NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — The Foundation for Independent Music (FIM) and the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) announced the nominees for the 2025 Libera Awards, celebrating the achievements of artists and industry professionals in the indie music scene.
Now in its 14th year, the 2025 Libera Awards will take place on Monday, June 9, at the historic Gotham Hall in New York City, with support from Merlin.
“Huge congratulations to all the incredibly talented nominees for the 14th annual Libera Awards! As the world’s largest awards show dedicated to the diverse and vibrant world of independent music, the Libera Awards honor both the artists and the industry that champion them. This year’s event promises to be our biggest and best yet, as A2IM proudly celebrates its 20th anniversary,” said Dr. Richard James Burgess, President and CEO of A2IM.
The Libera Awards, presented by Merlin, will serve as the official kickoff to the Indie Week conference, which will take place from June 10 through June 12 at the InterContinental New York Times Square.
RECORD OF THE YEAR
- Jessica Pratt – Here in the Pitch (Mexican Summer)
- Kim Gordon – The Collective (Matador Records)
- MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks (ANTI-)
- Mk.gee – Rockman (R&R Digital)
- Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood (ANTI-)
LABEL OF THE YEAR (15+ employees)
- ANTI- Records
- Dead Oceans
- Mom+Pop
- Ninja Tune
- Partisan Records
- Stones Throw Records
- Sub Pop Records
- Warp Records
LABEL OF THE YEAR (6-14 employees)
- Captured Tracks
- City Slang
- Fat Possum
- Light in the Attic
- Mexican Summer
- Secret City Records
LABEL OF THE YEAR (5 or fewer employees)
- Bayonet Records
- Daptone Records
- Oh Boy Records
- Psychic Hotline
- Topshelf Records
- True Panther
ALTERNATIVE ROCK RECORD
- Being Dead – EELS (Bayonet Records)
- Kim Deal – Nobody Loves You More (4AD)
- Kim Gordon – The Collective (Matador Records)
- Nada Surf – Moon Mirror (New West Records)
- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Wild God (Play It Again Sam)
AMERICAN ROOTS RECORD
- Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore – TexiCali (Yep Roc Records)
- Fantastic Negrito – Son of a Broken Man (Storefront Records)
- Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – Woodland (Acony Records)
- Joe Ely – Driven to Drive (Rack ’Em Records)
- MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks (ANTI-)
- Swamp Dogg – Blackgrass (Oh Boy Records)
BLUES RECORD
- Cedric Burnside – Hill Country Love (Provogue Records)
- Little Feat – Sam’s Place (Hot Tomato Records)
- Ruthie Foster – Mileage (Sun Records)
- Shemekia Copeland – Blame It On Eve (Alligator Records)
- The Taj Mahal Sextet – Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa (Lightning Rod Records)
CLASSICAL RECORD
- Ensemble Pygmalion, Raphaël Pichon – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem (harmonia mundi)
- II Divo – XX: 20th Anniversary Album (Il Divo Music)
- Isabelle Faust – Britten: Violin Concerto and Chamber Works (harmonia mundi)
- Ju-Ping Song – Monad (Starkland)
- Kelly Moran – Moves in the Field (Warp Records)
- Marc-André Hamelin, Nathalie Forget, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Gustavo Gimeno – Olivier Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie (harmonia mundi)
- Michael Torke – Bloom (Ecstatic Records)
SYNC RECORD
- Cigarettes After Sex – “Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby” (It Ends With Us) (Partisan Records)
- De La Soul – ”Say No Go” (Civil War) (A.O.I./Chrysalis/Reservoir)
- Jamie xx & The Avalanches – “All You Children” (Apple) (Young)
- Spoon – ”The Way We Get By” (’A Real Pain’ Trailer) (Matador Records)
- Waxahatchee feat. MJ Lenderman – “Right Back to It” (Tracker S1 E6) (ANTI-)
BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST
- Jessica Pratt (Mexican Summer)
- Magdalena Bay (Mom+Pop)
- Mannequin Pussy (Epitaph)
- MJ Lenderman (ANTI-)
- Mk.gee (R&R Digital)
- Shaboozey (American Dogwood/EMPIRE)
CREATIVE PACKAGING
- Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works Volume II (Expanded Edition) (Warp Records)
- Khruangbin – A LA SALA (Dead Oceans)
- Mac DeMarco – Salad Days 10 Year Anniversary Edition (Captured Tracks)
- MF DOOM – MM..FOOD (20 Year Anniversary Edition) (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
- The Go-Betweens – G Stands For Go-Betweens: Volume 3 (Domino Recording Company)
- Various Artists – Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 8 (Sub Pop Records)
DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR
- FUGA
- IDOL
- Redeye
- Secretly Distribution
- Symphonic Distribution
- The Orchard
INDEPENDENT CHAMPION
- Bandcamp
- Infinite Catalog
- Marauder
- Qobuz
- The Bloom Effect
MARKETING GENIUS
- IDLES – TANGK (Partisan Records)
- Khruangbin – A LA SALA (Dead Oceans)
- MF DOOM – MM..FOOD (20 Year Anniversary Edition) (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
- MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks (ANTI-)
- Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood (ANTI-)
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- Caravan Palace – “Mirrors” (Le Plan Recordings)
- Fontaines D.C. – “Starburster” (XL Recordings)
- Justice – “Neverender (starring Tame Impala)” (Because Music)
- Porter Robinson – “Cheerleader” (Mom+Pop)
- Waxahatchee feat. MJ Lenderman – “Right Back to It” (ANTI-)
- Yaeji – “booboo” (XL Recordings)
PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR
- Beggars Music
- Downtown Music Publishing
- Reservoir
- Secret City Publishing
- Warp Publishing
SELF-RELEASED RECORD OF THE YEAR
- Cheekface – It’s Sorted (Cheekface)
- Fancy Hagood – American Spirit (Fancy Hagood Enterprises)
- Los Campesinos! – All Hell (Heart Swells)
- Orla Gartland – Everybody Needs a Hero (New Friends Music)
- RAYE – “Genesis.” (Human Re Sources)
- TV Girl & George Clanton – Fauxllennium (Blissful Serenity Industries, LLC)
