Making sure that good, homegrown music is heard!

Text: Devika V Menon   Photos: Various Sources

Artists are aplenty when it comes to talent, especially music. Music is therapy, and it moves and connects people. For someone who can’t differentiate a guitar from a bass, I believe anyone who can do so is talented. There’s so much more to music than what meets the eye.

Founded in 1887, almost 130 years ago, was the first and oldest record label, known as the Columbia Phonograph Company, which is now known as Columbia Records. For the uninitiated, a record label is like a publishing company, where there is never ending search for musicians and good talent that they think the world needs to hear. In the international music scene, there are only three major labels since 2012, Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group.

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In India, every movie is a musical. They’re jam-packed with song sequences. Record labels sign up movies and then release the songs from that particular movie as an album. Major labels like T-Series and Saregama still do the same, but the music scenes in India have come a long way since. There are more artists coming up with soulful music that is not part of the film industry. There are bands that have become so popular that labels have requested for their songs to be a part of movies.

There’s more to music than just what’s in the movies. There are many more genres than our usual love songs and songs of heartbreak. EDM, House Music, Reggae, Jazz, and many more, are genres of music that are quite well known around the globe. Whatever music we are familiar with, are all artists signed up by record labels. Having said that, there has been a surge in music makers in India. Be it bands, singers or musicians, they all want their work to be recognised. This need gave rise to record labels in India.

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Several labels have come and gone through the years, but these are the ones that we think will stick around for a long, long time!

Pagal Haina is a Delhi-based label by Dhruv Singh. They don’t have any particular genre, but if Dhruv believes in them, they are taken onboard.

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Azadi Records, founded by Mo Joshi and Uday Kapur. They choose music that has a socially relevant cause.

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Qilla records, in Delhi, by Madhav Shorey and Gaurav Malekar has been quite focused on Underground Dance Music.

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Lowlit Records is a genre-less music label that is uncompromised and forward thinking. Lowlit records is run by Vishnu PS and Nikhil Kaul.

Makthub Music Records has a penchant for high-quality dance floor tunes, nurtured by Techno veteran Arjun Vagale.

High Chai Records’ contribution to the electronic music scene in India has been as great as their urge to finding the best and latest of dub, dubstep drum and bass sounds from the region.

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Dualism, by Sahej Bakshi and Tej Brar, has an objective to help Indian Music fans discover their next favourite artist.

Kadak Apple Records believe that all good music sounds Kadak, Started by Tejas Menon and Krish Makhija, they describe themselves as a Not-for-profit organisation.

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Devon Records is one of India’s premium EDM based music label, based out of Mumbai. This label is dedicated in promoting genres of music like House and Dubstep.

Wind House Records was the first House Music label in India. Also from Delhi, Hamza has made a mark for himself and for House Music in India.

ennui.BOMB’s brains, Rishu Singh, has been bombing musical boredom since 2004! They function as a Record Label, Artist Managers, Booking Agents, Concert Organizers & Consultants.

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Consolidate, launched by Rahul Giri, was once a music collective and a blog, but now it is also a Record Label.

Most of these record labels above have been kind by giving us some amazing music to listen to. Have anymore to add to the list? Let us know in the comment section below.

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