Pittsburgh Record Labels

Grammy Winning Jazz Label that produces and releases live recordings of performances by jazz masters at MCG Jazz.  Over 40 recordings have been released.  The MCG Jazz label won five Grammy Awards and several Grammy nominations.  Artists appearing on MCG Jazz include Nancy Wilson, Bob Minzter, Paquito D'Rivera, Herbie Mann, and more.

Founded in 2003, Rostrum Records is an independent label that develops and releases the next wave of popular recording artists including Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, Boaz, Donora, TeamMate, and Vali. Rostrum Records’ main focus is on artist development.

Bondedog Records releases new music from pioneering 20th century blues and soul artists along with recordings from contemporary artists who embrace those traditional genres. The sound of vintage blues, R&B and Funk are kept alive by Bonedog.

Label founded by punk superstars Anti-Flag that has released recordings from Pittsburgh's underground rock groups The Code, Tabula Rasa, Incommunicado and The Modey Lemon.

Label founded by Gregg Kostelich of the Cynics. Has released recording by bands from all over the world to including The Fleshtones, The Beat, Mystic Eyes, Fantastic Dee-Jays, Frantic Flattops, The Last Vegas and more. Get Hip distributes records on four continents through its international network of small record stores. It also buys, imports, sells and exports great music to and from Europe, Japan and America from its warehouse on the North side of Pittsburgh.

Record label and art collective based in Johnston Pa that has released recordings by Endless Mike and the Beagle Club, Emmett and Mary, and more.

Punk label that has released the recordings of The Smut Project, Bowhunter, Hungry Lips, The Maxipads, Northern Aggression and more.

Innervenus is a collective of artists and musicians, based in Pittsburgh, PA. Established in 2001, we strive to work with like minds in putting out records, booking shows, advertising, creating merch, spreading the good word and achieving common goals. We are a 99.9% D.I.Y. operation, family owned and orchestrated.

Sreaming Crow is a record label and music public relations firm founded by Eric Corbin.  It has released recordings by the Cheats, the Box Cutters, the River City Rebels, and Michael Graves

Asperity records (formerly known as Backallie music) is a progressive record label that operates as a subscription service for fans to directly connect to their favorite artists and allow them to obtain exclusive access to music and other types of content for a small monthly fee.  It is a progressive, Internet-based record label for metal and indie bands.

The label founded by Bree Freeman that released the Rusted Root'd breakout CD "Cruel Son". Blue Duck also released recordings by A.T.S. the Nixon Clocks, Ploughman’s Lunch, Slack Jaw, Kama Sutra, Out of the Blue, CFI Massive, The Means, and Lovechild. Several compilation albums featuring various artists were released including Duck Tracks", "Duc Tracks Returns", "Duck N Cover" and Swan Songs". The label was dissolved around 1997.

Founded in 1979 the owner of the Pittsburgh Guitar Store Carl Grefenstette, Bogus Records launched one first hometown compilation series, Made In Pittsburgh. Featured in Billboard and other major magazines, Made In Pittsburgh, Volumes 1.2 and 3 sold across the U.S. and Europe. In 1991 BOGUS made international news with the release of its compilation tribute to Sonny Bono, BONOGRAPH. Bogus has released albums from Bull Moose Jackson, the Spuds, Phil Harris, Planet Leo, Grefenstette’s band The Flashcats, Geoff Nugent, John Lennon's Original Qusrrymen, The Crackers Cathy Zang, the Frampton Brothers, The Cavemen from Oklahoma, The Hornets, and Tenth Hour.

The Pop Bus and SSS Record labels founded by Manny Theiner served the tiny niche markets for avant-garde, noise, electronic, experimental jazz and goth music. SSS Records which launched in 1987 released recordings by Dog as Master, Katharsis, Nocturnal Emissions, Weird Paul, Violence and the Sacred, UFO or Die, Thirdorgan, and Anthony Braxton & The Three Rivers Tri-Centric Ensemble. Pop Bus Records which began in 1990 released recordings by Weird Paul, the Boredums. Splatter Trio, Wimp Factor 14, Water Shed, Blunderbss, Don Caballero, Swob, Northern Bushman, Hurl, Meisha, T4, and Sistered. Both labels are listed as defunct with their last releases in 2011. In 1993 Theiner opened the Pop Bus record store on Forbes Avenue in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. Theiner now operates the Garfield Artworks with hosts niche bands and artwork.

Lennie Martin and Lou Guarino were pioneering record producers and promoters who created the Pittsburgh/East Coast Rock sound and who launched the national careers of artists from Pittsburgh and the U.K. Co-owners of three Pittsburgh based record labels: Calico, Robbee Records, and World Artists Records they introduced the world to the music of the Skyliners, Chad and Jeremy, Christine Quate, The LaRells, the El Vinos, Marcy Jo and many more. Through their national distribution deal with Liberty Records they marketed hit selling acts from 1959 through 1965. The three labels combined recorded and released the music of around 50 acts.

Fee Bee Recordscame to prominence in 1956 with the release of the Del Vikings hit singles “Come Go With Me” and “Whispering Bells.” Joe Averbach, owner of Fee Bee, recorded and promoted new Doo Wop and Rockabilly Rock artists from 1956 through the mid 1960s. Fee Bee/ Alcar recorded the Doo Wop groups the Del Vikings, The El Capris, The Five Playboys, Chuck Corby and The Entrees, Frankie Joe and The Embers, the Diadem,and Lou Christie and the Classics.  The rockabilly acts on the Fee Bee Roster included Buddy Sharp and The Shakers, Dave Day, and Willie Ward. The Fee Bee artist roster also included Buddy Carle, Joe Biscoe, Luke Lawton & The Chickadees, Moondog Lawton, Hank Karoll, The Wright Brothers, 4 Friends, Sonny Day and The Tony Ray Combo, Johnny By The Way, The Gentle Rain, Jim Robinette, and Bill West.   

Founded by Bob Schechter in 1961 Gateway Records recorded and released music from Harold Betters, Slide Hampton, Louie Armstrong, Walt Harper, Charlers Bell, Jon Walton, Norman Charles, Lou Christie, the Vogues, The Del Vikings, Marcy Jo, The Classmen, Marie La Donna, Donnie Elbert, Liz Seneff, the Duquesne University Tamburitzans and many polka bands. The Gateway Records recording studio was located above the mail National Record Mart store on Forbes Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh. Gateway operated the subsidiary labels Scotty Records and Gateway Dyna.

Segue Records founded at the WRS Motion Picture Labs on Semple Street in Oakland in 1971.  George Bacasa was the president and Nathan Davis was the vice president.  Working with WRS sound engineer Olaf Kuuskler Davis recorded the album “Makatuka” released in 1971. Nathan Davis produced Bascasa's group the Silhouettes on their album "Conversations"and their single "Fonky First".  Segue released Davis's album "6th Sense in the 11th House" in 1972.   The Lovation's single "Stay Clear of His Love" and Al Greenway's single "Ready or Not" also releases produced by Davis.  DJ and record producer Terry Lee became Segue's vice president for pop A&R in 1972 convincing WRS that the label should switch from jazz to rock.  Segue records went out of business after losing money on pressing records for several failed rock music releases.      

Tomorrow International Records was founded by Nathan Davis to produce and release his own recordings.  The first album 'If" recorded by Jeree Studios was released in 1976.  Critic Jason Ankeny of Allmusic.com rates “If” as a soul jazz classic writing “his playing possesses a sense of urgency and immediacy often missing from the jazz-funk aesthetic, and it transforms If into one of the finest recordings of its kind."  Backed by grant money from Gulf Oil Davis the album “Suite for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” recorded at Audio Innovators was released 1977.  It was followed by album releases "Faces of Love" (1982), "London By Night" (1987) and "I'm A Fool To Want You" (1995). 

Wild Kindness Records, founded in Youngstown, Ohio by David Pokrivňák , is a Pittsburgh label headed by Jeff Betten that releases music recorded by artist in the Midwest and East Coast regions. The roster includesAndre Costello, The Big Nemd, Casper & The Cookies, Cook & Swan DNTZ, Doleful Lions, Holopaw, Sovroncour, and the country band Western Pennsylvania.  "Music nd art for the sake of music and art" is the label's motto.