Libera Award for Label of the Year

The Libera Award for Label of the Year categories are presented by the American Association of Independent Music at the annual Libera Award which recognizes "best independent record label worldwide" since 2012.^[1] The category is divided into three other categories, based on the number of full-time employees. Independent record labels with more than fifteen full-time employees are categorized into the Label of the Year (Large). Label of the Year (Medium) categorizes independent record labels with six to fourteen full-time employees. Record labels with five full-time employees or fewer are categorized into the Label of the Year (Small) category.

Libera Award for Label of the Year
Country	United States
Presented by	American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)
First award	2012
Currently held by	Partisan Records (Large) Captured Tracks (Medium) Innovative Leisure (Small) (2023)
Website	liberaawards.com

From 2012 to 2018, independent record labels with six or more full-time employees were categorized into the same category, Label of the Year (Large).

Label of the Year (Large)

Year	Winner(s)	Nominees	Ref.
2012	Jagjaguwar	—	[2]
2013	Glassnote Records	Anti Records ATO Records Big Machine Records Concord Music Hopeless Records Sub Pop XL Recordings	[3][4]
2014	Glassnote Records	ATO Records Dualtone Records Epitaph Records/Anti- Records Merge Records Secretly Canadian XL Recordings	[5][6]
2015	Sub Pop	4AD Big Machine Records Concord Records Hopeless Records Partisan Records Secretly Canadian Thirty Tigers	[7][8]
2016	Sub Pop	4AD ATO Records Captured Tracks Innovative Leisure Merge Records Mom + Pop Music Nuclear Blast	[9][10]
2017	Jagjaguwar	ATO Records Innovative Leisure Mexican Summer Stones Throw Records XL Recordings Yep Roc Records	[11][12]
2018	Dead Oceans	ATO Records Loma Vista Recordings Ninja Tuna The Numero Group Warp	[13][14]
2019	Domino Recording Company	Dead Oceans Polyvinyl Record Co. Rough Trade Records Warp	[15][16]
2020	Partisan Records	Warp Jagjaguwar Domino Recording Company Polyvinyl Record Co.	[17][18]
2021	Sub Pop	Partisan Records Warp Stones Throw Records Ninja Tune	[19]
2022	Matador Records Mom + Pop Music	ATO Records Merge Records Ninja Tune Polyvinyl Record Co. Third Man Records	[20]
2023	Partisan Records	ATO Records Hopeless Records Merge Records New West Records Ninja Tune Sub Pop Records Third Man Records Warp Records	[21] [22]

Label of the Year (Medium)

Year	Winner(s)	Nominees	Ref.
2019	Partisan Records	Bloodshot Records Mom + Pop Music Saddle Creek Records Yep Roc Records	[15][16]
2020	Sacred Bones Records	4AD Saddle Creek Records ATO Records Drag City	[17][18]
2021	Light in the Attic	Sacred Bones Records Matador Records Ghostly International Rough Trade Records	[19]
2022	Sacred Bones Records	City Slang Hopeless Records New West Records Saddle Creek Records Yep Roc Records	[20]
2023	Captured Tracks	City Slang Daptone Records Glassnote Records Saddle Creek Yep Roc Records	[21]

Label of the Year (Small)

Year	Winner(s)	Nominees	Ref.
2012	Daptone Records	—	[2]
2013	Dualtone Music Group	Bar/None Records Daptone Records Frenchkiss Records Ghostly International Kill Rock Stars Third Man Records	[3][4]
2014	Daptone Records	Ghostly International Innovative Leisure Luaka Bop Rhymesayers Entertainment Temporary Residence Limited	[5][6]
2015	Ghostly International	Dangerbird Records Daptone Records Innovative Leisure Kill Rock Stars Lindseystomp Loma Vista Recordings Mass Appeal Records	[7][8]
2016	Daptone Records	Awesome Tapes From Africa Brainfeeder Loma Vista Recordings Paradise of Bachelors Suicide Squeeze Records Temporary Residence	[9][10]
2017	Triple Crown Records	Acony Records Dangerbird Records Daptone Records Erased Tapes Records Run for Cover Records Topshelf Records	[11][12]
2018	Daptone Records	Awesome Tapes From Africa Kill Rock Stars Sacred Bones Records Triple Crown Records	[13][14]
2019	Daptone Records	Brainfeeder Hardly Art Innovative Leisure Oh Boy Records	[15][16]
2020	Father/Daughter Records	Innovative Leisure Oh Boy Records Hardly Art Wichita Recordings	[17][18]
2021	Daptone Records	Innovative Leisure Fire Talk Records International Anthem Hardly Art Oh Boy Records	[19]
2022	Oh Boy Records	Don Giovanni Records Innovative Leisure Sargent House Sundazed Music	[20]
2023	Innovative Leisure	Don Giovanni Records Fire Talk Oh Boy Records Topshelf Records	[21]