Merlin Celebrates Members With 2026 Libera Awards Nominations

The nominations for A2IM’s 2026 Libera Awards have been announced, and we’re thrilled to see so many artists, labels, and distributors from across the Merlin membership recognized for their outstanding work. The 15th annual awards ceremony, presented by Merlin, will take place on Monday, June 8th at the historic Gotham Hall in New York City. The awards are a celebration of the independent music community. It’s an honor to see our members among the nominees!

Here is the complete list of nominations for the 2026 Libera Awards, presented by Merlin:

Label of the Year (15 or More Employees)

Ghostly International (BWSCD)
Merge Records
Ninja Tune
Polyvinyl Record Co.
Sacred Bones Records (BWSCD)
Sub Pop Records
Stones Throw Records
Third Man Records
Warp Records

Label of the Year (6-14 Employees)

Captured Tracks (Secretly Distribution)
Light in the Attic (AudioSalad)
Mexican Summer (IDOL)
Run For Cover Records (BWSCD)
Secret City Records

Label of the Year (5 or Fewer Employees)

Bayonet Records (Secretly Distribution)
Brainfeeder (Ninja Tune)
Colemine Records (BWSCD)
Daptone Records (Redeye)
Oh Boy Records (Secretly Distribution)
Psychic Hotline (Redeye)
RVNG Intl. (BWSCD)
Saddle Creek
Wax Bodega (Many Hats Endeavors)

Record of the Year

Hayley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party (Post Atlantic / BWSCD)
Mavis Staples – Sad And Beautiful World (ANTI- / Epitaph)
Oklou – choke enough (True Panther Records / Because)
Oneohtrix Point Never – Tranquilizer (Warp Records)
Wednesday – Bleeds (Dead Oceans / BWSCD)

Breakthrough Artist

Gelli Haha (Innovative Leisure / Redeye)
Lambrini Girls (City Slang / IDOL)

Self-Released Record of the Year

Hayley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party (Post Atlantic / BWSCD)

Music Video of the Year

Die Spitz – “Throw Yourself to the Sword” (Third Man Records)
Wednesday – “Elderberry Wine” (Dead Oceans / BWSCD)
Wet Leg – “catch these fists” (Domino)
Oklou – “viscus” (True Panther Records / Because)

Best Alternative Rock Record

The Beths – Straight Line Was A Lie (ANTI- / Epitaph)
Nilufer Yanya – “Dancing Shoes” (Ninja Tune)

Best American Roots Record

Amanda Shires – Nobody’s Girl (ATO Records)
Hayden Pedigo – I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away (Mexican Summer / IDOL)
Mon Rovîa – “Heavy Foot” (Nettwerk Music Group)
Neko Case – Neon Grey Midnight Green (ANTI- / Epitaph)

Best Blues Record

Antone’s 50th Allstars – The Last Real Texas Blues Album (New West Records / Redeye)

Best Classical Record

Kara-Lis Coverdale – A Series of Actions in a Sphere of Forever (Smalltown Supersound / BWSCD)
Will Liverman – The Dunbar/Moore Sessions, Vol. II (Lexicon Classics / Symphonic)

Best Country Record

Alison Krauss & Union Station – “Richmond on the James” (Down The Road Records / Exceleration)
Shaboozey – “Good News” (American Dogwood / EMPIRE)

Best Dance Record

Danny Brown – Stardust (Warp Records)
Fcukers – “I Like It Like That” (Ninja Tune)
Gelli Haha – Switcheroo (Innovative Leisure / Redeye)
Sextile – yes, please. (Sacred Bones Records / BWSCD)
Shygirl – Club Shy Room 2 (Because Music)

Best Electronic Record

Ela Minus – DÍA (Domino)
Helado Negro – The Last Sound On Earth (Big Dada / Ninja Tune)
Oklou – choke enough (True Panther Records / Because)
Oneohtrix Point Never – Tranquilizer (Warp Records)
Sudan Archives – THE BPM (Stones Throw Records)

Best Folk Record

Folk Bitch Trio – Now Would Be A Good Time (Jagjaguwar / BWSCD)
Joanne Robertson – Blurrr (AD 93 / !K7 Music)
Madi Diaz – Fatal Optimist (ANTI- / Epitaph)

Best Global Record

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza (ANTI- / Epitaph)
Mulatu Astatke – Mulatu Plays Mulatu (Strut Records / !K7 Music)
Pachyman – Another Place (ATO Records)

Best Heavy Record

The Callous Daoboys – I Don’t Want To See You In Heaven (MNRK Music Group)
Die Spitz – Something to Consume (Third Man Records / BWSCD)
DRAIN – …IS YOUR FRIEND (Epitaph)
Model/Actriz – Pirouette (True Panther Records / Because)
They Are Gutting a Body of Water – LOTTO (ATO Records)
YHWH Nailgun – 45 Pounds (AD 93 / !K7 Music)

Best Hip-Hop/Rap Record

billy woods – GOLLIWOG (Backwoodz Studioz / Ditto Ltd, Rhymesayers Entertainment, Secretly Distribution)
Shygirl – “SLIME is BESTIE (ft. JT and Sega Bodega)” (Because Music)

Best Jazz Record

Chick Corea, Christian McBride + Brian Blade – Trilogy 3 (Candid Records / Exceleration)
James Brandon Lewis – Apple Cores (ANTI- / Epitaph)
Kassa Overall – CREAM (Warp Records)
Ledisi – For Dinah (Candid Records / Exceleration)
Marshall Allen – New Dawn (Mexican Summer / IDOL)
Mei Semones – Animaru (Bayonet Records / BWSCD)

Best Latin Record

Adrian Quesada – Boleros Psicodélicos II (ATO Records)
Buscabulla – Se Amaba Así (Domino)
Juan Wauters – MVD LUV (Captured Tracks / BWSCD)
Lido Pimienta – La Belleza (ANTI- / Epitaph)
Rubio – “Voy Creciendo” (FAMA Collective / Symphonic)
Sessa – Pequena Vertigem de Amor (Mexican Summer / IDOL)

Best Outlier Record

Guerilla Toss – You’re Weird Now (Sub Pop)
Khruangbin – The Universe Smiles Upon You ii (Dead Oceans / BWSCD)
Panda Bear – Sinister Grift (Domino)
William Tyler – Time Indefinite (Psychic Hotline / BWSCD)

Best Pop Record

Oklou – choke enough (True Panther Records / Because)

Best Punk Record

Joyce Manor – “Well, Whatever It Was” (Epitaph)
Lambrini Girls – Who Let The Dogs Out (City Slang / IDOL)
Laura Jane Grace – Adventure Club (Polyvinyl Record Co.)
Scowl – Are We All Angels (Dead Oceans / BWSCD)
Snooper – Worldwide (Third Man Records / BWSCD)
Upchuck – I’m Nice Now (Domino)

Best R&B Record

Dawn Richard – “A Flex” (Merge Records)
Kelela – In The Blue Light (Warp Records)
NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge) – “Everybody Gets Down” (Stones Throw Records)
Thundercat – “Children of the Baked Potato (feat. Remi Wolf)” (Brainfeeder / Ninja Tune)
Yaya Bey – do it afraid (drink sum wtr / BWSCD)

Best Record from Games and Interactive Media

C418 – Minecraft: Alpha + Beta (Box Set) (Ghostly International / BWSCD)

Best Reissue

Everything But The Girl – The Best of Everything But The Girl (Buzzin’ Fly, Chrysalis Records / BWSCD)
Hiroshi Yoshimura – Flora (Temporal Drift / Audiosalad)
MF DOOM – Special Herbs (Rhymesayers Entertainment, Metalface Records / BWSCD)
Rilo Kiley – The Execution of All Things (Frozen Lake Edition) (Saddle Creek)

Best Remix

Ela Minus – “QQQQ (Nick León Apocalypto Remix)” (Domino)
Faux Real – “Walking Away From My Demons (Wet Leg Remix)” (City Slang / IDOL)
Lambrini Girls – “Cuntology 101 (Peaches Remix)” (City Slang / IDOL)
Oklou – “blade bird (Nick León Broward Mix)” (True Panther Records / Because)
Reyna Tropical / Amantes del Futuro – “Conocerla” (Psychic Hotline / BWSCD)

Best Rock Record

Hayley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party (Post Atlantic / BWSCD)
Momma – Welcome to My Blue Sky (Polyvinyl Record Co.)
Wednesday – Bleeds (Dead Oceans / BWSCD)

Best Singer-Songwriter Record

Alice Phoebe Lou – Oblivion (Nettwerk Music Group)
Annahstasia – Tether (drink sum wtr / BWSCD)
Ichiko Aoba – Luminescent Creatures (Psychic Hotline / BWSCD)
Madi Diaz – Fatal Optimist (ANTI- / Epitaph)
Mei Semones – Animaru (Bayonet Records / BWSCD)

Best Soul/Funk Record

The Altons – Heartache in Room 14 (Daptone Records / Redeye)
Curtis Harding – Departures & Arrivals: Adventures of Captain Curt (ANTI- / Epitaph)
Durand Jones & The Indications – Flowers (Dead Oceans / BWSCD)
Mavis Staples – Sad And Beautiful World (ANTI- / Epitaph)
Say She She – Cut & Rewind (drink sum wtr / BWSCD)

Best Spiritual Record

Alexxander – LLORÓN (Reach Records)
Ami Taf Ra – The Prophet and The Madman (Brainfeeder / Ninja Tune)
Lecrae – Reconstruction (Reach Records)

Distributor of the Year

AudioSalad
IDOL
Redeye Worldwide
Secretly Distribution
Symphonic Distribution

Independent Champion

AudioSalad
FaroLatino

Publisher of the Year

Reservoir
Secretly Publishing
Sub Pop Publishing
Warp Publishing

Marketing Genius

Because Music – Because Beaubourg (Because Music)
Hayley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party (Post Atlantic / BWSCD)
MF DOOM – Special Herbs (Rhymesayers Entertainment, Metalface Records / BWSCD)
Wednesday – Bleeds (Dead Oceans / BWSCD)
We’ll Never Stop Living This Way: A Ghostly International Catalogue (Ghostly International / BWSCD)

Best Sync Usage

Bully – “Days Move Slow” (I Know What You Did Last Summer) (Sub Pop)
Buzzcocks – “Why Can’t I Touch It” (ROSS) (Domino)
De La Soul – “Me Myself and I” (Target Back to School) (A.O.I. Records/Reservoir)
Goldie Boutilier – “King of Possibilities” (The Hunting Wives) (ONErpm)
John Prine – “In Spite of Ourselves” (Die My Love) (Oh Boy Records / BWSCD)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Burning” (Lucid) (Secretly Canadian)
Wet Leg – “mangetout” (Heated Rivalry) (Domino)

Best Creative Packaging

Bobby “Boris” Pickett & Edgar Winter – “Monster Rap” b/w “Frankenstein 1984” (Frankenstein-Shaped Vinyl) (Reservoir Recordings)
Bon Iver – SABLE, fABLE (Jagjaguwar / BWSCD)
Chucho Valdés, Royal Quartet – Cuba And Beyond (InnerJazz / InnerCat)
J Dilla – Donuts (Audiophile Edition) (Stones Throw Records)
John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies – Halloween: The Complete Expanded Collection (Sacred Bones Records / BWSCD)
MF DOOM – Special Herbs (Rhymesayers Entertainment, Metalface Records / BWSCD)

Congratulations to all the nominees. We look forward to celebrating with you on June 8th!