Of the tens of thousands of songs we play every year on WYEP, the vast majority are released by a record label. Some of these labels are corporate behemoths and others are tiny kitchen-table operations. But they are frequently invisible to many music fans, despite the massive influence they have on music releases.
We decided to pick out a handful of important labels which have their own unique identity–from the jammy rock of ATO (co-founded by Dave Matthews) to the pioneering soul of Stax to the edgy guitars of Merge–and feature them in different hours on the air on Thursday, January 28th. Below is the schedule of which labels are being featured in what hours, plus there’s a brief background on each label.
Featured Labels
6a – Lost Highway
7a – Island
8a – I.R.S.
9a – ATO
10a – Stax
11a – Sub Pop
12p – Nonesuch
1p – Merge
2p – Philadelphia International
3p – Anti-
4p – 4AD
5p – Sire
6p – Beggars
7p – Domino
Lost Highway
founded: 2000
still active? yes
key artists: Lucinda Williams, Johnny Cash, The Jayhawks, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack
Island
founded: 1959
still active? yes
key artists: Bob Marley, U2, Melissa Etheridge, The Killers, Florence and the Machine
I.R.S.
founded: 1979
still active? no
key artists: R.E.M., the Go-Go’s, Wall of Voodoo, the English Beat, Concrete Blonde
ATO
founded: 2000
still active? yes
key artists: My Morning Jacket, Brandi Carlile, Alabama Shakes, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Margaret Glaspy
Stax
founded: 1957
still active? yes
key artists: Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Isaac Hayes, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas
Sub Pop
founded: 1986
still active? yes
key artists: Nirvana, Fleet Foxes, The Shins, Beach House
Nonesuch
founded: 1964
still active? yes
key artists: Wilco, Emmylou Harris, Rhiannon Giddens, The Black Keys
Merge
founded: 1989
still active? yes
key artists: Superchunk, Arcade Fire, Spoon, She & Him, Hiss Golden Messenger
Philadelphia International
founded: 1971
still active? no
key artists: The O’Jays, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass, Patti LaBelle, Lou Rawls
Anti-
founded: 1999
still active? yes
key artists: Michael Franti & Spearhead, Bettye LaVette, The Swell Season/Glen Hansard, Tom Waits, Solomon Burke, Bettye LaVette
4AD
founded: 1980
still active? yes
key artists: Pixies, Modern English, Cocteau Twins, The National, Future Islands
Sire
founded: 1966
still active? yes
key artists: Talking Heads, Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Ramones, Echo & The Bunnymen, Tegan & Sara
Beggars Banquet
founded: 1973
still active? yes
key artists: Bauhaus/Peter Murphy, Buffalo Tom, the Icicle Works
Domino
founded: 1993
still active? yes
key artists: Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Middle Kids, Real Estate