Digg it!Many new artists turn to independent record labels to get a record deal thinking it is easier to get into these than the major ones. That is true to a certain degree. If you really have talent, they are more likely to pay attention to you. They have less politics.
However, it doesn’t mean it is easy all the time. These guys have less budget which means if you have the natural star value to begin with, you are less likely to get in plus they get as many demos as the bigwigs. So remember to pack on natural talent before approaching these guys.
10. Sub Pop
Independent Record Labels Details
This label put the Seattle scene on the map in the late 1980s on its way to becoming one of the most influential indie labels of all time. Founded in 1986 by Jonathan Poneman and Bruce Pavitt, the creator of the Subterranean Pop fanzines and underground mixtapes, Sub Pop soon issued the debut releases from Green River, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, and – most significantly – Nirvana. Along the way, Sub Pop became the model for how indie labels do business, innovating through use of singles clubs and intentionally limiting pressings of new songs to create demand. Though less of an indie now (the founders sold a 49 percent stake to Warner Bros. in 1995), the independent record labels remains successful with prominent indie bands such as Fleet Foxes, The Postal Service, The Shins, and WolfParade.
9. Dischord
Independent Record Labels Details
Founded in 1980 by Fugazi and Minor Threat frontman Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson to release Minor Disturbance by The Teen Idles, Dischord might be the label on this Top 13 that most personifies the term independent. Following a true do-it-yourself ethic, this Washington D.C. based label has self-produced and released albums by some of the most influential indie rock and punk bands of all time, including Fugazi, Hoover, Shudder to Think, Jawbox, and Nation of Ulysses. And unlike many independent record labels, Dischord has never even distributed its releases through major labels.
8. Factory
Independent Record Labels Details
As shown in the 2002 film 24 Hour Party People, Factory was more than just the record label that gave us Joy Division. Founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus to chronicle the sound and feel of the music that was putting Manchester, England on the map, Factory went on to shape the way independent music would be viewed forever, using a creative team that gave Factory artists a recognizable sound and image. Artists that called Factory home included the Joy Division, as well as OMD, New Order, Happy Mondays, and A Certain Ratio.
7. Touch and Go
Independent Record Labels Details
Like Sub Pop, this influential indie started as nothing more than an underground music magazine (though founder Tesco Vee turned the label over to Necros bassist Corey Rusk before it really took off). Based in Chicago, Touch and Go made its name in the 1980s, releasing bold noise rock albums by Jesus Lizard, Butthole Surfers, and Big Black, and has long been well-regarded by artists who appreciated the label’s simple approach to the business side of the industry, including splitting profits 50-50 with its artists and no formal contracts. Though the independent record labels formalized the process a bit in the wake of a lawsuit brought against it by Butthole Surfers, it remains active today, discovering important recent bands TV on the Radio and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
6. Matador
Independent Record Labels Details
Founded in 1989 by Chris Lombardi out of his New York City apartment, this label has long boasted one of the most impressive indie rock rosters around. Perhaps best known for discovering and releasing all of influential indie band Pavement’s albums, Matador also gave us both Interpol and Liz Phair’s critically acclaimed first two albums, and all of the releases of Belle & Sebastian and the New Pornographers. Matador has on several occasions partnered with major labels (Atlantic and Capitol), but today it is again an indie, though now co-owned by the British Beggars Group, and continues to release albums from buzzed about artists, including Harlem, Kurt Vile, Times New Viking, and Shearwater.
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