Post-punk independent labels

Alternative Tentacles: established 1979 San Francisco by Dead Kennedys; run by former vocalist Jello Biafra. Artists—Alice Donut, Butthole Surfers, No Means No.
Amphetamine Reptile: est. 1986 Washington State by Marine Tom Hazelmyer. Artists: Halo of Flies, Helmet, The Melvins, The Cows, Helios Creed, Chokebore.
Au Go Go: est. 1979 Melbourne by Bruce Milne & Philip Morland. Artists: Scientists, God, Magic Dirt. Australian releases for Big Black and Sonic Youth.
Bar/None: est. 1986 Hoboken, New Jersey. Artists: They Might Be Giants, Yo La Tengo, Architecture in Helsinki.
Beggars Banquet: est. 1977 UK by independent record store chain owners Martin Mills and Nick Austin. Hits with Gary Numan ensured security. Subsidiaries: 4AD, Mo Wax, Matador, XL, and Wiiija. Artists: The Charlatans, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, The Pixies, Cocteau Twins, Go-Betweens, M/A/R/R/S, The Prodigy, Basement Jaxx.
Big Cat: est. 1990, UK. Artists: Foetus, Cop Shoot Cop, Pavement, Grandaddy. Bought by V2 in 1996.
Blanco y Negro: est. 1983, UK, by Geoff Travis (ex-Rough Trade), as Warner subsidiary. Artists: Everything But The Girl, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Catatonia.
C/Z: est. Seattle 1985 by Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale; taken over by Skin Yard bass player Daniel House. Artists: The Presidents of the United States of America, The Melvins, Built to Spill, 7 Year Bitch, Hammerbox. Suffered several dodgy arrangements with Sony and BMG.
Cooking Vinyl: est.1986, UK. Artists: Billy Bragg, Michelle Shocked, The Bluetones, Ryan Adams.
Creation: est. UK 1984 by Alan McGee. Artists: Jesus & Mary Chain, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Swervedriver, Slowdive, House of Love, Teenage Fanclub, Oasis, Super Furry Animals. Sony bought 49% of label in early 1990s; McGee sold out in 1999.
Dischord: est. Washington, D.C. 1980 by Ian MacKaye, Jeff Nelson & Nathan Strejcek. Artists: Minor Threat, Embrace, Scream, Jawbox, Shudder to Think, Dag Nasty, Lungfish, Fugazi.
Domino: est. UK 1993. Artists: The Magnetic Fields, Lou Barlow, Stephen Malkmus, Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand.
Drag City: est. Chicago 1989 by Dan Koretzky & Dan Osborn. Artists: Pavement, Royal Trux, Smog, Will Oldham, Jim O'Rourke, Silver Jews, Will Oldham, Pajo, Joanna Newsom.
The Elephant 6 Recording Company: est. Denver, Colorado/Athens, Georgia. Artists: The Apples in Stereo, Beulah, Elf Power, The Essex Green, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control.
Epitaph: est. 1981 Hollywood by Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion). Artists: L7, NOFX, Offspring, Rancid. Subsidiaries: Anti (Tom Waits), Fat Wreck Chords (Less Than Jake).
Factory: est. 1978 Manchester by Tony Wilson. Artists: Joy Division, New Order, Durutti Column, Happy Mondays.
Fast Product: est. Edinburgh, Scotland 1977 by Bob Last. Artists: Human League, Gang of Four, The Mekons, Scars.
Fire: est. London 1986 by Clive Solomon. Artists: Pulp, Spacemen 3, Everclear, Neutral Milk Hotel.
Flying Nun: est. 1981 Christchurch, New Zealand by Roger Shepherd. Artists: The Clean, Sneaky Feelings, The Bats, The Chills, The Verlaines.
Food: est. 1984 UK by Andy Ross & David Balfe. Originally Rough Trade distribution; 1994 EMI took over and folded into Parlophone. Artists: Blur, Idlewild, Jesus Jones, Dubstar.
IRS: est. 1979 US by Miles Copeland III. Artists: REM, Go-Gos, The Fleshtones, Wall of Voodoo, Camper Van Beethoven. Sold to EMI/folded.
Kill Rock Stars: est.1991 Olympia, Washington by Slim Moon. Artists: Bikini Kill, Lung Leg, Sleater-Kinney, The Decemberists.
Lookout!: est. Berkeley, California 1987 by Larry Livermore & David Hayes. Artists: Bratmobile, Pansy Division, The Donnas.
Mammoth: est. 1989 Carrboro, North Carolina. Artists: Squirrel Nut Zippers, Juliana Hatfield, Chainsaw Kittens, Machines of Loving Grace, The Melvins. Became part of Atlantic Records in 1993; bought by The Walt Disney Company in 1998, who shut it down in 2003.
Matador: est. 1989 New York by Chris Lombardi. Artists: Pastels, Pavement, Nightmares On Wax, Modest Mouse, Liz Phair, Lynnfield Pioneers, Guided By Voices, Guitar Wolf, Interpol, Yo La Tengo, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Chavez, Mogwai, A.C. Newman, The New Pornographers, Belle & Sebastian, Cat Power, Preston School of Industry.
Merge: est. Chapel Hill, North Carolina 1989 by Mac McCaughan &Laura Balance (Superchunk). Artists: Butterglory, Lambchop, Polvo, Portastatic, Spoon, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, The Arcade Fire, Neutral Milk Hotel.
Murderecords: est. 1992 Canada. Artists: Sloan, Eric's Trip.
One Little Indian: est. 1985 London. Artists: The Sugarcubes, Kitchens Of Distinction, The Shamen, Björk.
Play It Again Sam: est. 1983 Brussels, Belgium by Kenny Gates & Michel Lambot. Artists: Young Gods, Sigur Rós, Mogwai, Soulwax.
Postcard: est. 1979 Glasgow, Scotland by Alan Horne. Artists: Orange Juice, Josef K, Aztec Camera, The Go-Betweens. Label motto: ‘The Sound of Young Scotland’. Went bankrupt in 1982.
Righteous Babe: est. 1990 Buffalo, New York by Ani DiFranco.
Rough Trade: est. 1978 London by Geoff Travis (out of Rough Trade Record Shop). Folded in 1991; relaunched 2000. Artists: The Monochrome Set, Young Marble Giants, The Raincoats, The Fall, Television Personalities, The Smiths, The Sundays, Scritti Politti, Galaxie 500, James, Belle & Sebastian, British Sea Power, The Fiery Furnaces, The Libertines, The Strokes, Super Furry Animals, Babyshambles.
SST: est. 1978 Lawndale, California by Greg Ginn (Black Flag). Artists: Black Flag, The Minutemen, The Descendents, Meat Puppets, Hüsker Dü, Bad Brains, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Soundgarden, Negativland.
Sarah: est. 1987 Bristol, UK by Clare Wadd & Matt Haynes. Artists: Heavenly, The Orchids, Even As We Speak, The Field Mice.
Shimmy Disc: est. 1987 New York by Kramer. Artists: Bongwater, Daniel Johnston, Galaxie 500, King Missile, Boredoms, Ween, GWAR.
SpinART: est. 1991 New York. Artists: Apples in Stereo, Augie March, Frank Black, Vic Chesnutt, Eels.
Sub Pop: est. 1986 in Seattle, Washington by Bruce Pavitt & Jonathan Poneman. Artists: Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Afghan Whigs, Combustible Edison, Low, Lubricated Goat, Red House Painters, Red Red Meat, Screaming Trees, Seaweed, Sebadoh, The Walkabouts, The Wipers, The Shins, Death Cab For Cutie, Hot Hot Heat, Iron & Wine. Now 49% owned by Warner Music Group.
Sympathy for the Record Industry: est. 1988 Long Beach, California by Long Gone John. Artists: Hole, The Muffs, International Noise Conspiracy, The Von Bondies, Rocket From the Crypt, Billy Childish, Turbonegro, The Dwarves, Suicide, The Gun Club, Man or Astro-man?, Redd Kross, The White Stripes.
TVT: est. 1985 in New York by Steve Gottlieb (for classic TV theme compilations). Artists: Nine Inch Nails, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Guided by Voices.
Taang!: est. 1981 Boston, Massachusetts. Artists: Dickies, Exploited, Lemonheads, Hard Ons.
Thrill Jockey: est. 1992 in New York by Bettina Richards. Artists: Tortoise, Trans Am, Tom Verlaine, Eleventh Dream Day, Califone, Giant Sand.
Too Pure: est. 1990 London by Richard Roberts & Paul Cox. Artists: PJ Harvey, Stereolab, McClusky, Scout Niblett.
Touch and Go: est. 1981 Chicago, Illinois. Artists: Butthole Surfers, Calexico, Girls Against Boys, The Jesus Lizard, Killdozer, Quasi, The Rollins Band, Seam, Shellac, Slint, TV on the Radio, Urge Overkill, Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Twin/Tone: est. 1977 Minneapolis, Minnesota. Artists: The Replacements, Babes in Toyland, The Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, Ween. Closed 1994.
Wiiija: est. 1988 Notting Hill, London. Artists: Cornershop, Huggy Bear, Free Kitten, Therapy?, Le Tigre, Anjali.
Zoo: est. 1978 Liverpool by Bill Drummond & David Balfe. Artists: Big In Japan, The Teardrop Explodes, Echo & the Bunnymen.