2019 Libera Awards

The 2019 Libera Awards took place on June 20, 2019. Presented by the American Association of Independent Music, it recognized the best in independent music during a ceremony at New York City's Ziegfeld Ballroom.^[1]

2019 Libera Awards
Date	June 20, 2019 (2019-06-20)
Location	Ziegfeld Ballroom
Country	United States
Presented by	A2IM
Hosted by	Chris Gethard
Most wins	Kamasi Washington (3)
Most nominations	Mitski (5)
Website	liberaawards.com
← 2018 · Libera Awards · 2020 →

The ceremony was hosted by comedian Chris Gethard and featured performances by Deva Mahal, Sunflower Bean, and Jean-Michel Blais.^[2]

This was the first year where there were three categories for Label of the Year as opposed to two; Small (5 or fewer employees), Medium (6-14 employees), and Big (15 or more employees).

Winners and nominees

Adapted from Libera Awards.^[3][4]

Album of the Year	Best Live Act
Kamasi Washington – Heaven and Earth Mitski – Be The Cowboy IDLES – Joy as an Act of Resistance serpentwithfeet – soil Yves Tumor – Safe In The Hands Of Love	BADBADNOTGOOD King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Mitski Run the Jewels Kelela
Best American Roots/Folk Album	Best Blues Album
John Prine – The Tree of Forgiveness Calexico – The Thread That Keeps Us Richard Thompson – 13 Rivers I'm With Her – See You Around Dom Flemons – Black Cowboys	Fantastic Negrito – Please Don't Be Dead Shemekia Copeland – America's Child Boz Scaggs – Out Of The Blues Deva Mahal – Run Deep Cedric Burnside – Benton County Relic
Best Classical Album	Best Country/Americana Album
Jean-Michel Blais – Dans ma main Niklas Paschburg – Oceanic Henrik Schwarz & Metropole Orkest – Scripted Orkestra London Symphony Orchestra – Fuchs: Piano Concerto "Spiritualist" Oliver Coates – John Luther Adams: Canticles of the Sky	John Prine – The Tree of Forgiveness Phosphorescent – C'est La Vie Mary Gauthier – Rifles and Rosary Beads Jim Lauderdale – Time Flies Alejandro Escovedo – The Crossing
Best Dance/Electronic Album	Best Hip-Hop/Rap Album
Yves Tumor – Safe In The Hands Of Love Leon Vynehall – Nothing Is Still Jon Hopkins – Singularity SOPHIE – Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides Oneohtrix Point Never – Age Of	Awkwafina – In Fina We Trust August Greene – August Greene Myke Bogan – Joe Fontana Blueface – Famous Cryp Junglepussy – JP3
Best Jazz Album	Best Latin Album
Kamasi Washington – Heaven and Earth Onyx Collective – Lower East Suite Part Three Esperanza Spalding – 12 Little Spells Julian Lage – Modern Lore Tia Fuller – Diamond Cut	Bad Bunny – X 100PRE Cuco – Chiquito Orquesta Akokán – Orquesta Akokán El Alfa – El Hombre Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles – Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles
Best Metal Album	Best Outlier Album
Deafheaven – Ordinary Corrupt Human Love High on Fire – Electric Messiah Underoath – Erase Me Thou – Magus Sleep – The Sciences	Khruangbin – Con Todo El Mundo Kero Kero Bonito – Time 'n' Place Serpentwithfeet – soil Yves Tumor – Safe In The Hands Of Love Oneohtrix Point Never – Age Of
Best R&B Album	Best Re-Issue Album
Charles Bradley – Black Velvet Durand Jones & The Indications – Durand Jones & The Indications Blood Orange – Negro Swan Kadhja Bonet – Childqueen Serpentwithfeet – soil	Pixies – Come On Pilgrim...It's Surfer Rosa Tom Waits – Small Change Bauhaus – The Bela Session Liz Phair – Girly-Sound To Guyville: The 25th Anniversary Boxset Hiss Golden Messenger – Devotion: Songs About Rivers and Spirits and Children
Best Rock Album	Best Sync Usage
Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel Mitski – Be The Cowboy Shame – Songs of Praise Snail Mail – Lush IDLES – Joy as an Act of Resistance	Run the Jewels (RTJ Music, Inc.) – x Black Panther Gillian Welch (Acony Records) – "The Way It Will Be" in This Is Us Shigeto (Ghostly International) – "Ann Arbor Pt 1" & "Lady Misaki" in Japan's Decorated Trucks - Shot on iPhone (Apple) Perfume Genius (Matador Records) – Eighth Grade trailer Alice Merton (Mom+Pop) – "No Roots" (Mini Cooper Sync)
Best World Album	Breakthrough Artist/Release
Bombino – Deran Gilberto Gil – OK OK OK Femi Kuti – One People One World Angelique Kidjo – Remain in Light Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 – Black Times	IDLES – Joy as an Act of Resistance Snail Mail – Lush Lucy Dacus – Historian Sunflower Bean – Come For Me Caroline Rose – Loner
Creative Packaging	Independent Champion
Kamasi Washington – Heaven and Earth Various Artists – Brainfeeder X Charles Bradley – Black Velvet Deluxe Box Mitski – Be The Cowboy John Maus – Vinyl Box Set	NPR Caroline CD Baby Redeye SoundExchange
Label of the Year (Big)	Label of the Year (Medium)
Domino Recording Co. Dead Oceans Polyvinyl Record Co. Rough Trade Records Warp Records	Partisan Records Bloodshot Records Mom+Pop Saddle Creek Yep Roc Records
Label of the Year (Small)	Marketing Genius
Daptone Records Brainfeeder Hardly Art Innovative Leisure Oh Boy Records	Aphex Twin – Collapse EP King Gizzard – King Gizzard Reissues Campaign Khruangbin – Con Todo El Mundo IDLES – Joy as an Act of Resistance Reggae Month – Studio One
Video of the Year
Mitski – "Nobody" Moses Sumney – "Quarrel" John Prine – "Summer's End" Aphex Twin – "T69 Collapse" Kamasi Washington – "Street Fighter"

Special awards

A2IM Lifetime Achievement Award

• Jonathan Poneman, co-founder of Sub Pop