

The pair of young label heads have since signed a deal with Columbia for what has to be for less money than they're worth, but they still run Neon Gold as an indie label, reliably great music blog, and series of parties. Oh, and Lizzy Paplinger fronts MS MR, one of our favorite new bands out right now, in case the above wasn't enough to sell you on the pedigree of the label.

Year Established: 1978

Genre Focus: Experimental

Website: www.mute.com

1978 gave birth to more than just one independent label powerhouse in the UK. Next to Rough Trade would stand Daniel Miller's Mute Records. Like so many other indie outfits, Mute came about rather organically. At the time, Miller had been creating simple electronic music using a synthesizer under a rather bland moniker called The Normal. He would record songs and distribute the singles through the Rough Trade Cartel network as another alias, Mute Records. The label officially launched after one of Miller's singles, two songs titled "T.V.O.D" and "Warm Leatherette," became a cult hit.

With Mute Records officially off the ground in 1980, Miller would approach a band called Depeche Mode after seeing one of their London performances. His pitch was for them to record a single for his label, that single became "Dreaming of Me." As the story goes, Depeche Mode went on to become a wildly successful band and a driving force in the aggressive growth of Mute at the time. The label achieved additional success via its work with Yazoo (a duo of former Depeche Mode lead singer Vince Clarke and Alison Motet) and Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, who released their debut single on Mute in 1983. The label now records and promotes for acts like Liars, Cold Specks, Apparat, Erasure, M83, and Yeasayer.

Year Established: 1989

Genre Focus: Various

Website: www.warp.net

As one of electronic music's pioneering labels, Warp has been instrumental in the rise of some of the most important and iconic names across all forms of the ever-shifting genre for almost a quarter century now. Founded by the late Rob Mitchell and Steve Beckett, friends inspired by their experiences working at Sheffield's FON record shop, Warp's name came from the amusing mispronunciation of "Warped Records" over the phone. During its lifespan, Warp has played host to a number of boundary-pushing knob twiddlers, beat makers, and DJs, including Aphex Twin, Briano Eno, Flying Lotus, Boards of Canada, Autechre, Nightmares on Wax, Babe Rainbow, Mount Kimbie, Prefuse 73, and Hudson Mohawke.

Not satisfied to own real estate on electronic music's bleeding edge alone, Warp has jumped into indie rock in recent years, signing acts such as Grizzly Bear, !!!, Battles, and Maxïmo Park. To push the creative envelope even further, Mitchell and Beckett conceived of Warp Films in 2001. The subsidiary opened its doors in 2002 after Mitchell's untimely death and continues to sit alongside its big brother record label as one of the most vital British creative arms in existence.

Year Established: 1993

Genre Focus: Rock

Website:www.saddle-creek.com

Founded in Nebraska by Mike Mogis and Justin Oberst, the label first gained notoriety with bands like Bright Eyes, led by Justin's brother and now solo artist Conor Oberst. Named after Saddle Creek Road, a path that cuts through their native city of Omaha, the label quickly became known for an "Omaha Sound" that was remniscent of a midwest, country twang. Although bands like Bright Eyes and Monsters of Folk were in line with this characteristic, Saddle Creek's more recent signings like The Faint and Cursive steer away from the twang and more into the electronic current. Whether they lean towards twang, rock, or electronic, though, the label shows no signs of slowing down, as artists like Maria Taylor, The Thermals, and PUJOL exhibit their on-point curation.

Year Established: 2007

Genre Focus: Various, including alternative, folk, and alt-country

Website: www.partisanrecords.com

Partisan Record's compelling mission statement lets people know up front what they're all about. They describe themselves as: "A Brooklyn-based artist-run independent label dedicated to the unique visions of those we are so privileged to represent. We believe that artistry in its many forms essentially has a singular purpose: to create and share the next new story. At Partisan, our artists create the stories that others will tell." Founded in 2007 by Ian Wheeler and Tim Putnam, the label's breakthrough release was their re-release of Deer Tick's album War Elephant in 2008. Since then, the label has worked with a variety of other folk and alt country experimental groups, including Mountain Man, JBM, Middle Brother, Paleo, and Dolorean.

Year Established: 2009

Genre Focus: DIY indie rock, indie pop

Website: www.momandpopmusic.com

As if the name doesn't already say it all, Mom + Pop Records strives to emulate the non-corporate feel of yesteryear - and though it was only founded a few years ago in 2009 the label has already seen significant success. With an emphasis on artitst freedom and a DIY aesthetic, several of the most widely-praised albums of the last few years have come from artists on Michael Goldstone's New York based label, including Sleigh Bells, Metric, Neon Indian, Andrew Bird, Fidlar, and Flume. Mom + Pop is another label that has us wondering what the future will hold, and their name has gained such weight that a co-sign from them is worth it's weight in gold for rising indie bands.