A2IM Libera Awards
Shaboozey, MJ Lenderman, Waxahatchee, Jessica Pratt and Kim Gordon are among the leading artist nominees for the 2025 Libera Awards, which honor the best in independent music across 28 categories. This 14th annual awards ceremony will take place on Monday, June 9 at the historic Gotham Hall in New York City.
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The nominees for record of the year include Pratt’s Here in the Pitch (Mexican Summer), Gordon’s The Collective (Matador Records), Lenderman’s Manning Fireworks (ANTI-), Mk.gee’s “Rockman” (R&R Digital) and Waxahatchee’s Tigers Blood (ANTI-).
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Pratt, Lenderman and Mk.gee are also nominated for the breakthrough artist award, where they face Magdalena Bay (Mom+Pop), Mannequin Pussy (Epitaph) and Shaboozey (American Dogwood/EMPIRE). Shaboozey, whose “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 19 weeks, was nominated for best new artist at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 2 and new artist of the year at the Country Music Association Awards on Nov. 20.
The nominations were announced on Wednesday (March 19) by FIM (The Foundation for Independent Music) and A2IM (The American Association of Independent Music, Inc.).
“Huge congratulations to all the incredibly talented nominees for the 14th annual Libera Awards,” Dr. Richard James Burgess, president and CEO of A2IM, said in a statement. “As the world’s largest awards show dedicated to the diverse and vibrant world of independent music, the Libera Awards honor both the artists and the industry that champion them. This year’s event promises to be our biggest and best yet, as A2IM proudly celebrates its 20th anniversary.”
The Libera Awards Presented by Merlin – the official name of the awards – will kick off the Indie Week conference, which will run from Tuesday, June 10 through Thursday, June 12 at the InterContinental New York Times Square.
A2IM is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit trade organization headquartered in New York City that exists to support and strengthen the independent recorded music sector. Membership currently includes a broad coalition of over 600 independently-owned American music labels.
Here’s a complete list of nominees for the 2025 Libera Awards Presented by Merlin.
Record of the Year
Jessica Pratt – Here in the Pitch (Mexican Summer)
Kim Gordon – The Collective (Matador Records)
MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks (ANTI-)
Mk.gee – “Rockman” (R&R Digital)
Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood (ANTI-)
Breakthrough Artist
Jessica Pratt (Mexican Summer)
Magdalena Bay (Mom+Pop)
Mannequin Pussy (Epitaph)
MJ Lenderman (ANTI-)
Mk.gee (R&R Digital)
Shaboozey (American Dogwood/EMPIRE)
Music Video of the Year
Caravan Palace – “Mirrors” (Le Plan Recordings)
Fontaines D.C. – “Starburster” (XL Recordings)
Justice – “Neverender (starring Tame Impala)” (Because Music)
Porter Robinson – “Cheerleader” (Mom+Pop)
Waxahatchee feat. MJ Lenderman – “Right Back to It” (ANTI-)
Yaeji – “booboo” (XL Recordings)
Reissue
Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force – Planet Rock: The Album (Tommy Boy Records)
American Football – American Football LP1 (25th Anniversary Edition) (Polyvinyl Record Co.)
Cocteau Twins & Harold Budd – The Moon and the Melodies (4AD)
John Cale – Paris 1919 (Deluxe Edition) (Domino Recording Company)
MF DOOM – MM..FOOD (20th Anniversary Edition) (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
Ray Charles – Crying Time (Tangerine Records)
Sylvan Esso – Sylvan Esso (10 Year Anniversary Edition) (Psychic Hotline)
Remix
Fcukers – “Bon Bon (Confidence Man Remix)” (Technicolour/Ninja Tune)
Kelela – RAVE:N, The Remixes (Warp Records)
MF DOOM – “One Beer (Madlib Remix)” (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
Shygirl – “mr useless – MK remix” (Because Music)
Slowdive – “kisses (grouper remix)” (Dead Oceans)
Alternative Rock Record
Being Dead – EELS (Bayonet Records)
Kim Deal – Nobody Loves You More (4AD)
Kim Gordon – The Collective (Matador Records)
Nada Surf – Moon Mirror (New West Records)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Wild God (Play It Again Sam)
American Roots Record
Dave Alvin + Jimmie Dale Gilmore – TexiCali (Yep Roc Records)
Fantastic Negrito – Son of a Broken Man (Storefront Records)
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – Woodland (Acony Records)
Joe Ely – Driven to Drive (Rack ’Em Records)
MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks (ANTI-)
Swamp Dogg – Blackgrass (Oh Boy Records)
Blues Record
Cedric Burnside – Hill Country Love (Provogue Records)
Little Feat – Sam’s Place (Hot Tomato Records)
Ruthie Foster – Mileage (Sun Records)
Shemekia Copeland – Blame It on Eve (Alligator Records)
The Taj Mahal Sextet – Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa (Lightning Rod Records)
Classical Record
Ensemble Pygmalion, Raphaël Pichon – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem (harmonia mundi)
II Divo – XX: 20th Anniversary Album (Il Divo Music)
Isabelle Faust – Britten: Violin Concerto and Chamber Works (harmonia mundi)
Ju-Ping Song – Monad (Starkland)
Kelly Moran – Moves in the Field (Warp Records)
Marc-André Hamelin, Nathalie Forget, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Gustavo Gimeno – Olivier Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie (harmonia mundi)
Michael Torke – Bloom (Ecstatic Records)
Country Record
Corb Lund – El Viejo (New West Records)
Fancy Hagood – American Spirit (Fancy Hagood Enterprises)
Johnny Blue Skies – Passage du Desir (High Top Mountain Records)
Shaboozey – Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going (American Dogwood/EMPIRE)
Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood (ANTI-)
Zach Top – Cold Beer & Country Music (Leo33)
Dance Record
A.G. Cook – “Britpop” (New Alias)
Fcukers – Baggy$$ (Technicolour / Ninja Tune)
Peggy Gou – I Hear You (XL Recordings)
Shygirl – Club Shy (Because Music)
SOPHIE – SOPHIE (Future Classic)
Electronic Record
Caribou – Honey (Merge Records)
Floating Points – Cascade (Ninja Tune)
Flying Lotus – Spirit Box (Warp Records)
Jamie xx – In Waves (Young)
Justice – Hyperdrama (Because Music)
Photay – Windswept (Mexican Summer)
Folk Record
Adrianne Lenker – Bright Future (4AD)
Aoife O’Donovan – All My Friends (Yep Roc Records)
Bonny Light Horseman – Keep Me on Your Mind/See You Free (Jagjaguwar)
Jessica Pratt – Here in the Pitch (Mexican Summer)
Madi Diaz – Weird Faith (ANTI-)
Global Record
Altin Gun – “Vallahi Yok” (ATO Records)
Asake – Lungu Boy (YBNL Nation/EMPIRE)
BALTHVS – Harvest (Mixto Records)
Glass Beams – Mahal (Ninja Tune)
Hermanos Gutiérrez – Sonido Cósmico (Easy Eye Sound)
Manu Chao – Viva Tu (Because Music)
Mdou Moctar – Funeral for Justice (Matador Records)
Heavy Record
Chelsea Wolfe – She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She (Loma Vista Recordings)
High On Fire – Cometh the Storm (MNRK Music Group)
METZ – Up on Gravity Hill (Sub Pop Records)
Scene Queen – Hot Singles in Your Area (Hopeless Records)
Speed – “Only One Mode” (FLATSPOT)
Hip-Hop/Rap Record
BigXthaPlug – Take Care (UnitedMasters)
Cash Cobain – PLAY CASH COBAIN (Giant Music)
Common & Pete Rock – The Auditorium Vol. 1 (Loma Vista Recordings)
Denzel Curry – King of the Mischievous South (Loma Vista Recordings)
E L U C I D – REVELATOR (Fat Possum Records)
Shygirl – “Immaculate” (feat. Saweetie) (Because Music)
Jazz Record
BADBADNOTGOOD – Mid Spiral (XL Recordings)
Ezra Collective – Dance, No One’s Watching (Partisan Records)
Kamasi Washington – Fearless Movement (Young)
Lakecia Benjamin – Phoenix Reimagined (Live) (Ropeadope Records)
Morgan Guerin – Tales of the Facade (Candid Records)
Nala Sinephro – Endlessness (Warp Records)
Nubya Garcia – Odyssey (Concord Jazz)
Latin Record
Angélica Garcia – Gemelo (Partisan Records)
Buscabulla – “11:11” (Domino Recording Company)
Chicano Batman – “Era Primavera” (ATO Records)
Dayme Arocena – Alkemi (Brownswood Recordings)
Gaby Moreno and La Lom – “Alma Florecida” (Cosmica Artists)
Girl Ultra – blush (Big Dada/Ninja Tune)
Reyna Tropical – Malegría (Psychic Hotline)
Outlier Record
Chanel Beads – Your Day Will Come (Jagjaguwar)
Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn – Quiet in a World Full of Noise (Merge Records)
Hakushi Hasegawa – Mahōgakkō (Brainfeeder)
Helado Negro – PHASOR (4AD)
Khruangbin – A LA SALA (Dead Oceans)
Moor Mother – The Great Bailout (ANTI-)
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE – YOU’LL HAVE TO LOSE SOMETHING (Saddle Creek)
urika’s bedroom – Big Smile, Black Mire (True Panther)
Pop Record
Kate Nash – 9 Sad Symphonies (Kill Rock Stars)
Kesha – “Joyride” (Kesha Records)
Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk (Mom+Pop)
Sofie Royer – Young-Girl Forever (Stones Throw Records)
SOPHIE – SOPHIE (Future Classic)
Suki Waterhouse – Memoir of a Sparklemuffin (Sub Pop Records)
Punk Record
A Place To Bury Strangers – Synthesizer (Dedstrange)
Chubby And the Gang – And Then There Was… (FLATSPOT)
Ekko Astral – pink balloons (Topshelf Records)
Laura Jane Grace – Hole in My Head (Polyvinyl Record Co.)
Pissed Jeans – Half Divorced (Sub Pop Records)
SPRINTS – Letter to Self (City Slang)
R&B Record
Erika de Casier – Still (4AD)
Fana Hues – Moth (Bright Antenna Records)
Mavis Staples – “Worthy” (ANTI-)
NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge) – Why Lawd? (Stones Throw Records)
serpentwithfeet – GRIP (Secretly Canadian)
Yaya Bey – Ten Fold (Big Dada/Ninja Tune)
Rock Record
Fontaines D.C. – Romance (XL Recordings)
IDLES – TANGK (Partisan Records)
Jack White – No Name (Third Man Records)
Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven (Epitaph)
The Lemon Twigs – A Dream Is All We Know (Captured Tracks)
The Linda Lindas – No Obligation (Epitaph)
Singer Songwriter Record
Adrianne Lenker – Bright Future (4AD)
Christian Lee Hutson – Paradise Pop. 10 (ANTI-)
Faye Webster – Underdressed at the Symphony (Secretly Canadian)
Jessica Pratt – Here in the Pitch (Mexican Summer)
Katie Gavin – “As Good as It Gets” (Saddest Factory Records)
Laura Marling – Patterns in Repeat (Partisan Records/Chrysalis Records)
Soul/Funk Record
Angela Muñoz – Descanso (Stones Throw Records)
Neal Francis – “Back It Up” (ATO Records)
The Dip – Love Direction (Dualtone)
Thee Sacred Souls – Got a Story to Tell (Daptone Records)
Thee Sinseers – Sinseerly Yours (Colemine Records)
Spiritual Record
Brother John – Brother John & The GFT Collective (The Blues Preachers/The Orchard)
Flock – Flock II (Strut)
Lauren Daigle – “Then I Will (from Boenhoffer)” (Centricity Music)
Lecrae – “Die for the Party” (Reach Records)
The Harlem Gospel Travelers – Rhapsody (Colemine Records)
The Nelons – Loving You (Daywind Records)
Sync Record
Cigarettes After Sex – “Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby” (It Ends With Us) (Partisan Records)
De La Soul – “Say No Go” (Civil War) (A.O.I./Chrysalis/Reservoir)
Jamie xx & The Avalanches – “All You Children” (Apple) (Young)
Spoon – “The Way We Get By” (’A Real Pain’ Trailer) (Matador Records)
Waxahatchee feat. MJ Lenderman – “Right Back to It” (Tracker S1 E6) (ANTI-)
Label of the Year (15+ Employees)
ANTI- Records
Dead Oceans
Mom+Pop
Ninja Tune
Partisan Records
Stones Throw Records
Sub Pop Records
Warp Records
Label of the Year (6-14 Employees)
Captured Tracks
City Slang
Fat Possum
Light in the Attic
Mexican Summer
Secret City Records
Label of the Year (5 Or Fewer Employees)
Bayonet Records
Daptone Records
Oh Boy Records
Psychic Hotline
Topshelf Records
True Panther
Distributor of the Year
FUGA
IDOL
Redeye
Secretly Distribution
Symphonic Distribution
The Orchard
Independent Champion
Bandcamp
Infinite Catalog
Marauder
Qobuz
The Bloom Effect
Publisher of the Year
Beggars Music
Downtown Music Publishing
Reservoir
Secret City Publishing
Warp Publishing
Marketing Genius
IDLES – TANGK (Partisan Records)
Khruangbin – A LA SALA (Dead Oceans)
MF DOOM – MM..FOOD (20 Year Anniversary Edition) (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks (ANTI-)
Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood (ANTI-)
Self-Released Record of the Year
Cheekface – It’s Sorted (Cheekface)
Fancy Hagood – American Spirit (Fancy Hagood Enterprises)
Los Campesinos! – All Hell (Heart Swells)
Orla Gartland – Everybody Needs a Hero (New Friends Music)
RAYE – “Genesis.” (Human Re Sources)
TV Girl & George Clanton – Fauxllennium (Blissful Serenity Industries, LLC)
Creative Packaging
Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works Volume II (Expanded Edition) (Warp Records)
Khruangbin – A LA SALA (Dead Oceans)
Mac DeMarco – Salad Days 10 Year Anniversary Edition (Captured Tracks)
MF DOOM – MM..FOOD (20 Year Anniversary Edition) (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
The Go Betweens – G Stands for Go-Betweens: Volume 3 (Domino Recording Company)
Various Artists – Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 8 (Sub Pop Records)
De La Soul, Caroline Polachek, Blondshell and IDLES won in multiple categories at the 2024 A2IM Libera Awards, which were held on Monday (June 10) at Gotham Hall in New York City. Comedian Marcia Belsky hosted the show.
Mitski’s seventh studio album, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We (Dead Oceans), won record of the year.
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De La Soul’s classic 1989 debut album 3 Feet High and Rising won three awards – best reissue, creative packaging and a marketing genius award. The album, originally released on Tommy Boy Records, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame this year. The reissue was released on AOI Records/Chrysalis Records.
Polachek’s Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, released on Perpetual Novice, won self-released record of the year and best alternative rock record.
Blondshell’s Blondshell, released on Partisan Records, won best rock record. The group also won breakthrough artist presented by Virgin Music Group.
IDLES, on Partisan Records, took awards for music video of the year (“Dancer”) and best short-form video (“Grace” teaser). Both tracks appear on the band’s fifth studio album, Tangk.
Killer Mike’s Michael, released on Loma Vista Recordings, which won a Grammy for best rap album on Feb. 4, won best hip-hop/rap record.
This year’s Libera Awards featured performances from Christian McBride’s New Jawn (Mack Avenue Music Group), classical pianist Lara Downes (Pentatone), Latin artist Pachyman (ATO Records), rapper Kari Faux (drink sum wtr), hotly-tipped NYC-trio Fcukers (Ninja Tune/Technocolour), and rising pop rock artist LØLØ (Hopeless Records).
The awards are presented by A2IM (The American Association of Independent Music, Inc.), a not-for-profit trade association that represents independent music recording owners.
The A2IM Libera Awards presented by Merlin boasted 36 categories honoring the best in independent music. This year saw the addition of three new categories: best record from games and interactive media, publisher of the year and distributor of the year.
This year, the Libera Awards honored Louis Posen, founder of Hopeless Records, with the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his leadership in the independent sector.
Louis Posen with Hopeless Records and Lølø
Dan Bassini
The Libera Awards will kick off A2IM’s annual Indie Week conference, which will begin Tuesday (June 11) and run through Thursday, June 13 at the InterContinental New York Times Square.
Here’s a complete list of nominations for the 2024 Libera Awards, with winners marked:
Record of the Year
L’Rain – I Killed Your Dog (Mexican Summer)
Killer Mike – MICHAEL (Loma Vista Recordings)
WINNER: Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We (Dead Oceans)
Caroline Polachek – Desire, I Want to Turn Into You (Perpetual Novice)
Wednesday – Rat Saw God (Dead Oceans)
Label of the Year (15 or more employees)
Dead Oceans
Domino Recording Company
Hopeless Records
Matador Records
Merge Records
WINNER: Partisan Records
Sub Pop Records
Third Man Records
Label of the Year (5 or fewer employees)
Bastard Jazz Recordings
Bayonet Records
FADER Label
Innovative Leisure
Oh Boy Records
Topshelf Records
WINNER: True Panther
Label of the Year (6-14 employees)
Captured Tracks
City Slang
Lex Records
WINNER: Light in the Attic
Mack Avenue Music Group
Photo Finish Records
Saddle Creek
Distributor of the Year
FUGA
Light in the Attic
The Orchard
WINNER: Redeye Worldwide
Secretly Distribution
Symphonic Distribution
Virgin Music Group
Publisher of the Year
Arts & Crafts Music
Domino Publishing Company
Reservoir Media
Rimas Publishing
WINNER: Secretly Publishing
Sub Pop Publishing
Warp Publishing
Independent Champion presented by Merlin
WINNER: Bandcamp
Downtown Music Holdings
Infinite Catalog
Light in the Attic
Peanut Butter Wolf
Jorge Brea
Thirty Tigers
Breakthrough Artist/Release presented by Virgin Music Group
BAMBII (Innovative Leisure)
bar italia (Matador Records)
WINNER: Blondshell – Blondshell (Partisan Records)
Indigo De Souza – All of This Will End (Saddle Creek)
Say She She – Silver (Colemine Records)
Slow Pulp (ANTI)
Wednesday (Dead Oceans)
Music Video of the Year
Black Pumas – “More Than a Love Song” (ATO Records)
Blondshell – “Salad” (Partisan Records)
Indigo De Souza – “Younger & Dumber” (Saddle Creek)
Geese – “Cowboy Nudes” (Partisan Records)
WINNER: IDLES – “Dancer” (Partisan Records)
Arlo Parks – “Blades” (Transgressive)
Shygirl – “Heaven (feat. Tinashe)” (Because Music)
Best Alternative Rock Record
Courtney Barnett – End of the Day (Mom+Pop)
Geese – 3D Country (Partisan Records)
Hotline TNT – Cartwheel (Third Man Records)
Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We (Dead Oceans)
WINNER: Caroline Polachek – Desire, I Want to Turn Into You (Perpetual Novice)
Wednesday – Rat Saw God (Dead Oceans)
Best American Roots Record
Charley Crockett – The Man From Waco Redux (Son Of Davy/Thirty Tigers)
Madi Diaz – “Don’t Do Me Good” (feat. Kacey Musgraves) (ANTI)
WINNER: MJ Lenderman – “Rudolph” (ANTI)
Hiss Golden Messenger – Jump for Joy (Merge Records)
Esther Rose – Safe to Run (New West Records)
Allison Russell – The Returner (Fantasy Records)
Best Blues Record
The Count Basie Orchestra – Basie Swings the Blues (Candid Records)
Robert Finley – Black Bayou (Easy Eye Sound)
WINNER: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – Live in London (Alligator Records)
Bettye LaVette – LaVette! (Jay-Vee Records/MRI)
Various Artists – Tell Everybody! (21st Century Juke Joint Blues From Easy Eye Sound) (Easy Eye Sound)
Nick Waterhouse – The Fooler (Innovative Leisure)
Best Classical Record
Chick Corea & Orchestra da Camera della Sardegna – Sardinia (Candid Records)
Doeke – Bewondering (Nettwerk Music Group)
Lara Downes – Love at Last (Pentatone)
Erik Hall – Canto Ostinato (Western Vinyl)
WINNER: Hauschka – Philanthropy (City Slang)
Will Liverman – The Dunbar/Moore Sessions: Vol. I (Lexicon Classics)
Kelly Moran – Vesela (Warp Records)
Chick Corea & Orchestra da Camera della Sardegna – “Mozart Concerto No. 24 C Minor, K.491: II Larghetto” (Candid Records)
Best Country Record
Mya Byrne – Rhinestone Tomboy (Kill Rock Stars)
Colbie Caillat – Along the Way (Blue Jean Baby Records/Downtown Artist & Label Services)
The Pink Stones – You Know Who (Normaltown Records)
WINNER: Margo Price – Strays (Loma Vista Recordings)
Tanya Tucker – Sweet Western Sound (Fantasy Records)
Turnpike Troubadours – A Cat in The Rain (Bossier City Records/Thirty Tigers)
Best Dance Record
Aluna – MYCELiUM (Mad Decent)
Braxe + Falcon – Step by Step (Remixes) (Smugglers Way/Domino Recording Company)
Jayda G – Guy (Ninja Tune)
LP Giobbi – Light Places (Counter Records/Ninja Tune)
Peggy Gou – “(It Goes Like) Nanana” (XL Recordings)
Hudson Mohawke & Nikki Nair – Set the Roof (Warp Records)
WINNER: Romy – Mid Air (Young)
Best Electronic Record
Floating Points – “Birth4000” (Ninja Tune)
Sofia Kourtesis – Madres (Ninja Tune)
Little Dragon – Slugs of Love (Ninja Tune)
ODESZA, Yellow House – Flaws in Our Design (Foreign Family Collective/Ninja Tune)
Overmono – Good Lies (XL Recordings)
DJ Shadow – Action Adventure (Mass Appeal)
WINNER: Yaeji – With a Hammer (XL Recordings)
Best Folk Record
Julie Byrne – The Greater Wings (Ghostly International)
Laura Jane Grace – “Dysphoria Hoodie” (Polyvinyl Record Co.)
Kara Jackson – Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? (September Recordings)
Aoife O’Donovan – Age of Apathy Solo Sessions (Yep Roc Records)
Andy Shauf – Norm (ANTI)
WINNER: Sufjan Stevens – Javelin (Asthmatic Kitty Records)
Sunny War – Anarchist Gospel (New West Records)
Best Global Record presented by Redeye Worldwide
Altin Gün – Ask (ATO Records)
Asake – Work of Art (YBNL Nation / EMPIRE)
Bombino – Sahel (Partisan Records)
Pachyman – Switched-On (ATO Records)
Sampa the Great – As Above, So Below (Deluxe) (Loma Vista Recordings)
WINNER: WITCH – Zango (Desert Daze Sound)
Best Heavy Record
Beartooth – The Surface (Red Bull Records)
The Callous Daoboys – God Smiles Upon the Callous Daoboys (MNRK Music Group)
From Ashes to New – Blackout (Better Noise Music)
Fucked Up – One Day (Merge Records)
WINNER: Model/Actriz – Dogsbody (True Panther)
Soul Glo – “If I Speak (Shut the Fuck Up)” (Epitaph)
Zulu – A New Tomorrow (Flatspot Records)
Best Hip-Hop/Rap Record
Aesop Rock – Integrated Tech Solutions (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
Atmosphere – So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
Danny Brown – Quaranta (Warp Records)
Conway The Machine – WON’T HE DO IT (Drumwork Music Group LLC/EMPIRE)
McKinley Dixon – Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? (City Slang)
Kari Faux – REAL B*TCHES DON’T DIE! (drink sum wtr)
WINNER: Killer Mike – MICHAEL (Loma Vista Recordings)
billy woods, Kenny Segal – Maps (Backwoodz Studios/Fat Possum Records)
Best Jazz Record
Joey Alexander – Continuance (Mack Avenue Music Group)
Louis Cole – Some Unused Songs (Brainfeeder)
Sam Gendel & Marcella Cytrynowicz – AUDIOBOOK (Psychic Hotline)
Robert Glasper – In December (Loma Vista Recordings)
WINNER: John Carroll Kirby – Blowout (Stones Throw Records)
Christian McBride’s New Jawn – Prime (Mack Avenue Music Group)
Best Latin Record
El Búho – Strata (Wonderwheel Recordings)
Bebel Gilberto – João ([PIAS])
WINNER: Helado Negro – “LFO (Lupe Finds Oliveros)” (4AD)
Carla Morrison – “Todo Fue Por Amor (de la película “Con Esta Luz”)” (Cosmica Artists)
Pahua – Habita (Nacional Records)
Tagua Tagua – Tanto (Wonderwheel Recordings)
Best Outlier Record
Anjimile – The King (4AD)
ANOHNI – My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross (Secretly Canadian)
Khruangbin – Live at Sydney Opera House (Dead Oceans)
WINNER: L’Rain – I Killed Your Dog (Mexican Summer)
Tirzah – trip9love…??? (Domino Recording Company)
yeule – softscars (Ninja Tune)
Best Pop Record
Belle and Sebastian – Late Developers (Matador Records)
CHAI – CHAI (Sub Pop Records)
Becca Mancari – Left Hand (Captured Tracks)
WINNER: Samia – Honey (Grand Jury Music)
Suki Waterhouse – “To Love” (Sub Pop Records)
Best Punk Record
CIVIC – Taken by Force (ATO Records)
WINNER: Mannequin Pussy – “I Got Heaven” (Epitaph)
Neck Deep – “Take Me With You” (Hopeless Records)
Scowl – Psychic Dance Routine (Flatspot Records)
Snõõper – Super Snõõper (Third Man Records)
Soul Glo – “If I Speak (Shut the Fuck Up)” (Epitaph)
Best R&B Record
Emily King – Special Occasion (ATO Records)
WINNER: Sampha – Lahai (Young)
Emeli Sandé – How Were We to Know (Chrysalis Records)
Jorja Smith – falling or flying (FAMM Limited (Jorja Smith))
Cleo Sol – Gold (Forever Living Originals / TuneCore)
Jamila Woods – Water Made Us (Jagjaguwar)
Best Record From Games and Interactive Media
Jon Everist – The Lamplighters League (Original Soundtrack) (Lakeshore Records)
WINNER: HEALTH – “HATEFUL” (Loma Vista Recordings)
Mr. Sauceman, ClascyJitto, Post Elvis – Pizza Tower (Materia Collective)
Matt Creamer, Retroware, Professor Shyguy ft. Nur-D – Prison City Original Soundtrack (Screenwave Media)
Best Reissue
Cymande – Cymande (Partisan Records)
WINNER: De La Soul – 3 Feet High & Rising (AOI Records/Chrysalis Records)
The Exploding Hearts – Guitar Romantic (Expanded and Remastered) (Third Man Records)
Jerry Garcia – Might as Well: A Round Records Retrospective (Round Records)
Jason Isbell – Southeastern (Southeastern Records / Thirty Tigers)
Neutral Milk Hotel – The Collected Works of Neutral Milk Hotel (Merge Records)
Best Remix
WINNER: Sudan Archives, ODESZA – “Selfish Soul (ODESZA Remix)” (Stones Throw Records under exclusive license to Foreign Family Collective/Ninja Tune)
Christine and the Queens – “To Be Honest” (SG Lewis Remix) (Because Music)
John Summit, deadmau5, Kaskade – “I Remember” (John Summit Remix) (mau5trap)
Jerry Garcia & LP Giobbi – Garcia (Remixed) (Round Records)
Margo Price – “Change of Heart” (feat. Sierra Ferrell) (Loma Vista Recordings)
Best Rock Record
Be Your Own Pet – Mommy (Third Man Records)
WINNER: Blondshell – Blondshell (Partisan Records)
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Weathervanes (Southeastern Records)
Manchester Orchestra – The Valley of Vision (Loma Vista Recordings)
The National – First Two Pages of Frankenstein (4AD)
Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman… (Matador Records)
Ratboys – The Window (Topshelf Records)
Best Short-Form Video
Blondshell – “Kiss City” Reel (Partisan Records)
De La Soul – Tribute to Dave (AOI Records/Chrysalis Records)
WINNER: IDLES – “Grace” Teaser (Partisan Records)
John Carroll Kirby – “Oropendola” (Stones Throw Records)
Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We (Dead Oceans)
Best Singer-Songwriter Record
Indigo De Souza – All of This Will End (Saddle Creek)
Madi Diaz – “Same Risk” (ANTI)
WINNER: Angel Olsen – Forever Means (Jagjaguwar)
Jess Williamson – Time Ain’t Accidental (Mexican Summer)
Jenny Owen Youngs – Avalanche (Yep Roc Records)
Best Soul/Funk Record
WINNER: Betty Davis – Crashin’ From Passion (Light in the Attic)
Black Pumas – Chronicles of a Diamond (ATO Records)
Robert Finley – Black Bayou (Easy Eye Sound)
Neal Francis – Francis Comes Alive (ATO Records)
Say She She – Silver (Colemine Records)
Best Spiritual Record
WINNER: Blind Boys of Alabama – Echoes of the South (Single Lock Records)
Lecrae, Tasha Cobbs Leonard – “Your Power” (Reach Records)
Katy Nichole – Jesus Changed My Life (Centricity Music)
J Rocc – Beatitudes (Stones Throw Records)
Lori Vambe – Space-Time Dreamtime (STRUT)
Best Sync Usage
Cat Power – Cover of Rihanna’s “Stay” in A24’s Past Lives trailer (Domino Recording Company)
Brittany Howard ft. Childish Gambino – “Stay High” in You People (ATO Records)
WINNER: Refused – “New Noise” in The Bear (Season 2) (Epitaph)
Sharon Van Etten – “Anything” in Priscilla trailer (Jagjaguwar)
Nilüfer Yanya – “Midnight Sun” in The Boogeyman (ATO Records)
Creative Packaging
Aphex Twin – Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / in a room7 F760 (Warp Records)
WINNER: De La Soul – 3 Feet High & Rising (AOI Records/Chrysalis Records)
Jerry Garcia – Heads and Tails: Vol. 1 (Round Records)
Neutral Milk Hotel – The Collected Works of Neutral Milk Hotel (Merge Records)
John Prine – The Oh Boy Singles Box Set (Oh Boy Records)
Various Artists – Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 8 (Sub Pop Records)
Marketing Genius
Blonde Redhead – Sit Down for Dinner (section1)
Blondshell – Blondshell (Partisan Records)
WINNER: De La Soul – De La Soul Catalog Release (AOI Records/Chrysalis Records)
Peggy Gou – “(It Goes Like) Nanana” (XL Recordings)
Killer Mike – MICHAEL (Loma Vista Recordings)
Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We (Dead Oceans)
Self-Released Record of the Year
Laurel Halo – Atlas (Awe)
L’Queer – “Fuck Ron DeSantis” (L’Queer)
Michigander – It Will Never Be the Same (C3 Records)
Paris Texas – MID AIR (Paris Texas LLC)
WINNER: Caroline Polachek – Desire, I Want to Turn Into You (Perpetual Novice)
Tenacious D – “Video Games” (Tenacious D)
Louis Posen launched a label on a dare. It was 1993 and he was directing a music video for Guttermouth when the band threw down the gauntlet, challenging him to put out a 7″ single. Posen cheerfully admits he had no business plan and zero funding. The guiding principle, he says, was “surround ourselves with good people, and we’ll be fine.”
More than fine, in fact: That label, Hopeless Records, has gone on to work with more than 200 artists — including Avenged Sevenfold, All Time Low, The Wonder Years, Taking Back Sunday and Yellowcard — that span from punk to ska, metal to emo. All told, the roster has sold more than 15 million albums. And now, Posen is celebrating the label’s 30th anniversary at A2IM’s Indie Week in New York (June 10-13), where he will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award Monday (June 10) at the organization’s 2024 Libera Awards.
While Posen’s decision to cannonball into the deep end of the label world might seem recklessly spur-of-the-moment, he now believes it was almost preordained. “We have all these moments in our lives that lead us to something,” he explains. One came in the fifth grade when a friend’s mom’s boyfriend took Posen and others to see the L.A. punk group X at the Reseda Country Club. “That was the first time I saw mohawks, stage diving, slam dancing,” Posen remembers. “And I was like, ‘Wow, this is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.’”
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To celebrate Hopeless Records’ 30th anniversary, the label put together a traveling exhibit full of memorabilia commemorating key moments in its history. It will be open during Indie Week this week, before heading on to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas. Posen and Ian Harrison, the label’s GM, spoke about Hopeless Records’ origins, the challenges of condensing 30 years of activity into a single exhibit and the value of the independent sector.
Hopeless Records
Courtesy Photo
What led you to start a label?
Posen: I was in film school at Cal State Northridge and I directed a music video for NOFX. The opener for the show we shot at was Guttermouth, who asked me to do a music video for them. And then while shooting that video, the band dared me to put out a 7″ record for them.
I went out and bought a book on how to run an independent record label. I tried to follow what it said, along with calling Fat Mike from NOFX because he had a record label. The first 7″ came out in December 1993, with the first song being called “Hopeless.” And that was where the name of the label was born.
I was still in college directing music videos at the time. It was really a one-off dare. Another group that I was doing a music video for was Schlong — a band with the drummer from Operation Ivy. While we were filming that video, the guys said, “Hey, we want to cover the whole West Side Story soundtrack and call it Punk Side Story. Would you put it out on this new label you started?” I said, “Let’s do it.” Things were so spontaneous back then.
What was the response to those early releases?
Posen: Guttermouth had a following. I was able to sell that first pressing of 500 or 1,000 records fairly quickly. The book also had distributors and their phone numbers so I called all of them. Some were willing to take the 7″, and then the rest I would sell at local Southern California retail stores. I would go drop them off on consignment and then come back a week later, see what sold and get paid.
The third release was all the music videos that I had directed along with videos from some of my friends who were directors. We put it on a VHS cassette and called that Cinema Beer-té, a play on “cinéma vérité.” After that, I decided to do the label full-time.
So you got the hang of things pretty quickly.
Posen: We’re still getting the hang of it; 30 years later, the best part about this industry is that it’s always changing and you always have to be learning. Those who feel like they know it usually get stuck and hit a ceiling. We need to be humble enough to learn from our successes, but more so learn from our mistakes and keep getting better every day. That’s been our philosophy and hopefully has been a part of why we’ve been able to survive for 30 years.
Hopeless Records
Courtesy Photo
How did you approach distilling three decades of history into a single exhibit?
Harrison: We’re pretty fortunate to have too much stuff — we could do two or three more exhibits if anyone was interested in that level of detail. We took a lot of inspiration from the Punk Rock Museum in Vegas, how they displayed the history of our world. We put our own tweaks on it.
We spent maybe two months going through stuff before we started building anything. And that was really just trying to get a sense of what we had, what we could get from artists, and what was important to tell the story. We have access to certain items that are interesting, but we also have big moments at the label that we want to make sure are represented, and sometimes those don’t always line up. It took maybe four months altogether. One thing we took away from this experience was feeling like we should do a better job archiving stuff in the future, both digitally and physically.
Posen: I always keep something next to my desk that reminds me of the beginning so I don’t forget where we came from. I kept the original Guttermouth 24-track two-inch tape in my office. Ian also spent some time — very kind of him — going through my garage with me to find all kinds of stuff that no one had looked at in 30 years.
The idea from the beginning was for it to be mobile, so we could go from museum to museum. Ian came up with the idea of putting these items in road cases, which was really cool because it has a music connection. You’ve got these music road cases like an artist would have on tour, but with the glass fronts like what you would see on the wall of a well-known museum.
How often did you have to ask artists for items?
Harrison: About 25% of the good stuff I’d say comes from artists. Avenged Sevenfold’s guitar that they used to record Waking the Fallen, that came from the producer actually who still had it. Neck Deep gave us a guitar. The Wonder Years gave us these two amazing lyric books with original song titles that had changed, early album plans, a pros and cons list about conversations with the label. That’s gold.
A lot of the good stuff came from artists, which is really nice and also requires us to have good relationships with them. That’s another bright spot for the label — we generally have pretty good relationships with these artists over time.
Posen: The third way we got stuff was becoming an expert at searching eBay, finding old T-shirts and things that we don’t have any stock of anymore. We used to put out these parody shirts that look like Rolling Rock, but they said “punk rock.” We found those on eBay.
Harrison: For maybe a month my house looked like a crazy person’s house. We just had the weirdest-looking packages coming every day. I bought a lot of posters that came in like these insane packages.
Hopeless Records
Courtesy Photo
Are there any items in the exhibit that are especially meaningful for you?
Harrison: For me, it would be The Greatest Generation workbook from around when The Wonder Years put out that album. That’s one of the top records in the company’s history. I remember us putting out that record and going through the whole process. To see the inner workings of that record as it was developing, to me that’s the coolest thing. And then I also threw in my own gold record from All Time Low when they first got a single plaque.
Posen: I mentioned we did the Punk Side Story that covered the whole West Side Story soundtrack. We actually got a letter from Leonard Bernstein‘s daughter — he’s the composer. She said, “This is an amazing version of my dad’s work and we’re not going to sue you.” It’s handwritten on her stationery. That’s an amazing piece.
And we have a letter from the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, who’s an icon in California, recognizing our charitable work with Sub City. Our belief that the artists’ voices can do more than make musicians rich and famous, that’s still the fabric and foundation of what we do every day.
What advice would you give to someone who aspires to start a label now and have it last 30 years?
Posen: I’m always hesitant to give advice because every individual is different. But there are definitely philosophies that I have that I like to share. We have a list of principles on the Hopeless site. If you’re just doing this for your own benefit, I think that’s not sustainable or rewarding over a long period of time. And it’s not about whatever the quick, easy path is. It’s about doing things the right way, treating people the right way. Those principles aren’t necessarily in fashion now, but we think those are universal and everlasting. And my biggest one is probably to still surround yourself with great people. This is really a team sport.
How do you feel about the health of the independent label landscape?
Posen: We’re a big believer that the independent music sector is an amazing place to build your career and create social mobility. This community does that. It’s an amazing environment to get started. Most independent labels don’t require you to have a Harvard degree, or any degree. It’s all about how hard you work — and how much you care. This community is what gave us the environment to start and thrive. And so we want to make sure this community stays strong and grows for the next generation of labels and other music businesses.
Ian made a list while he’s been putting this together — all of our albums that have reached 100,000 copies sold in the U.S. You only get a gold record at 500,000 or a platinum one at 1 million. We’ve got a few of those, which is awesome. But what’s actually more exciting is we have 33 albums that have hit over 100,000. To me, that symbolizes what we do and what independent music is all about. It’s not about superstars necessarily. It’s mostly about great music and art and allowing these artists to make a living doing what they do.
Louis Posen, founder of California-based label Hopeless Records, is set to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 A2IM Libera Awards. The awards, the world’s largest celebration of independent music, is set to take place on Monday, June 10 at Gotham Hall in New York. The gala dinner and concert event, featuring performances from a diverse range of artists, is open to the public.
As a board member for the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) and Merlin and a two-time board member for A2IM, Posen has stood at the forefront of advocacy efforts within the United States and internationally.
“Louis’s dedication to nurturing artists and leveraging music for social change underscores his commitment to our industry and epitomizes the power of combining passion with purpose,” Dr. Richard James Burgess, MBE, president/CEO of A2IM, said in a statement. “Louis is a vital advocate for independent music, vigorously championing the causes he believes in. We salute Louis for his continued commitment to the independent sector and to community empowerment.”
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“What an unbelievable honor to be in the same company as some of my mentors and favorite labels,” Posen said in a statement. “… Thank you to the entire independent music community. Especially A2IM, whose amazing work promoting and protecting the value of independent music has created an industry environment where independent artists and companies like Hopeless can thrive.”
Previous A2IM Lifetime Achievement winners include Martin Mills (Beggars Group), Tom Silverman (Tommy Boy Records), Bruce Iglauer (Alligator Records), Patricia Chin (VP Records), Mike Curb (Curb Records), Ani DiFranco (Righteous Babe Records), Brett Gurewitz (Epitaph/ANTI-), Jonathan Poneman (Sub Pop), Seymour Stein (Sire Records) and Al Bell, Estelle Axton, Jim Stewart, and Deanie Parker (Stax Records).
This year, Hopeless Records celebrates its 30 year anniversary. Over the last three decades, it has grown from a bedroom label into one of the most successful companies in independent music, with more than 400 releases and millions of records sold.
Founded by Posen as an excuse to release a seven-inch by the band Guttermouth, the label spent much of the ’90s catering to pop-punk and ska fans with a short roster that included 88 Fingers Louie, Dillinger Four and Mustard Plug. As mainstream tastes shifted, so did the label, signing such acts as Avenged Sevenfold, All Time Low, Taking Back Sunday, Yellowcard, New Found Glory, Neck Deep, The Wonder Years and illuminati hotties.
This year’s Libera Awards will recognize achievements across 38 categories, including three new ones: publisher of the year, distributor of the year and best record from games and interactive media.
Tickets start at $299 for a single balcony ticket. They can be purchased here.
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