Made In America: 15 Awesome Indie Record Labels
With today’s technology making it easier and easier for aspiring artists to self-produce and distribute their work online, the sheer amount of music out there is, quite frankly, overwhelming. While there are definitely plenty of hidden gems, it can be difficult to find the truly amazing amongst all of the mediocre bands crowding the Web. That’s where these 15 awesome indie record labels come in. Thanks to their hard work, we are able to easily enjoy the incredible sounds of some unforgettable talent. From indie rock to techno to metal, these labels represent an incredible array of talent, and with music insiders and performers such as Diplo and Steve Aoki taking the reins, we can be sure that the music is in the right hands.
In celebration of our nation’s independence, we’ve rounded up our favorite indie record labels dedicated to bringing us awesome music from the good ol’ U.S. of A. These companies have taken the American entrepreneurial spirit to heart — combining a passion for music with savvy business techniques to ensure that the right music makes it to our ears.
ASTRALWERKS
HOMETOWN: New York City
ESTABLISHED: 1993
ARTISTS: Bat for Lashes, Empire of the Sun, David Guetta, Phoenix, Swedish House Mafia
GENRES: Techno, Electronica
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Astralwerks/
CANTORA RECORDS
HOMETOWN: New York City
ESTABLISHED: 2005
ARTISTS: MGMT, Francis and the Lights, Bear Hands, Savoir Adore
GENRES: Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, Psychedelic Pop
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Cantora Records/
DFA RECORDS
HOMETOWN: New York City
ESTABLISHED: 2001
ARTISTS: Free Energy, Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem
GENRES: Dance-Punk, Electronic, Disco
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DFA Records/
KEMADO
HOMETOWN: New York City
ESTABLISHED: 2002
ARTISTS: Wild Hunt, Electric Voyage, Saviours
GENRES: Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, Metal, Hard Rock
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Kemado/
MATADOR RECORDS
HOMETOWN: New York City
ESTABLISHED: 1989
ARTISTS: Belle and Sebastian, Interpol, The New Pornographers, Sonic Youth
GENRES: Indie Rock
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Matador Records/
THE POP MANIFESTO
HOMETOWN: New York City
ESTABLISHED: 2010
ARTISTS: Blood Diamonds, Typical Girls, Vital Caress
GENRES: Electronic, Fusion, House
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The Pop Manifesto/
POLYVINYL
HOMETOWN: Champaign, IL
ESTABLISHED: 1995
ARTISTS: Deerhoof, Of Montreal, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
GENRES: Various
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Polyvinyl/
SADDLE CREEK
HOMETOWN: Omaha, NE
ESTABLISHED: 1993
ARTISTS: Bright Eyes, Land of Talk, Spoon
GENRES: Rock
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Saddle Creek/
SUB POP RECORDS
HOMETOWN: Seattle, WA
ESTABLISHED: 1986
ARTISTS: Beach House, Fleet Foxes, Iron and Wine, The Shins
GENRES: Indie Rock
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Sub Pop/
ULTRA RECORDS
HOMETOWN: New York City
ESTABLISHED: 1995
ARTISTS: Adrian Lux, Basshunter, Benny Benassi, Calvin Harris, Deadmau5, Kaskade, Steve Aoki, Wolfgang Gartner
GENRES: EDM
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Ultra Records/
DOWNTOWN RECORDS
HOMETOWN: New York City
ESTABLISHED: 2006
ARTISTS: Cold War Kids, Electric Guest, Miike Snow, Santigold, Scissor Sistors
GENRES: Various
Check out the following slides for Downtown Records' affiliated labels.
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Downtown Records/
DIM MAK
HOMETOWN: Los Angeles
ESTABLISHED: 1996 by Steve Aoki
ARTISTS: Bloody Beetroots, Datsik, Dada Life, Zedd, Zeds Dead
GENRES: Electronic, House
FOOL'S GOLD
HOMETOWN: New York City
ESTABLISHED: 2007
ARTISTS: Chromeo, Danny Brown, Kid Cudi, Laidback Luke
GENRES: Various
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Fool's Gold/
MAD DECENT
HOMETOWN: Philadelphia
ESTABLISHED: 2005 by Diplo
ARTISTS: Diplo, Major Lazer
GENRES: Various
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Mad Decent/
RCRD LBL
HOMETOWN: New York City
ESTABLISHED: 2007
ARTISTS: Various
GENRES: Various
Although not a record label in the traditional sense, RCRD LBL is Downtown Records' online destination for the latest new music and free downloads from a wide variety of top and emerging artists.
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RCRD LBL/
