Liberation Records, formerly Liberation Music, was an Australian

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 ...

and

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product. Labels are most often affixed to packaging and containers using an adhesive, or sewing when affix ...

, started in 1999 by

Michael Gudinski Michael Solomon Gudinski AM (22 August 1952 – 2 March 2021) was an Australian record executive and promoter who was a leading figure in the Australian music industry. Born and raised in Melbourne, Gudinski formed the highly successful Austr ...

and Warren Costello, based in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. Its stated business aim is to "find, nurture and then to develop new talent for a world market while remaining independent in the process". Liberation has a sub-label called Liberator Music, which is a distributor for foreign artists and labels such as

Childish Gambino Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his musical stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American actor, comedian, musician, and filmmaker. While he studied at New York University and after working in Derrick ...

Glassnote Records Glassnote Records (also known as Glassnote Entertainment Group LLC) is a record label that was launched by American music executive Daniel Glass in 2007. The label primarily has a lineup of indie rock and alternative rock artists, most notably ...

BMG Rights Management BMG Rights Management GmbH (also known simply as BMG) is an international music company based in Berlin, Germany. It combines the activities of a music publisher and a record label. BMG was formed in October 2008 after Bertelsmann sold its st ...

, and

Ipecac Recordings Ipecac Recordings is an independent record label based in California. It was founded on April 1, 1999, by Greg Werckman (ex-label manager of Alternative Tentacles, ex-lead singer of DUH, ex-employee of Mercury Records) and Mike Patton (Faith N ...

. Liberation Records was merged into

Mushroom Music Mushroom Group is the largest independent music and entertainment company in Australia. It comprises more than two dozen companies. It has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, and Auckland with over 200 employees. History The Mushroom Group was found ...

in 2024.

History

Following the 1998 sale of Gudinski's

Mushroom Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival ...

Festival Records Festival Records, later known as Festival Mushroom Records, was an Australian recording and publishing company founded in Sydney, Australia, in 1952 and operated until 2005. Festival was a subsidiary of News Limited from 1961 to 2005. The com ...

, Liberation Music was formed to continue to satisfy

's desire to promote and develop Australian Music. Effective September 2006, Liberation is distributed by

Universal Music Australia Universal Music Australia Pty Ltd. (UMA) is the largest Australian music corporation. It is a division of the Universal Music Group. Universal Music Australia's corporate headquarters are located in Sydney, Australia. Labels Universal Music ...

after leaving Warner Music Australia. In September 2017, Liberation Music rebranded as Liberation Records. The Mushroom Group's newer imprint, Bloodlines, became home to several artists previously signed to Liberation Music. As part of a restructure of the Mushroom Group in July 2024, Liberation Records and other labels were consolidated into a new division called Mushroom Music.

Artists

Adalita Adalita Srsen (, born 25 February 1971), known mononymously as Adalita, is an Australian rock musician who is a founding member of the rock bands Magic Dirt and Bleak Squad, as well as a solo artist. She released her first solo album, ''Adalita ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

Custom Kings Custom Kings is a Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, folk-pop band started in 2002 as solo project for Nick Vorrath . After three critically acclaimed EPs they released their debut album, ''At Sea'' in 2007 and it was followed up with a second, ' ...

D.D Dumbo D.D Dumbo was the solo project of the Australian, Castlemaine-based musician, Oliver Hugh Perry, who began the project in 2013 with the release of his self-titled debut EP ''Tropical Oceans'', released by The Blue Rider in 2013 and later re-rel ...

Dan Sultan Daniel Leo Sultan is an Australian alternative rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, actor and author. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2010 he won Best Male Artist and Best Blues & Roots Album for his second album, '' Get Out While You Can'' (N ...

Emma Louise Emma Louise Lobb (born 16 July 1991), known professionally as Emma Louise, is an Australian singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 2011 debut single "Jungle". Two studio albums, '' Vs Head vs Heart'' (March 2013) and '' Supercry'' (July 2 ...

* Gordi *

Husky Husky is a general term for a type of dog used in the polar regions, primarily and specifically for work as sled dogs. It refers to a traditional northern type, notable for its cold-weather tolerance and overall hardiness. Modern racing huskies ...

Josef Salvat Josef Ignatius Salvat (born 28 October 1988) is an Australian singer and songwriter. He had his first international success after the release of his EP ''In Your Prime'' in 2014, which included a cover of Rihanna's song "Diamonds" that reache ...

Julia Jacklin Julia Jacklin (born 30 August 1990) is an Australian singer-songwriter from the Blue Mountains (New South Wales), Blue Mountains region of New South Wales. Jacklin's musical style has been described as indie pop, indie folk, and alternative cou ...

* Little Red *

Lotte Gallagher Lotte may refer to: Businesses * Lotte Corporation, a South Korean industrial conglomerate ** Lotte Capital, a South Korean financial company ** Lotte Card, a South Korean credit card provider ** Lotte Chilsung, a South Korean manufacturer of fo ...

Melody Pool Melody Pool is an Australian country-folk musician from Kurri Kurri, New South Wales. She first stepped on stage with her father, country musician Alby Pool, when she was 8 years old, and was performing solo aged 9. During her teens Pool playe ...

* Merci, Mercy * R.W. Grace * Seeker Lover Keeper *

Snakadaktal Snakadaktal was an Australian five-piece indie pop/dream pop band, which formed in 2009 in Melbourne, Victoria and broke up on 16 March 2014. The band consists of Sean Heathcliff (guitar, vocals, synthesizers), Phoebe Cockburn (vocals, synthesiz ...

TZU TZU (pronounced "Tee Zed Yoo") were an Australian hip hop group, formed in 1999 by Joelistics, Yeroc, Seed MC and Paso Bionic. Duzy What joined in 2005. The band used live instruments in their recordings and live performances, giving their sho ...

The Holidays The Holidays are an Australian indie pop/soul band. Formed in Sydney in 2006, the band consists of Simon Jones, Will Magnus, Alex Kortt and Andrew Kerridge. Their debut album '' Post Paradise'' was nominated for an Australian Music Prize. Biog ...

The Temper Trap The Temper Trap are an Australian indie rock band formed in 2005 by , Jonathon Aherne, and Toby Dundas. In 2008, the group relocated from Melbourne to London. The band released their debut album ''Conditions (album), Conditions'' in June 2009 to ...

Vance Joy James Gabriel Keogh (born 1 December 1987), known professionally as Vance Joy, is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician, and former Australian rules footballer. He is best known for his 2013 hit song " Riptide". Joy signed a five-album de ...

* World's End Press

References

{{Authority control Australian record labels Labels distributed by Universal Music Group Record labels established in 1999 Australian companies established in 1999 Record labels based in Melbourne Australian companies disestablished in 2024 Record labels disestablished in 2024