With over-commercialized music taking over the airwaves, sometimes it gets a little hard to find music from artists that haven’t bought into the corporate agenda of major record labels. Independent record labels, or indie labels, are labels that operate without funding from a major record label and are usually where newer artists start their careers. With an indie label, artists typically have more creative control over the music they put out. Since independent labels feature a lot of newer artists that are still working hard to get noticed and get their name out there, they require a lot of support. If you are looking for some tunes that are not so mainstream, here’s a few indie labels to get you started.
Rhymesayers Entertainment
rhymesayers.com
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Based in Minneapolis, Rhymesayers Entertainment was co-founded in 1995 by Sean Daley, Anthony Davis, Musab Saad and Brent Sayer, according to the label’s website. Rhymesayers is an independent hip-hop record label featuring notable acts such as Atmosphere, Prof, Aesop Rock, Brother Ali, P.O.S and MF Doom on their roster. Rhymesayers hosts one of the biggest hip-hop music festivals in the world, Soundset, which takes place every summer in Minneapolis.
Hopeless Records
hopelessrecords.com
Los Angeles, California
Hopeless Records is a label known to pop-punk fans as the place many of their favorite bands call home. Hopeless boasts a roster that mostly consists of pop-punk, punk rock and alternative bands including Sum 41, Neck Deep, The Wonder Years, The Used, Taking Back Sunday and New Found Glory, according to their website.
Dim Mak
dimmak.com
Los Angeles, California
Founded by electro-house giant Steve Aoki, Dim Mak is an independent record label and lifestyle brand that features artists associated with many different genres ranging from electronic and hip hop to punk and indie rock, according to the Dim Mak website. Artists currently signed to Dim Mak include Steve Aoki, The Chainsmokers, Ookay and Scanners, alongside many more artists.
Fat Possum Records
Fatpossum.com
Oxford, Mississippi
Founded in 1992, Fat Possum is based in Oxford, Mississippi, according to their website. In its early years, Fat Possum mostly focused on blues artists hailing from Mississippi, but now they have branched out to include rock and hip-hop artists as well. Some of the talent signed to Fat Possum includes Seratones, Andrew Bird and The Black Keys.
Mom + Pop Music
New York, New York
momandpopmusic.com
Mom + Pop Music is an indie label launched in 2009 that emphasizes the importance of artistic freedom, according to the label’s website. Artists currently signed to Mom + Pop include several big names in indie music and the DIY scene such as Flume, Metric, Tokyo Police Club and Sleigh Bells.
These independent record labels are just a small fraction of the number of independent labels that exist at the moment, and new indie labels are constantly being created. Listen to the music from indie labels for a unique, one-of-a-kind feel. Support indie labels and their talent as much as you support bigger labels and artists, because indie labels are just as important.
