100 Greatest Record Labels (revision version)

[Ryan]

I also reckon CBS entry should be combined with Sony.

I wonder if CBS should be merged with Columbia instead. The CBS I'm thinking of for this list is the one that put out London Calling, and that even had a variation of the Columbia logo

15. Liberty (Eddie Cochran, David Seville, Julie London)

This label might be a spot or two higher, because it also put out Garth Brooks' The Chase and In Pieces, two of the best-selling albums of the 90s


The placements of Windham Hill and Deutsche Grammophon should probably be swapped, and Deutsche Grammophon might even belong higher than that.

[Tim]

1. Atlantic (Ray Charles, Led Zeppelin, Aretha Franklin)
2. Capitol (Beatles, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra)
3. Motown/Tamla (Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Supremes)
4. Columbia/CBS (Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash)
5. RCA/Victor (Elvis Presley, David Bowie, Sam Cooke)
6. Warner Bros. (Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkin Park)
7. EMI (Taylor Swift, Queen, Elton John)
8. A&M (Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Police, Janet Jackson)
9. Parlophone (Beatles, Coldplay, Iron Maiden)
10. Sun (Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis)
11. Island (Bob Marley, U2, Toots & the Maytals)
12. Elektra (Doors, Queen, Metallica)
13. Stax/Volt (Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Booker T. & M.G.'s)
14. Chess/Checker/Cadet (Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf)
15. Epic (Michael Jackson, Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine)
16. Decca (Bing Crosby, Bill Haley & His Comets, Mills Brothers)
17. Reprise (Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Kinks)
18. Def Jam (Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Kanye West)
19. Blue Note (Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey)
20. Geffen (Guns N' Roses, Nirvana, Aerosmith)
21. Interscope (Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Eminem)
22. Virgin (Sex Pistols, Mike Oldfield, Daft Punk)
23. Vocalion (Robert Johnson, Billie Holiday, Gene Autry)
24. Okeh (Louis Armstrong, Mamie Smith, Johnnie Ray)
25. Arista (Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana, Barry Manilow)
26. Sire (Ramones, Talking Heads, Madonna)
27. Verve (Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday)
28. Mercury (Platters, Dinah Washington, Rush)
29. Brunswick (Bing Crosby, Mills Brothers, Buddy Holly & the Crickets)
30. MCA (Elton John, Who, Roots)
31. Asylum (Eagles, Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits)
32. Cameo-Parkway (Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell, ? & the Mysterians)
33. Apple (Beatles (incl. solo), Badfinger, Billy Preston)
34. IRS (REM, Go-Go's, Fine Young Cannibals)
35. Bad Boy (The Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Janelle Monáe)
36. Death Row (2Pac, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg)
37. Impulse! (John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Ray Charles)
38. Atco (Cream, Otis Redding, The Allman Brothers Band)
39. Sub Pop (Nirvana, The Postal Service, Beach House)
40. DGC (Nirvana, Weezer, Beck)
41. Philadelphia International (The O'Jays, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Lou Rawls)
42. Chrysalis (Jethro Tull, Blondie, Gang Starr)
43. Trojan (Bob Marley & the Wailers, Desmond Dekker, Toots & the Maytals)
44. Harvest (Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Wire)
45. Polygram (Dusty Springfield, Pixies, Rainbow)
46. Republic (The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Drake)
47. Factory (Joy Division, New Order, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark)
48. Smithsonian Folkways (Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Lead Belly)
49. Maverick (Madonna, Alanis Morissette, Deftones)
50. Fania (Celia Cruz, Héctor Lavoe, Rubén Blades)
51. RSO (Bee Gees, Eric Clapton, Andy Gibb)
52. Polydor (ABBA, Eric Clapton, Siouxsie and the Banshees)
53. Jive (Britney Spears, A Tribe Called Quest, Backstreet Boys)
54. London (Rolling Stones, Georg Solti, Luciano Pavarotti)
55. Dischord (Fugazi, Minor Threat, Rites of Spring)
56. Epitaph (Bad Religion, Descendents, Converge)
57. Rhino (Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Joni Mitchell)
58. Specialty (Little Richard, The Soul Stirrers, Lloyd Price)
59. Bluebird (Glenn Miller, Lionel Hampton, Bill Monroe)
60. Imperial (Fats Domino, Ricky Nelson, T-Bone Walker)
61. Monument (Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson)
62. Sugar Hill (Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, The Sugarhill Gang, Funky 4 + 1)
63. Deutsche Grammophon (Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado, Amadeus Quartet)
64. Aftermath (Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar)
65. Cadence (Everly Brothers, Andy Williams, Chordettes)
66. Fantasy (Dave Brubeck, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Vince Guaraldi)
67. ABKCO (Sam Cooke, Rolling Stones, Animals)
68. Creation (Oasis, My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain)
69. Mute (Depeche Mode, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Moby)
70. Nonesuch (Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Emmylou Harris)
71. Rough Trade (The Smiths, The Fall, Pulp)
72. Pye (Kinks, Lonnie Donegan, Petula Clark)
73. Philles (Ronettes, Righteous Brothers, Crystals)
74. Ruthless (N.W.A, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, the D.O.C.)
75. SST (Black Flag, Minutemen, Hüsker Dü)
76. Matador (Pavement, Queens of the Stone Age, Belle and Sebastian)
77. Merge (Arcade Fire, Dinosaur Jr., Neutral Milk Hotel)
78. Salsoul (The Salsoul Orchestra, Loleatta Holloway, Instant Funk)
79. Rykodisc (David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Morphine)
80. Windham Hill (Will Ackerman, George Winston, Michael Hedges)
81. 4AD (Cocteau Twins, Pixies, Bauhaus)
82. King (James Brown, Hank Ballard, The Stanley Brothers)
83. Charisma (Genesis, Van der Graaf Generator, Monty Python)
84. Tommy Boy (De La Soul, Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force, Queen Latifah)
85. ECM (Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Jan Garbarek)
86. Rounder (Alison Krauss, Robert Plant, Béla Fleck)
87. Beggars Banquet (Bauhaus, Gary Numan, The Cult)
88. Stiff (Elvis Costello, The Damned, Madness)
89. XL (Adele, Radiohead, The Prodigy)
90. Vertigo (Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Dire Straits)
91. ABC/Dunhill (Paul Anka, Ray Charles, BB King)
92. LaFace (TLC, Toni Braxton, OutKast)
93. Casablanca (KISS, Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder)
94. Warp (Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Flying Lotus)
95. Paramount (Blind Lemon Jefferson, Ma Rainey, Charley Patton)
96. Roc-a-Fella (Jay-Z, Kanye West, Beanie Sigel)
97. ESP-Disk (Albert Ayler, Sun Ra, The Fugs)
98. Curb (Tim McGraw, LeAnn Rimes, Amy Grant)
99. United Artists (Beatles, Clovers, Count Basie)
100. Savoy (Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie) (shout-out Bruce)
101. Commodore (Billie Holiday, Coleman Hawkins, Earl Hines)
102. Philips (Kraftwerk, The Four Seasons, Serge Gainsbourg)
103. Cash Money (Drake, Birdman, Lil Wayne)
104. Walt Disney/Disneyland (Danny Elfman, Randy Newman, Michael Giacchino)
105. American Recordings (Johnny Cash, Slayer, System of a Down)
106. Domino (Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Hot Chip)
107. East West (En Vogue, Pantera, Missy Elliott)
108. Astralwerks (The Chemical Brothers, Halsey, Fatboy Slim)
109. BigHit (BTS, TXT, Lee Hyun)
110. Liberty (Eddie Cochran, David Seville, Julie London)
111. Sugar Hill (Nickel Creek, Doc Watson, Townes Van Zandt)
112. Big Machine (Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw)
113. Capricorn (The Allman Brothers Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, Dixie Dregs)
114. Fiction (The Cure, Steven Wilson, St. Vincent)
115. Touch & Go (Shellac, The Jesus Lizard, Big Black)
116. Fontana (Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders, The Troggs, Manfred Mann)
117. ATO (My Morning Jacket, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Alabama Shakes)
118. Polyvinyl (American Football, of Montreal, Alvvays)
119. Olivia (Cris Williamson, Meg Christian, Margie Adam)
120. Luaka Bop (Alice Coltrane, Tom Zé, Floating Points)
121. Flying Nun (The Clean, The Chills, The Bats)
122. Swan Song (Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, The Pretty Things)
123. Wind-Up (Creed, Evanescence, Seether)
124. Word/Myrrh (Amy Grant, Barry McGuire, Al Green)

[Ryan]

Cool, so after those these are the labels I think might round out a top 200

4th & B'way
550 Music
Bella Union
Buddha
Cherry Red
Concord Jazz
Colgems
Daptone
Def Jux
DFA
Drag City
Fat Wreck Chords
Federal
Fueled by Ramen
Gee Street
Glassnote
Go! Discs
Grand Royal
J
Jubilee
K
Kill Rock Stars
Lava
Light in the Attic
Loud
Melodiya
Metal Blade
MGM
Mushroom
Numero Group
Ode
Phonogram
Postcard
Priority
Prestige
Restless
Roadrunner
Roulette
Ruffhouse
Saddle Creek
Sarah
SBK
Scepter/Wand
Scotti Bros.
Slash
So So Def
Stones Throw
Vee-Jay
Verve Forecast (this seems to be an imprint with an identity separate from Verve its own right a la DGC and Atco)
Volcano/Zoo
Zomba
ZTT

[Tim]

Looking at this list of candidates, Touch & Go is already included and I'd include Phonogram together with Mercury, Zomba together with Jive.

[Tim]

Should Мелодия be included somewhere in this range?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melodiya

[Ryan]

Yeah, I'm thinking the next part would be something like

125. Varèse Sarabande
126. Concord Jazz
127. Buddha
128. ZTT
129. 2 Tone
130. Prestige
131. Scepter/Wand
132. Deram
133. MGM
134. Pony Canyon
135. Saddle Creek
136. Roadrunner
137. Slash
138. So So Def
139. Fueled by Ramen
140. Ode
141. Mushroom (Australia)
142. Vee-Jay
143. SM Entertainment
144. Vanguard
145. One Little Independent
146. Stones Throw
147. Sarah
148. Melodiya
149. Kill Rock Stars
150. DFA

Next time I get to the main list, I'll merge Jive/Zomba and Mercury/Phonogram. King/Federal should also be its own listing

Also thinking about what to do with some labels are basically one artist labels. These being Polar (ABBA) and Colgems (The Monkees). There were other artists signed to both, but one major band is why they are remembered.

[pauldrach]

Maybe list Arvo Pärt in place of Garbarek for ECM to get some more diversity? All important Pärt recordings were released by ECM.

[Tim]

Re-cap:

1. Atlantic (Ray Charles, Led Zeppelin, Aretha Franklin)
2. Capitol (Beatles, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra)
3. Motown/Tamla (Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Supremes)
4. Columbia/CBS (Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash)
5. RCA/Victor (Elvis Presley, David Bowie, Sam Cooke)
6. Warner Bros. (Madonna, REM, Red Hot Chili Peppers)
7. EMI (Taylor Swift, Queen, Elton John)
8. A&M (Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Police, Janet Jackson)
9. Parlophone (Beatles, Coldplay, Iron Maiden)
10. Sun (Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis)
11. Island (Bob Marley, U2, Toots & the Maytals)
12. Elektra (Doors, Queen, Metallica)
13. Stax/Volt (Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Booker T. & M.G.'s)
14. Chess/Checker/Cadet (Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf)
15. Epic (Michael Jackson, Sly & the Family Stone, Pearl Jam)
16. Decca (Bing Crosby, Bill Haley & His Comets, Mills Brothers)
17. Reprise (Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Kinks)
18. Def Jam (Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Kanye West)
19. Blue Note (Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey)
20. Geffen (Guns N' Roses, Nirvana, Aerosmith)
21. Interscope (Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Eminem)
22. Virgin (Sex Pistols, Mike Oldfield, Daft Punk)
23. Vocalion (Robert Johnson, Billie Holiday, Gene Autry)
24. Okeh (Louis Armstrong, Mamie Smith, Johnnie Ray)
25. Arista (Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana, Barry Manilow)
26. Sire (Ramones, Talking Heads, Madonna)
27. Verve (Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday)
28. Mercury/Phonogram (Platters, Dinah Washington, Rush)
29. Brunswick (Bing Crosby, Mills Brothers, Buddy Holly & the Crickets)
30. MCA (Elton John, Who, Roots)
31. Asylum (Eagles, Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits)
32. Cameo-Parkway (Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell, ? & the Mysterians)
33. Apple (Beatles (incl. solo), Badfinger, Billy Preston)
34. IRS (REM, Go-Go's, Fine Young Cannibals)
35. Bad Boy (The Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Janelle Monáe)
36. Death Row (2Pac, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg)
37. Impulse! (John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Ray Charles)
38. Atco (Cream, Otis Redding, The Allman Brothers Band)
39. Sub Pop (Nirvana, The Postal Service, Beach House)
40. DGC (Nirvana, Weezer, Beck)
41. Philadelphia International (The O'Jays, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Lou Rawls)
42. Chrysalis (Jethro Tull, Blondie, Gang Starr)
43. Trojan (Bob Marley & the Wailers, Desmond Dekker, Toots & the Maytals)
44. Harvest (Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Wire)
45. Polygram (Dusty Springfield, Pixies, Rainbow)
46. Republic (The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Drake)
47. Factory (Joy Division, New Order, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark)
48. Smithsonian Folkways (Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Lead Belly)
49. Maverick (Madonna, Alanis Morissette, Deftones)
50. Fania (Celia Cruz, Héctor Lavoe, Rubén Blades)
51. RSO (Bee Gees, Eric Clapton, Andy Gibb)
52. Polydor (ABBA, Eric Clapton, Siouxsie and the Banshees)
53. Jive/Zomba (Britney Spears, A Tribe Called Quest, Backstreet Boys)
54. London (Rolling Stones, Georg Solti, Luciano Pavarotti)
55. Dischord (Fugazi, Minor Threat, Rites of Spring)
56. Epitaph (Bad Religion, Descendents, Converge)
57. Rhino (Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Joni Mitchell)
58. Specialty (Little Richard, The Soul Stirrers, Lloyd Price)
59. Bluebird (Glenn Miller, Lionel Hampton, Bill Monroe)
60. Imperial (Fats Domino, Ricky Nelson, T-Bone Walker)
61. Monument (Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson)
62. Sugar Hill (Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, The Sugarhill Gang, Funky 4 + 1)
63. Deutsche Grammophon (Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado, Amadeus Quartet)
64. Aftermath (Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar)
65. Cadence (Everly Brothers, Andy Williams, Chordettes)
66. Fantasy (Dave Brubeck, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Vince Guaraldi)
67. ABKCO (Sam Cooke, Rolling Stones, Animals)
68. Creation (Oasis, My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain)
69. Mute (Depeche Mode, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Moby)
70. Nonesuch (Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Emmylou Harris)
71. Rough Trade (The Smiths, The Fall, Pulp)
72. Pye (Kinks, Lonnie Donegan, Petula Clark)
73. Philles (Ronettes, Righteous Brothers, Crystals)
74. Ruthless (N.W.A, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, the D.O.C.)
75. SST (Black Flag, Minutemen, Hüsker Dü)
76. Matador (Pavement, Queens of the Stone Age, Belle and Sebastian)
77. Merge (Arcade Fire, Dinosaur Jr., Neutral Milk Hotel)
78. Salsoul (The Salsoul Orchestra, Loleatta Holloway, Instant Funk)
79. Rykodisc (David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Morphine)
80. Windham Hill (Will Ackerman, George Winston, Michael Hedges)
81. 4AD (Cocteau Twins, Pixies, Bauhaus)
82. King/Federal (James Brown, Hank Ballard, The Stanley Brothers)
83. Charisma (Genesis, Van der Graaf Generator, Monty Python)
84. Tommy Boy (De La Soul, Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force, Queen Latifah)
85. ECM (Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Arvo Pärt)
86. Rounder (Alison Krauss, Robert Plant, Béla Fleck)
87. Beggars Banquet (Bauhaus, Gary Numan, The Cult)
88. Stiff (Elvis Costello, The Damned, Madness)
89. XL (Adele, Radiohead, The Prodigy)
90. Vertigo (Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Dire Straits)
91. ABC/Dunhill (Paul Anka, Ray Charles, BB King)
92. LaFace (TLC, Toni Braxton, OutKast)
93. Casablanca (KISS, Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder)
94. Warp (Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Flying Lotus)
95. Paramount (Blind Lemon Jefferson, Ma Rainey, Charley Patton)
96. Roc-a-Fella (Jay-Z, Kanye West, Beanie Sigel)
97. ESP-Disk (Albert Ayler, Sun Ra, The Fugs)
98. Curb (Tim McGraw, LeAnn Rimes, Amy Grant)
99. United Artists (Beatles, Clovers, Count Basie)
100. Savoy (Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie)
101. Commodore (Billie Holiday, Coleman Hawkins, Earl Hines)
102. Philips (Kraftwerk, The Four Seasons, Serge Gainsbourg)
103. Cash Money (Drake, Birdman, Lil Wayne)
104. Walt Disney/Disneyland (Danny Elfman, Randy Newman, Michael Giacchino)
105. American Recordings (Johnny Cash, Slayer, System of a Down)
106. Domino (Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Hot Chip)
107. East West (En Vogue, Pantera, Missy Elliott)
108. Astralwerks (The Chemical Brothers, Halsey, Fatboy Slim)
109. BigHit (BTS, TXT, Lee Hyun)
110. Liberty (Eddie Cochran, David Seville, Julie London)
111. Sugar Hill (Nickel Creek, Doc Watson, Townes Van Zandt)
112. Big Machine (Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw)
113. Capricorn (The Allman Brothers Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, Dixie Dregs)
114. Fiction (The Cure, Steven Wilson, St. Vincent)
115. Touch & Go (Shellac, The Jesus Lizard, Big Black)
116. Fontana (Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders, The Troggs, Manfred Mann)
117. ATO (My Morning Jacket, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Alabama Shakes)
118. Polyvinyl (American Football, of Montreal, Alvvays)
119. Olivia (Cris Williamson, Meg Christian, Margie Adam)
120. Luaka Bop (Alice Coltrane, Tom Zé, Floating Points)
121. Flying Nun (The Clean, The Chills, The Bats)
122. Swan Song (Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, The Pretty Things)
123. Wind-Up (Creed, Evanescence, Seether)
124. Word/Myrrh (Amy Grant, Barry McGuire, Al Green)
125. Varèse Sarabande (Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Hans Zimmer)
126. Concord Jazz (Ray Brown, Stan Getz, Mel Tormé)
127. Buddha (Curtis Mayfield, Gladys Knight, Ohio Express)
128. ZTT (Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Art of Noise, Grace Jones)
129. 2 Tone (The Specials, The English Beat, The Selecter)
130. Prestige (Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins)
131. Scepter/Wand (The Shirelles, Dionne Warwick, The Kingsmen)
132. Deram (The Moody Blues, Procol Harum, Ten Years After)
133. MGM (Hank Williams, The Animals, Connie Francis)
134. Pony Canyon (Miki Matsubara, Hiroyuki Sawano, Official Hige Dandism)
135. Saddle Creek (Bright Eyes, Big Thief, Spoon)
136. Roadrunner (Slipknot, Sepultura, Type O Negative)
137. Slash (Faith No More, Violent Femmes, X)
138. So So Def (Xscape, Da Brat, Lil' Bow Wow)
139. Fueled by Ramen (Twenty One Pilots, Paramore, Jimmy Eat World)
140. Ode (Carole King, Cheech & Chong, Merry Clayton)
141. Mushroom (Kylie Minogue, Heart, Split Enz)
142. Vee-Jay (Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, The Four Seasons)
143. SM Entertainment (Girls' Generation, TVXQ, Hyun Jin-young)
144. Vanguard (Joan Baez, Buddy Guy, Doc Watson)
145. One Little Independent (Björk, The Sugarcubes, Sigur Rós)
146. Stones Throw (Madvillain, J Dilla, Sudan Archives)
147. Sarah (The Field Mice, The Orchids, Heavenly)
148. Melodiya (Alla Pugacheva, Vladimir Vysotsky, Bulat Okudzhava)
149. Kill Rock Stars (Bikini Kill, Elliott Smith, Sleater-Kinney)
150. DFA (LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Hot Chip)

Also changed selected artists for Warner Bros. (REM over Linkin Park) and Epic (Sly & the Family Stone over RATM).

[Tim]

Colgems also has pretty strong catalogue of soundtrack albums as well.

[Ryan]

Maybe list Arvo Pärt in place of Garbarek for ECM to get some more diversity? All important Pärt recordings were released by ECM.

These examples aren't going to be set in stone. I'd probably wouldn't have Taylor Swift listed for EMI because I think she's only on that label in Europe, but I would have her listed for Republic, her current main label.

[Ryan]

For the next 25 spots, I'm thinking about these labels

151. Gennett
152. Trax
153. Priority
154. Lost Highway
155. Nettwerk
156. Numero Group
157. K Records
158. Drag City
159. Metal Blade
160. Polar
161. Go! Discs
162. Lava
163. Bella Union
164. Twin Tone
165. Young Money
166. Cotillion
167. Colgems
168. Sanctuary
169. Ruffhouse
170. Ministry of Sound
171. J Records
172. Loud
173. Alternative Tentacles
174. Grand Royal
175. Gee Street

The rest:

4th & B'way
550 Music
Aladdin/Philo
Amphetamine Reptile
Arts & Crafts
Barsuk
Beserkley
Blanco y Negro Records
Carpark
Cherrytree
Cherry Red
Coral
Daptone
Dead Oceans
Definitive Jux
Dirty Hit
Dreamworks
E.G.
Enigma
Ensign
Fat Wreck Chords
Fire
Food
Glassnote
Hollywood
Jagjajuwar
Jubilee
Kitchenware
Les Disques du Crépuscule
Light in the Attic
New West
Nuclear Blast
Norton
Odeon
Omnivore
Postcard
Private Music
PWL
R&S
Restless
Roulette
SBK
Secretly Canadian
Slumberland
Sympathy for the Music Industry
Third Man
Top Dawg
Track
Transgressive
Tresor
Uni
V2
Vagrant
Verve Forecast (maybe list with the main Verve? Does this have enough on identity of its own?)
Young
Zoo/Volcano

[Tim]

1. Atlantic (Ray Charles, Led Zeppelin, Aretha Franklin)
2. Capitol (Beatles, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra)
3. Motown/Tamla (Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Supremes)
4. Columbia/CBS (Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash)
5. RCA/Victor (Elvis Presley, David Bowie, Sam Cooke)
6. Warner Bros. (Madonna, REM, Red Hot Chili Peppers)
7. EMI (Queen, Elton John, David Bowie)
8. A&M (Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Police, Janet Jackson)
9. Parlophone (Beatles, Coldplay, Iron Maiden)
10. Sun (Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis)
11. Island (Bob Marley, U2, Toots & the Maytals)
12. Elektra (Doors, Queen, Metallica)
13. Stax/Volt (Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Booker T. & M.G.'s)
14. Chess/Checker/Cadet (Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf)
15. Epic (Michael Jackson, Sly & the Family Stone, Pearl Jam)
16. Decca (Bing Crosby, Bill Haley & His Comets, Mills Brothers)
17. Reprise (Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Kinks)
18. Def Jam (Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Kanye West)
19. Blue Note (Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey)
20. Geffen (Guns N' Roses, Nirvana, Aerosmith)
21. Interscope (Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Eminem)
22. Virgin (Sex Pistols, Mike Oldfield, Daft Punk)
23. Vocalion (Robert Johnson, Billie Holiday, Gene Autry)
24. Okeh (Louis Armstrong, Mamie Smith, Johnnie Ray)
25. Arista (Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana, Barry Manilow)
26. Sire (Ramones, Talking Heads, Madonna)
27. Verve (Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday)
28. Mercury/Phonogram (Platters, Dinah Washington, Rush)
29. Brunswick (Bing Crosby, Mills Brothers, Buddy Holly & the Crickets)
30. MCA (Elton John, Who, Roots)
31. Asylum (Eagles, Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits)
32. Cameo-Parkway (Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell, ? & the Mysterians)
33. Apple (Beatles (incl. solo), Badfinger, Billy Preston)
34. IRS (REM, Go-Go's, Fine Young Cannibals)
35. Bad Boy (The Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Janelle Monáe)
36. Death Row (2Pac, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg)
37. Impulse! (John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Ray Charles)
38. Atco (Cream, Otis Redding, The Allman Brothers Band)
39. Sub Pop (Nirvana, The Postal Service, Beach House)
40. DGC (Nirvana, Weezer, Beck)
41. Philadelphia International (The O'Jays, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Lou Rawls)
42. Chrysalis (Jethro Tull, Blondie, Gang Starr)
43. Trojan (Bob Marley & the Wailers, Desmond Dekker, Toots & the Maytals)
44. Harvest (Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Wire)
45. Polygram (Dusty Springfield, Pixies, Rainbow)
46. Republic (The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift)
47. Factory (Joy Division, New Order, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark)
48. Smithsonian Folkways (Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Lead Belly)
49. Maverick (Madonna, Alanis Morissette, Deftones)
50. Fania (Celia Cruz, Héctor Lavoe, Rubén Blades)
51. RSO (Bee Gees, Eric Clapton, Andy Gibb)
52. Polydor (ABBA, Eric Clapton, Siouxsie and the Banshees)
53. Jive/Zomba (Britney Spears, A Tribe Called Quest, Backstreet Boys)
54. London (Rolling Stones, Georg Solti, Luciano Pavarotti)
55. Dischord (Fugazi, Minor Threat, Rites of Spring)
56. Epitaph (Bad Religion, Descendents, Converge)
57. Rhino (Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Joni Mitchell)
58. Specialty (Little Richard, The Soul Stirrers, Lloyd Price)
59. Bluebird (Glenn Miller, Lionel Hampton, Bill Monroe)
60. Imperial (Fats Domino, Ricky Nelson, T-Bone Walker)
61. Monument (Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson)
62. Sugar Hill (Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, The Sugarhill Gang, Funky 4 + 1)
63. Deutsche Grammophon (Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado, Amadeus Quartet)
64. Aftermath (Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar)
65. Cadence (Everly Brothers, Andy Williams, Chordettes)
66. Fantasy (Dave Brubeck, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Vince Guaraldi)
67. ABKCO (Sam Cooke, Rolling Stones, Animals)
68. Creation (Oasis, My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain)
69. Mute (Depeche Mode, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Moby)
70. Nonesuch (Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Emmylou Harris)
71. Rough Trade (The Smiths, The Fall, Pulp)
72. Pye (Kinks, Lonnie Donegan, Petula Clark)
73. Philles (Ronettes, Righteous Brothers, Crystals)
74. Ruthless (N.W.A, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, the D.O.C.)
75. SST (Black Flag, Minutemen, Hüsker Dü)
76. Matador (Pavement, Queens of the Stone Age, Belle and Sebastian)
77. Merge (Arcade Fire, Dinosaur Jr., Neutral Milk Hotel)
78. Salsoul (The Salsoul Orchestra, Loleatta Holloway, Instant Funk)
79. Rykodisc (David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Morphine)
80. Windham Hill (Will Ackerman, George Winston, Michael Hedges)
81. 4AD (Cocteau Twins, Pixies, Bauhaus)
82. King/Federal (James Brown, Hank Ballard, The Stanley Brothers)
83. Charisma (Genesis, Van der Graaf Generator, Monty Python)
84. Tommy Boy (De La Soul, Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force, Queen Latifah)
85. ECM (Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Arvo Pärt)
86. Rounder (Alison Krauss, Robert Plant, Béla Fleck)
87. Beggars Banquet (Bauhaus, Gary Numan, The Cult)
88. Stiff (Elvis Costello, The Damned, Madness)
89. XL (Adele, Radiohead, The Prodigy)
90. Vertigo (Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Dire Straits)
91. ABC/Dunhill (Paul Anka, Ray Charles, BB King)
92. LaFace (TLC, Toni Braxton, OutKast)
93. Casablanca (KISS, Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder)
94. Warp (Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Flying Lotus)
95. Paramount (Blind Lemon Jefferson, Ma Rainey, Charley Patton)
96. Roc-a-Fella (Jay-Z, Kanye West, Beanie Sigel)
97. ESP-Disk (Albert Ayler, Sun Ra, The Fugs)
98. Curb (Tim McGraw, LeAnn Rimes, Amy Grant)
99. United Artists (Beatles, Clovers, Count Basie)
100. Savoy (Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie)
101. Commodore (Billie Holiday, Coleman Hawkins, Earl Hines)
102. Philips (Kraftwerk, The Four Seasons, Serge Gainsbourg)
103. Cash Money (Drake, Birdman, Lil Wayne)
104. Walt Disney/Disneyland (Danny Elfman, Randy Newman, Michael Giacchino)
105. American Recordings (Johnny Cash, Slayer, System of a Down)
106. Domino (Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Hot Chip)
107. East West (En Vogue, Pantera, Missy Elliott)
108. Astralwerks (The Chemical Brothers, Halsey, Fatboy Slim)
109. BigHit (BTS, TXT, Lee Hyun)
110. Liberty (Eddie Cochran, David Seville, Julie London)
111. Sugar Hill (Nickel Creek, Doc Watson, Townes Van Zandt)
112. Big Machine (Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw)
113. Capricorn (The Allman Brothers Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, Dixie Dregs)
114. Fiction (The Cure, Steven Wilson, St. Vincent)
115. Touch & Go (Shellac, The Jesus Lizard, Big Black)
116. Fontana (Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders, The Troggs, Manfred Mann)
117. ATO (My Morning Jacket, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Alabama Shakes)
118. Polyvinyl (American Football, of Montreal, Alvvays)
119. Olivia (Cris Williamson, Meg Christian, Margie Adam)
120. Luaka Bop (Alice Coltrane, Tom Zé, Floating Points)
121. Flying Nun (The Clean, The Chills, The Bats)
122. Swan Song (Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, The Pretty Things)
123. Wind-Up (Creed, Evanescence, Seether)
124. Word/Myrrh (Amy Grant, Barry McGuire, Al Green)
125. Varèse Sarabande (Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Hans Zimmer)
126. Concord Jazz (Ray Brown, Stan Getz, Mel Tormé)
127. Buddha (Curtis Mayfield, Gladys Knight, Ohio Express)
128. ZTT (Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Art of Noise, Grace Jones)
129. 2 Tone (The Specials, The English Beat, The Selecter)
130. Prestige (Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins)
131. Scepter/Wand (The Shirelles, Dionne Warwick, The Kingsmen)
132. Deram (The Moody Blues, Procol Harum, Ten Years After)
133. MGM (Hank Williams, The Animals, Connie Francis)
134. Pony Canyon (Miki Matsubara, Hiroyuki Sawano, Official Hige Dandism)
135. Saddle Creek (Bright Eyes, Big Thief, Spoon)
136. Roadrunner (Slipknot, Sepultura, Type O Negative)
137. Slash (Faith No More, Violent Femmes, X)
138. So So Def (Xscape, Da Brat, Lil' Bow Wow)
139. Fueled by Ramen (Twenty One Pilots, Paramore, Jimmy Eat World)
140. Ode (Carole King, Cheech & Chong, Merry Clayton)
141. Mushroom (Kylie Minogue, Heart, Split Enz)
142. Vee-Jay (Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, The Four Seasons)
143. SM Entertainment (Girls' Generation, TVXQ, Hyun Jin-young)
144. Vanguard (Joan Baez, Buddy Guy, Doc Watson)
145. One Little Independent (Björk, The Sugarcubes, Sigur Rós)
146. Stones Throw (Madvillain, J Dilla, Sudan Archives)
147. Sarah (The Field Mice, The Orchids, Heavenly)
148. Melodiya (Alla Pugacheva, Vladimir Vysotsky, Bulat Okudzhava)
149. Kill Rock Stars (Bikini Kill, Elliott Smith, Sleater-Kinney)
150. DFA (LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Hot Chip)
151. Gennett (Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Blind Lemon Jefferson)
152. Trax (Frankie Knuckles, Marshall Jefferson, Screamin' Rachael)
153. Priority (N.W.A, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre)
154. Lost Highway (Ryan Adams, Johnny Cash, Elvis Costello)
155. Nettwerk (Skinny Puppy, Sarah McLachlan, Barenaked Ladies)
156. Numero Group (Duster, Hüsker Dü, Syl Johnson)
157. K Records (Beat Happening, Beck, Modest Mouse)
158. Drag City (Bill Callahan, Will Oldham, Joanna Newsom)
159. Metal Blade (Cannibal Corpse, Mercyful Fate, Slayer)
160. Polar (ABBA)
161. Go! Discs (The Housemartins, The Beautiful South, Portishead)
162. Lava (Lorde, Jessie J, Matchbox Twenty)
163. Bella Union (Beach House, Father John Misty, Fleet Foxes)
164. Twin Tone (The Replacements, Soul Asylum, The Jayhawks)
165. Young Money (Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj)
166. Cotillion (Sister Sledge, The Velvet Underground, Luther Vandross)
167. Colgems (The Monkees, Quincy Jones, Maurice Jarre)
168. Sanctuary (Iron Maiden, Earth, Wind & Fire, De La Soul)
169. Ruffhouse (The Fugees, Cypress Hill, Nas)
170. Ministry of Sound (London Grammar, Doja Cat, Tate McRae)
171. J Records (Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Maroon 5)
172. Loud (Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Big Pun)
173. Alternative Tentacles (Dead Kennedys, NoMeansNo, D.O.A.)
174. Grand Royal (Beastie Boys, At the Drive-In, Luscious Jackson)
175. Gee Street (PM Dawn, Doug E. Fresh, Gravediggaz)

[Tim]

Thoughts on these picks for #176-200?

176. Asch (Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Art Tatum)
177. Odeon (Carlos Gardel, Atahualpa Yupanqui, João Gilberto)
178. Aladdin/Philo (Lester Young, Amos Milburn, Wynonie Harris)
179. Jubilee/Josie (The Orioles, The Cadillacs, Harry Belafonte)
180. Track (Jimi Hendrix, Who, Arthur Brown)
181. 4th & B'way (Eric B. & Rakim, Mobb Deep, MARRS)
182. Tresor (Jeff Mills, Juan Atkins, Robert Hood)
183. Cherrytree (Lady Gaga, Sting, Robyn)
184. Top Dawg (Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Doechii)
185. Cherry Red (Hawkwind, The Fall, The Residents)
186. Coral (Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, McGuire Sisters)
187. Dead Oceans (Phoebe Bridgers, Mitski, Japanese Breakfast)
188. Dreamworks (Elliott Smith, Nelly Furtado, Randy Travis)
189. E.G. (King Crimson, Roxy Music, T. Rex)
190. Enigma (Mötley Crüe, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sonic Youth)
191. Glassnote (Mumford & Sons, Phoenix, Childish Gambino)
192. R&S (Aphex Twin, Joey Beltram, James Blake)
193. 550 Music (Céline Dion, Ginuwine, Ben Folds Five)
194. Restless (The Flaming Lips, They Might Be Giants, Social Distortion)
195. Def Jux (Aesop Rock, Cannibal Ox, El-P)
196. Ensign (Sinéad O’Connor, The Waterboys, The Boomtown Rats)
197. Blanco y Negro Records (Everything but the Girl, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Catatonia)
198. Fat Wreck Chords (NOFX, Against Me!, Rancid)
199. Barsuk (Death Cab for Cutie, David Bazan, Nada Surf)
200. Postcard (Orange Juice, Aztec Camera, The Go-Between)

[Ryan]

Yeah, that just about includes every label I was planning on including in the last batch.

I think Forecast can be included with Verve.

Should the early Edison label be on this list somewhere? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Records How about the Gramophone Company? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramophone_Company

In that top 200, are there any labels that should be moved up or down?

These are the labels that are left. Do any of these belong in the top 200?

Almo Sounds
Amphetamine Reptile
Argo
Ariola
Arts & Crafts
Bear Family
Bearsville
Bell (this label was merged into Arista, but had its own identity before then. Put out "The Letter" by the Box Tops and "Mandy" by Barry Manilow)
Beserkley
BOMP!
Carpark
Challenge
Chiswick
Cooking Vinyl
Dangerbird
Daptone
Deep Elm
Dirty Hit (has The 1975, et. al)
Don Giovanni
Downtown
Drive-Thru
Ed Banger
Elephant 6 (is this an actual label or a collective of bands on other labels?)
Fat Possum
Fire
Food
Ghostly International
GOOD Music
GRT
Hansa
Hollywood
Homestead
Imago
Immortal (Korn, Incubus, 30 Seconds to Mars, maybe something there? maybe just misses out on the top 200?)
Jade Tree
Jagjajuwar
Kitchenware
Koch/eOne/MNRK
Last Gang
Laurie (the Chiffons and Dion recorded for this label. Might be one for the main list?)
Les Disques du Crépuscule
Light in the Attic
Lookout!
MapleMusic
New West
Ninja Tune (also might be one for the main list)
No Limit (also might be one for the main list)
Nuclear Blast
Norton
Omnivore
Pathé (also might be one of the main list)
Parkwood
PC Music (is this a similar case to Elephant 6?)
Pickwick
Portrait (this label had Heart, Sade, and Cyndi Lauper. Might be enough to put them in the list?)
Private Music
PWL
Qwest
Radioactive
Rap-a-lot
Relapse
Roulette
SBK
Secretly Canadian
Slumberland
Sue (also might be one for the main list)
Sundazed Music
Sympathy for the Music Industry
Third Man
Time-Life
Transgressive
T-Series
Ultra
Uni
V2
Vagrant
YG Entertainment
Young (formerly Young Turks, home to The xx, Kamasi Washington, and Robyn)
Zoo/Volcano

I think we can do a Top 250, but no further. If we do, I think these are the labels to feature in the next 10-20. Some of them might need to be moved up.
In alphabetical order:
Bell
Dirty Hit
Ed Banger
Fat Possum
Ghostly International
Immortal
Laurie
Light in the Attic
Ninja Tune
No Limit
Pathé
Portrait
Sue
Secretly Canadian
T-Series
Young