Righteous Babe Records is an American

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

that was created by folk singer

Ani DiFranco Angela Maria "Ani" DiFranco (; born September 23, 1970) is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums. DiFranco's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, although it has additional influenc ...

in 1990 to release her own songs in lieu of being beholden to a mainstream

record company "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and t ...

History

Righteous Babe Records was originally called Righteous Records; however, DiFranco then discovered a gospel music label already had that name, and to differentiate her company, added the "Babe". Located in DiFranco's hometown of

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, the business grew organically, starting in 1990 with her first

cassette tape The Compact Cassette, also commonly called a cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog audio, analog magnetic tape recording format for Sound recording and reproduction, audio recording and playback. Invented by L ...

. DiFranco sold the tapes out of the back of her car and at shows on tour, then sold them on consignment in local stores. Teaming up with her longtime business partner Scot Fisher, they were able to self-distribute her albums directly to over 100 indie accounts. DiFranco cites her anti-corporate ethos for the

DIY ethic "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi- ...

s at Righteous Babe and not wanting to buy into the

major label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and t ...

system. Having a large women’s music following she was able to make connections at Zango and Goldenrod, two music distributors specializing in women’s music who started selling her albums to women’s book stores and other small music shops. After the independent success of her sixth album '' Out of Range'', Righteous Babe Records signed a distribution deal with independent distributor

Koch International Koch Entertainment was an American record label and a distributor of film, television, and music. It was purchased by Canadian entertainment company Lionsgate Canada, ROW Entertainment in 2005. History First years The company began in 1975 as ...

(later eOne) for DiFranco’s highly anticipated '' Not a Pretty Girl'' release in 1995. Her records could then be found in large and small record stores alike and the Righteous Babe staff quickly grew to fourteen people. DiFranco and Fisher stress the importance of

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

to their business such as working with local printers whenever possible, hiring friends and like minded people. Righteous Babe expanded in the late 1990s to release albums for non-mainstream artists and in 2001 Righteous Babe opened a European office called Righteous Babe LTD.

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political r ...

described the label's focus as "the freedom of being able to create for oneself" and the roster as "a lineup of artists who are uniquely themselves."

Babeville

In 1995, an abandoned 19th century historical landmark, the Asbury Delaware United Methodist Church was scheduled to be demolished by the City of Buffalo. The church had been built in 1876 but became derelict with no upkeep. In 1999, Righteous Babe Records offered to buy the building from the city. Restoration efforts began in 2000, and by 2006 it had been converted into an entertainment venue. Originally referred to as "The Church", the name was affectionately changed to "Babeville." It has a 1,200-seat concert hall and is the home of the label.

Artists

Extant

* Gracie and Rachel * Holly Miranda * Jess Nolan * Jocelyn Mackenzie * Joy Clark * Kristen Ford * Lilli Lewis * Liv Slingerland *

Peter Mulvey Peter Mulvey (born September 6, 1969) is an American folk singer-songwriter based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It ...

Pieta Brown Pieta Brown (born 1973) is a critically acclaimed American singer-songwriter, artist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who has released eight albums and five EPs. Although she's considered a folk/indie singer-songwriter, Brown also names count ...

* Prison Music Project * Resistance Revival Chorus * Robinson & Rohe * Wryn * Zoe Boekbinder * Ruth Theodore

Alumni

* Andrew Bird * Animal Prufrock * Bitch and Animal * Drums and Tuba *

Hamell on Trial Edward James "Ed" Hamell, performing as Hamell on Trial, is an American punk rock, anti-folk, spoken word musician, described by Righteous Babe Records as "loud, fast music informed by politics, passion, energy and intelligence, played by a guy w ...

Nona Hendryx Nona Bernis Hendryx (born October 9, 1944) is an American vocalist, record producer, songwriter, musician, and author. Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Ma ...

Jennifer Knapp Jennifer Lynn Knapp (born April 12, 1974) is an American-Australian folk rock and contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter, author, and LGBTQ advocate. She is best known for her first single "Undo Me" from her Gold-certified debut studio ...

* Sara Lee *

Arto Lindsay Arthur Morgan "Arto" Lindsay (born May 28, 1953) is an American guitarist, singer, record producer and experimental composer. He was a member of the pioneering 1970s no wave group DNA, which featured on the 1978 compilation '' No New York''. In ...

Anaïs Mitchell Anaïs Mitchell (; born March 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and playwright. Mitchell has released eight studio albums, including ''Hadestown (album), Hadestown'' (2010), ''Young Man in America'' (2012),Utah Phillips Bruce Duncan "Utah" Phillips (May 15, 1935 – May 23, 2008)
, KVMR, Nevada City, California, May 24, 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2008 ...

* Toshi Reagon * Sekou Sundiata * Kurt Swinghammer * That 1 Guy * Buddy Wakefield

References

External links

Official Righteous Babe Records site

Official site of 'Babeville'
{{Authority control American independent record labels Anti-folk music Companies based in Buffalo, New York Music of Buffalo, New York Folk record labels Record labels based in New York (state) Record labels established in 1990 Righteous Babe Records