The 11 best Phoenix record labels making real noise in 2025

The music scene in Phoenix has often been hard to categorize. Sure, folks love a lot of metal, punk and hardcore around these parts, but we’ve also got solid scenes around country, electronic and even ambient music. It’s the daring artists and bands that have facilitated this diversity, but you also have to give credit to the local record labels.

From outfits focused on Indigenous music to those interested only in dropping reissues, Phoenix’s independent record labels have helped foster the sheer level of music innovation pouring out of the city’s streets on the regular. Not every label is as busy or prolific as others, and some are interested in a curated model over an approach best defined as "cramming new records down listeners’ faces." Still, both techniques have yielded results, and these labels have continually helped Phoenix perform as a cultural powerhouse when it comes to new, old and unheard music.

So, where do you go if you want Native American folk music? What about harsh noise or crustpunk? Well, we’ve assembled a list of the 11 best indie labels for your regular perusal and reference. Whatever you’re looking for musically, these labels will have it and more, and each one adds something new to the cultural patchwork that is Phoenix.

Now, open those wallets and spend with wild abandon.

Ascetic House

Ascetic House adheres to a stylish and minimalistic aesthetic across both its releases and online presence. That poignant but simple approach is the effort of a group of friends (Nick Nappa, Jes Aurelius, Alex Jarson and Danny Pupillo) who initially bonded over their love of literature, music and psychedelics. The label quickly went from being a place where the group self-published prose and plays to music, dropping as many as 30 projects a year, including those from Baby Blue, DivPro, King Vision Ultra, Cellular Feel and UBK. While the label’s last records released at the end of 2020, Ascetic House’s Instagram continues to promote shows by artists. Meanwhile, that page's bio reads, “At ease in the shadows, the hand which works and builds; 2025.” So, yeah, expect big things from this rather cool outfit.

Buffalo Jump Records

Producer Stephen Butler co-founded Buffalo Jump Records in 2020 to help amplify the voices and sounds of Indigenous voices across the Valley. Butler previously worked as an executive producer for more than 20 years at Canyon Records, which promoted a similarly strong focus on Native American music. When label heads decided they would stop releasing new music and representing new artists, Butler moved to Buffalo, where he and Kristen Butler (who handles licensing) and Russell Marsden (an engineer and creative strategist) started empowering both artists and listeners in a truly collaborative experience. The label currently has 10 active artists, including Tony Duncan, an Apache hoop dancer and flute player and Fawn Wood, an award-winning singer.

Canyon Records

Effectively the parent company of Buffalo Jump Records, Canyon Records got its start in 1951 when founders Ray and Mary Boley were hired by the Phoenix Little Theater to record Navajo artist Ed Lee Natay. This would inspire the Boleys to release an album of Native American songs at the 1951 Arizona State Fair. From there, the Boleys would manage a record store alongside their main business, Canyon Films, until they sold that company in the 1970s, making Canyon Records their primary focus. The Boleys ran the company for well over a decade before Mary’s death. In 1992, Ray sold Canyon to his assistant, Robert Doyle, who continues to operate the label rereleasing older albums and sending various artists to Buffalo Jump to further develop new talent.

Common Wall Media

With operations based primarily in Mesa, Common Wall Media was founded in 2005 by former Dear and the Headlights bassist Chuckie Duff (whose band is now also repped by Common Wall). Currently, the label represents around a dozen artists, including Breakup Shoes, who have garnered a larger national profile in recent years. They also rep established acts like Snake! Snake! Snakes! and Gospel Claws, with both acts having broken through to the larger national market. The fact that Common Wall also produces films and other media properties means their artists have a direct connection to sweet, sweet licensing deals and other career-expanding benefits.

Earsweat Records

With his own multifaceted background in hip-hop, Joshua "Rashenal" Bolick has positioned Earsweat Records to help grow Phoenix rap since 2011. In that time, the label has, according to its website, emphasized a commitment to the “five pillars of purpose,” which are “creativity, positivity, innovation, unity and [serving as a] true force for good in the world.” Over its 14-year history, the label has released 24 distinct projects by Eighty Two, G-Owens and DN3, among others. While the label’s most recent release was in 2022, they held their holiday showcase at Yucca Tap Room in late December 2024. But you don’t last this long without planning ahead, and Earsweat has even more releases plotted for the near future.

Fervor Records

Label head David Hilker chose the word “fervor” to best demonstrate his robust passion for music. Since 1989, the label has released music while also giving back to Phoenix’s unhoused community. The label is currently rolling out big singles from NuR&B artists KEAGAN and blakk.nostalgia, veteran R&B artists The Sugar Thieves and Paris James, alt-rock band Noonday Devils and local jazz favorite Francine Reed. Additionally, the label reissues more than 75 vintage and undiscovered pieces of music per year under the Mascot Records archival line. The label is also focused on expanding its international presence, specifically in the United Kingdom, as well as partnering with DJs in the United States and U.K. on remixes of Fervor-released tracks.

Gilgongo Records

Another label located in Tempe, Gilgongo Records began releasing music in 2004. Local artist James Fella has spent the last two decades releasing more than 170 records, and is set to release even more throughout 2025. That lineup of LPs includes full-length projects by alternative artist Paul Arámbula, experimental duo Sobbing Honey, visual/performance artist Anna Holmer and rock band Soft Shoulder. As Fella told Phoenix New Times in 2011, the label is informed by his own musical faves and an appreciation for "old-school" label practices. By tapping into the diverse Tempe scene, Gilgongo continues a long lineage of truly great labels providing a channel to eager bands and artists.

Moone Records

Established in 2013 by brothers Micah and Caleb Dailey, Moone Records boasts a lineup of nearly 30 recording artists, including German musician Markus Archer, experimental singer Tashi Dorji and Japanese music ensemble Maher Shalal Hash Baz. With a focus on stripping back excess noise to help the audience earnestly focus on the music, Moone is known for hosting a series of intimate artist showcases, including those from people's houses. Moone may call itself another "minimal art label," but what sets the company apart is the overarching sense of curiosity, inventiveness and raw passion that defines its entire roster. The label has big plans for the future, and Moone continues to add new depth and texture to the local music scene.

Related Records

Self-described as a "very small operation," Related Records was founded in 2013 by local musician Ryan Avery. They had originally intended to work with various friends and collaborators in releasing music from their genuine smorgasbord of artistic projects, including Hi My Name Is Ryan, Drunk & Horny and The Best Friends Podcast. However, the label has since cultivated a roster of 30 or so artists, including California punk band Fatty Cake and the Puff Pastries, jazz-pop artist Mooey Moobau, experimental pop artist Mary Ocher and electronic dance duo Quintron & Miss Pussycat. Related may be on the smaller side, but its contributions to local music are immense.

Sunset Alliance Records

Sunset Alliance started in 1999 when former Before Braille frontman Dave Jensen approached original founder, Steve Lefever, to create a compilation album. Two years later, Jensen took full ownership of the label. In its first decade, Sunset released more than 46 albums, thrusting artists to national and international success by securing them festival gigs and getting them signed to major labels. While many of the acts currently signed are either inactive or on extended hiatuses, the label still promotes song rereleases, shows and merchandise. Active artists include Jensen’s band Loyal Wife, folk artist Icarus Phoenix, Ukrainian rock band Homeless Radio and London-born DJ Redfield. As one of the longer-running labels in Phoenix, Sunset certainly sets the tone for great music in the region and what excites eager listeners.

Slope Records

As anybody who has been to Phoenix has already deduced, the label took its name from the Sunnyslope neighborhood. Founder Thomas Lopez began Slope in 2015 as something of a hobby, but when he made waves among the record label “scene” in Arizona, he quickly pivoted. Slope has since gained a label of 30 punk artists, including skateboarding icon Duane Peters and bands like Feederz, Nip Drivers, Surfbort and U.S. Bombs. The label hasn’t released any "new" projects since 2019, and its social media accounts remain untouched. However, in that same period, Slope released more than 46 projects, mainly classic reissues from Brainz, FuckEmos and Nip Drivers, among others.