Top 12 Indie Record Labels for Music Artists in 2025

Are you an independent music artist? Looking forward to promoting through a record label? Find out the top indie labels where you can send your music demos.

Being an independent artist in the competitive music world takes a lot of courage and once you have achieved it you can navigate through the industry. But, it can get even better and faster when you have the support of a record label. Don’t worry as you do not have to hire a major label for that. The music industry is constantly evolving and growing and now, you can easily find Independent Record Labels that thrive to support emerging artists.

So, if you have already gained much attention from music lovers, it is time for you to find the right label that can help you with the support and resources that allow you to become that next star. Paving a successful way for music artists, the record labels allow artists to make demo submissions, and from there get selected for recording. Let’s find some record labels that can help you.

Top 12 Independent Record Labels Accepting Demos in 2025

    • Carpark Records

Carpark Records was established as a small record label company back in 1999. Growing the bustling city of New York the label found plenty of artists to promote. Then they relocated to Washington DC in 2005. This record label is best revered for its curation where they support the growth of experimental music. Their expertise mainly revolves around genres like psychedelic electronic, alternative rock, experimental, and so on. The label made huge progress and expanded with subsidiary labels with the same vision and motto of supporting artists, named Acute Records and Paw Tracks.

Notable Artists: Beach House, Young Magic, Safety Scissors

Email: carparkrecords@gmail.com

    • Fat Possum Records

Just like its name suggests Fat Possum Records has a fast history of recording since the label was established in 1992. It is one of the local giants in Oxford, Mississippi, which has been supporting artists since the idea of indie artists emerged. They supported a long line of blue artists and now they are supporting the young talents in the music industry regardless of solo artists or bands.

Notable Artists: Hoops, The Black Keys, Ann Peebles, Courtney Marie Andrews

Website - https://fatpossum.com/

Phone: 662-234-2828

    • Lion Bold Records

Lion Bold Records is quite different than the regular or traditional record labels which are also categorized as a "farm label". They make sure to find the best musical talents from all across the county and the label has some strong roots. Their main focus lies on artist development rather than promoting the music artists who are already established and gained much attention. They make sure to nurture the young talents with resources and exposure that help them establish a successful careers. The record label works with only a small group of music enthusiasts who are 100% dedicated to finding the best artists and offering them success in the music industry. The label shows the stepping stones of being a renowned artist and allows learning about managing a professional career with proper grooming.

Contact - https://www.lionbold.com/contact

    • Rough Trade Records

Rough Trade Records is a UK-based record label that is best known for supporting the growth of some of the most popular music artists who were not so popular back then, but they made them. Hailing from London, this label was established back in 1978 in the backrooms of a record store and now, it is one of indie record giants that are trusted by most artists. It specializes in the sub-genres like early-post punk and punk rock but they are flexible enough to make room for other experimental works.

Notable Artists: Sufjan Stevens, The Strokes, Arcade Fire, Alabama Shakes,

Contact - https://roughtraderecords.com/contact/

Email: demos@roughtraderecords.com

    • Island Records

If you take a look at their roster of the artists they have promoted, you might think it is one of those giants that only support popular artists but the label has a purely indie origin. The label might have a huge catalog of famous artists but it also supports the growth of emerging talents who are trying to make their place in the industry. Island Records is an offspring of Universal Music Group which was founded back in 1959 in Jamaica. However, the record label did not only focus on reggae but focused their approach on diversified music genres. Later on, it merged with Def Jam Records and became a powerhouse for genre-bending musical talents.

Notable Artists: Demi Lovato, Annie Lennox, Florence + The Machine, Jessie J, AlunaGeorge

Contact - https://www.universalmusic.com/contact-us/

    • Glassnote Records

Glassnote Records has a fiery roster of young and talented music artists who become popular later. This record label stands out for its exquisite artist selection that can captivate music lovers. It started back in 2007 and it is a relatively young label than others. However, its curation and dedication to finding the best musical talents made the label gain some massive progress with each artist becoming wildly successful. Their primarily focused music genres are alternative hip-hop and indie rock music.

Notable Artists: Childish Gambino, Mumford & Sons, CHVRCHES, Secondhand Serenade

Email: demos@glassnotemusic.com

Website - https://www.glassnotemusic.com/about/

    • XL Recording 

XL Recordings is an independent British record label that focuses on diversified musical genres. For them, the young talents matter who could be working in any kind of musical style or genre. The label was founded in 1989 and then it has been supporting the growth of electronic music artists by offering room for rave and dance music. Later on, this musical hub broadened its creative horizons and helped to develop more music artists from various genres. With its awesome selection and focused approach, the label offered some of the best music artists of the 2000s who are now millionaires. The artists they promoted are still reigning in the industry.

Notable Artists: Radiohead, Adele, Vampire Weekend, M.I.A., Tyler the Creator, Azealia Banks

Contact - https://www.xlrecordings.com/

    • Domino Recording Company

Domino Recording Company showed their musical prowess, particularly in genres like Art Pop, and folk which brought a refreshing essence in the music industry. This record label was founded in London back in 1993 and since then, they have paved the way for numerous solo artists and bands. Domino has become a record giant in the modern industry yet it does not refrain from taking risks for experimental music artists. Their strong curation and fundamental properties make them unique and reliable for all artists.

Notable Artists: Arctic Monkeys, The Kills, Franz Ferdinand, Dev Hynes, Julia Holter

 Website - https://www.dominomusic.com/uk

    • Young Turks

Just like the bigger labels open their subsidiary branches, XL Recordings also created an offshoot which is known as Young Turks. This indie label was established in 2003 and supports the growth of all kinds of music artists with a slight bias towards hip-hop. It is a fully-fledged independent label and is best known for hosting radio shows other than their skills in music recording. They are truly dynamic and promote artists who think out of the box.

Notable Artists: Sampha, Jamie xx, Koreless, Jessie Ware, NOLIFE

Email: demos@theyoungturks.co.uk

Website: https://theyoungturks.co.uk/

    • Stones Throw

Stones Throw is a Los Angeles-based indie record label that thrives on experimental music. The label morphed into a musical hub for subgenres like psych rock, experimental hip-hop, and amalgamated flavors. This record label has promoted some of the most notable rising artists in the music industry and looking forward to supporting more artists in the coming days.

Notable Artists: J Dilla, Aloe Blacc,  Madlib, Mndsgn, Savath & Savalas

Email: losangeles@stonesthrow.com

Website: https://www.stonesthrow.com/hello

    • Humble Beast Records

The Humble Beast believes in God and they helped the growth of Christian musical talents who can create some amazing musical compositions. While their main ingredient is Christian music, the label is not afraid to experiment with other genres in this constantly evolving music industry. They curate all kinds of music artists in the spectrum including pastors, songwriters, church choirs, Christian rock, bedroom musicians, and many others who can inspire the music industry other than just people with faith. All of the musical creations by this label are free for the pleasure of music lovers.

Notable Artists: Propaganda, Jackie Hill-Perry, Alert312, Citizens

Contact - https://www.humblebeast.com/mission-beliefs

    • Epitaph Records

Epitaph Records has been on the music scene since the early 90's and it is one of the most spectacular labels that mainly supports of growth of indie rock artists and bands. It is one of the most popular record labels with a highly talented roster of artists. They are one of the most influential labels in Los Angeles Today who can groom the artists for the limelight.

Notable Artists: Social Distortion, Alkaline Trio

E-mail: publicity@epitaph.com

Website: www.epitaph.com

Now that you are aware of the top indie record labels, you can easily find a suitable label to work with but get selected through demo submission. It is not just about financial ability that makes you work with a label, you actually have to make good music. Labels are quite concerned about their curated artists and they are not going to compromise their selection for wealth privileges. So, technically you cannot just hire them but have to get selected first.

Things that a Record Label Looks For,

    • Streams & Monthly Listeners on music Streaming platforms like Spotify

    • Social Media Engagement

    • Fan Engagement (Likes, Comments, Shares, Email Subscribers)

    • Schedule for Concerts (Past and Present)

    • Creativity in Production or Merchandise

    • Branding of Music Website

    • Your Image as a professional music artist

Once you have all of the above sorted, you can simply apply for a demo submission. To be honest, the music industry is highly competitive and there are fair chances of getting rejected. But, if you can just gobble the truth and keep trying consistently; one day you will become a successful music artist in the industry with global popularity.