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- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

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 influe ...

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

record company 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 trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

History

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

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

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

cassette tape The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Ott ...

. 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. Ani 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 sem ...

s at Righteous Babe and not wanting to buy into the

major label 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 trademarks, coordinates the prod ...

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 (later

eOne Entertainment One Ltd., trading as eOne, is an American-owned Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television s ...

) for DiFranco’s highly anticipated ''

Not a Pretty Girl ''Not a Pretty Girl'' is the sixth studio album released by singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco on her own record label, Righteous Babe Records. It was released July 18, 1995. The album extended the folk singer's early formula of acoustic guitar and ...

'' release in 1995. Her records could then be found in large and small record stores alike and the Righteous Babe staff quickly grew to include fourteen people. DiFranco and Fisher stress the importance of

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, t ...

in their business model 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 ri ...

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 Asbury may refer to: People * Cory Asbury (born 1985), American Christian musician and worship pastor * Francis Asbury (1745–1816), Methodist bishop and key figure in the development of religion in the United States * Herbert Asbury (1889–1963 ...

was scheduled to be demolished by the City of Buffalo. The church was built in 1876 and had become 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 current home of the label.

Artists

Gracie and Rachel Gracie and Rachel is a chamber pop piano-violin duo composed of singer-keyboardist Gracie Coates and violinist Rachel Ruggles, high school friends from Berkeley, California based out of Brooklyn, New York. Background Coates and Ruggles met at B ...

Pieta Brown Pieta Brown (born 1973) is a critically acclaimed American artist, musician, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who has released eight albums and five EPs. She has performed with artists such as Mark Knopfler, John Prine, Amos ...

Peter Mulvey Peter Mulvey (born September 6, 1969) is an American folk singer-songwriter based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since the early 1990s, he has developed a strong national following in the indie folk/rock scene through his relentless touring and critic ...

Andrew Bird Andrew Wegman Bird (born July 11, 1973) is an American indie rock multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Since 1996, he has released 16 studio albums, as well as several live albums and EPs, spanning various genres including swing music ...

Animal Prufrock Bitch and Animal, a duo consisting of musicians Bitch and Animal Prufrock, were a queercore band that performed from 1995 to 2004. They became established while touring as an opening act for Ani DiFranco, and later launched their own highly succe ...

Bitch and Animal Bitch and Animal, a duo consisting of musicians Bitch and Animal Prufrock, were a queercore band that performed from 1995 to 2004. They became established while touring as an opening act for Ani DiFranco, and later launched their own highly succe ...

Drums and Tuba Drums & Tuba was an instrumental rock group. The band formed in Austin, Texas, before relocating to New York City. Their sound fuses electronic rock, progressive rock, jazz and occasionally industrial. They were signed to Righteous Babe Records. ...

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 ...

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 ...

Jennifer Knapp Jennifer Lynn Knapp (born April 12, 1974) is an American-Australian folk rock, and contemporary Christian musician. She is best known for her first single "Undo Me" from her debut album, ''Kansas'' (1998), and the song "A Little More" from her ...

* 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''. I ...

Anaïs Mitchell Anaïs Mitchell (; born March 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and playwright. Mitchell has released eight studio albums, including '' 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 Toshi Reagon (born January 27, 1964) is an American musician of folk, blues, gospel, rock and funk, as well as a composer, curator, and producer. Early life Born January 27, 1964 in Atlanta, Georgia, Reagon grew up in Washington, D.C. She ...

* Sekou Sundiata *

Kurt Swinghammer Kurt Swinghammer is a Canadian singer-songwriter and visual artist based in Toronto."Canadian pop finds its own way to rock". ''Toronto Star'', 30 June 1989. He has released 13 full-length albums of original songs and as a session musician appea ...

That 1 Guy Mike Silverman, better known as That 1 Guy, is an American musician based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He frequently performs and records as a one-man band, singing and using a variety of homemade musical instruments. Career Early career Silverman is ...

* 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 New York (state) record labels Record labels established in 1990 Righteous Babe Records

History

Babeville

Artists

See also

References

External links