Do You Listen to Artists Based on their Record Labels?

Yeah. I would usually have a listen to anyone on these labels
Ghostbox
Domino
Finders keepers
Warp
Morr Music

 

I have bought music from ECM, Blue Note, Narada, Musical Starstreams and Windham Hill based on the label name. I like all of those labels and the type of music they have.

Scott

 

"Back in the day" = yes. 4ad certainly had a sound is the one that comes to mind, like others have said. And a few others. Sarah records! I don't really do that today tho. But. It used to be a safe way to buy music. If I liked one band (Cocteau Twins) it was a safe bet I'd like another (Dead Can Dance). I can't think of a single label today where I'd blindly buy based on label....

 

I only listen to CBS artists. Everyone else is rubbish.

 

I used to kind of like when you could so that, mostly with Jazz however. The above mentioned Windham Hill, ECM, and Impulse were good examples. Also private music, Narada, Telarc, riverside, and verve were good examples. I got turned on to bill evans, Wes Montgomery, Ralph Towner, Suzanne Cianni, William Ackerman, ottmar Liebert, and many others that way. I remember as a teenager reading about the other artists on the inner sleeves and wanting to check them out. The old days !

 

Not all that much. A few labels are good enough that I might be inclined to give artists more of a listen as a result of their being on that label--Sacred Bones, mentioned above, is one label like that. But the only case where I can remember seeking out music specifically because of an association with a label was Murderecords, which was run by members of Sloan, who were my favorite band back in the late '90s. I really liked Canadian indie rock in general and I found that bands that had done something on Murderecords (Zumpano, the Superfriendz) was a good place to start.

 

Once I discovered Leon Russell I became interested in much of the rest of the Shelter Records roster.
The Flying Fish label was a good place to look; if an artist was on that label, chances were good that I'd enjoy their work.

 

As mentioned by many others : ECM.

 

in jazz u do

 

Sun Records is another label that had a house sound back in the day, the same with Fantasy's jazz stuff.

 

I agree with you on Flying Fish, and their catalog is now owned by Rounder/Concord.

 

No No No.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=P5WVqZqw1Es&feature=endscreen

 

With 1970s-1980s Rounder Records, it is pretty much a given that I'd like the music.

 

If it's on Impulse!, I'm all in. If it's an original with VAN GELDER in the deadwax, even better

 

A couple I forgot; I don't visit often enough:

For avant-jazz-chamber – http://cryptogramophone.com

For prog-modern – http://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com

And Tzadik, as I previously noted – http://www.tzadik.com One drawback at Tzadik is there aren't samples on the site, but many can be found at Amazon or HDtracks. Tzadik descriptions are hyperbolic, but I've managed to bat about .900 with their titles. High art stuff.

Obviously one needs to be open to unusual music to indulge at these labels. But one nice benefit aside from adventurous content is that the majority of titles from these labels are very nicely mastered, if only because there are no remote concerns for mainstream marketing.

 

No...never. I usually do not know the label before I hear the artist for the first time...labels mean nothing to me in regards to enjoying the music.

 

Yes

 

I'll check out anything on the Homestead Records label from the '80s and '90s.

 

In the past 100% yes. That was a time of truly independent labels owned by someone who had a vision or good taste.

Like anything on Postcard I would buy blind, Creation for a good few years until they starting signing crap, there was an amazing indie label called Ron Johnson who released around 30 things, all the bands were these angular Beefheart inspired indie groups and nearly everything is at least good, some amazing. I used to buy anything on the label.

There were many others, Fast, Pink, Zoo. Rough Trade and 4AD were a bit hit and miss for me, the early Rough Trade releases were exceptional though.

These days indie labels don't seem to have such unique and specialised a vision.

 

Good shout (your username is from Flux isn't it).

 

Yep-when I was into punk/new wave in the late 70s & early 80s anything on Sire or IRS. I also looked at stuff on A&M that was in the genre, mostly due to their "No Wave" comp

 

In the early 70's pretty much anything on Charisma was worth checking out if you liked prog.
I'd say IRS has a pretty good streak for awhile in the 80's.
In the late 80's I thought Enigma did a great job in releasing indie pop before they were swallowed by Capitol.
More recently, I placed a lot of trust in Bruce Brodeen and his Not Lame Recordings label, and Yep Rock has done a fine job in keeping power pop going.

 

Good question and I think I do sometimes. It's another point of discovery.

Also, with vinyl some indie labels produce better vinyl than others. Some of the one's that jump out to me that I've discovered numerous artists on are Simply Canadian, New West, ATO Records, Thirty Tigers, Merge, Sub Pop, Matador and XL. I like several artists from each label.

Typically this is a good way to discover new music and that's what it's about.

 

Good call on Kranky - they're not an automatic buy, but if I see their logo on an album by an act I've never heard of I'm always inclined to follow up on it online.

 

You kind of know what to expect from certain labels: Sun, Motown, Tamla, Stax, Apple...but I don't listen to artists based on their label...I did listen to Apple artists because of the Beatles and Sun because I like rockabilly. Other than those...no.