WAdeline Records was an American record label that was formed in Oakland, California in late 1997 and closed in August 2017.
WAmaru Entertainment is a record label founded by Afeni Shakur in early 1997 to handle the release of the unreleased material her son had created before his death on September 13, 1996. After the death of 2Pac, the label inherited the rights to 2Pacalypse Now, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z, Thug Life Vol. 1, and Me Against the World. Initially the company distributed its releases through Jive Records, beginning with R U Still Down? , and, as of 2011, the releases were being distributed by Universal Music Group's Interscope Records. Amaru has also released 11 posthumous albums by 2Pac and a documentary, Tupac: Resurrection. On May 2, 2016, Afeni Shakur died of a heart attack.
WAngel Air is an English independent record label established in February 1997, specialising in reissues of classic pop and rock albums originally issued in the 1960s and 1970s. It was formed by Peter and Shirley Purnell.
WAntenna is a South Korean record label founded by You Hee-yeol of the band Toy in 1997. Formerly an independent label, it was fully incorporated as a subsidiary under Kakao Entertainment in August 2021.
WAnticon is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1998 by seven musicians and manager Baillie Parker. It is now collectively owned among six musicians, co-founder Parker, and manager Shaun Koplow. The original musicians signed to Anticon were once referred to as the Anticon collective.
WThe Archenemy Record Company is a record label founded in 1997 and located in Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to such acts as Freezepop, Lifestyle, The Texas Governor, Rockets Burst from the Streetlamps, Chop Chop, and Karacter. The label is perhaps best known for Freezepop, which has gained a nationwide following after having music appearing in several video games, including Guitar Hero and FreQuency.
WArtoffact Records is a Canadian/Icelandic record label that concentrates on industrial, postpunk, heavy metal, and electronic music. The label was founded in 1999.
WBEC Recordings is a Christian rock record label that is an imprint of Tooth & Nail Records. The label was formed in 1997 in partnership with the EMI Christian Music Group.
WBella Union is a British independent record label founded in 1997 by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. It is now run solely by Raymonde.
WBig Dada is a British independent record label imprint distributed by Ninja Tune. It was started by reputed hip hop journalist Will Ashon in 1997. It is best known for being the home of prominent British hip hop artist Roots Manuva, poet and playwright Kate Tempest, grime pioneer Wiley, rapper and designer DELS and Mercury Prize winners Speech Debelle and Young Fathers.
WBlack Hole Recordings is a Dutch record label founded by Tijs Verwest (Tiësto) and Arny Bink in 1997. The label is currently distributed by Entertainment One Distribution, formerly known as E1 Entertainment Distribution. In August 2009, Tiësto decided to part ways with Black Hole Recordings, setting up the label Musical Freedom in association with PIAS Entertainment Group.
WDefstar Records, Inc. was a Japanese record label, a subsidiary of Sony Music Japan.
WEagle Rock Entertainment is an international producer and distributor of music films and programming. It operates two record labels, a full-service production company and a music publishing subsidiary.
WEclipse Records is an American independent record label based in Butler, New Jersey. The label is best known for bringing the Cleveland band Mushroomhead to national attention. The president of the label is Chris Poland, not to be confused with the former guitarist of Megadeth who happens to have the same name.
WFatCat Records is an English independent record label based in Brighton. The label's output reaches into many styles including experimental rock, electronica, psychedelic folk, contemporary classical, noise and post-punk. Notable artists that have released music on the label include Sigur Rós, Múm, Animal Collective, Frightened Rabbit, Shopping, The Twilight Sad, Vashti Bunyan and We Were Promised Jetpacks.
WFlyingDog, Inc. , also stylized as flying DOG, is a Japanese record label formerly known as the Victor Entertainment subsidiary M-serve, founded in 1997. FlyingDog is a record label that specializes in the production of animation-related video and music software.
WG7 Welcoming Committee Records was a Canadian independent record label based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The label mostly released material by artists and speakers with a radical left-wing point of view.
WGooom Disques, or Gooom, was an electronic music record label based in Paris, France. Gooom was founded by Jean-Philippe Talaga in 1997 after interviewing the British post-rock act Stereolab for his fanzine and both parties agreeing to release music. As a result, the first release on the label was a split EP by Stereolab and Fugu.
WGreat Big Island is an independent record label based in Washington state.
WGringo Records is a British independent record label based in Nottingham, England, which was founded in 1996. It is known for releasing experimental rock and its DIY ethic.
WHeartbeat Productions is the parent company of a number of record labels originating from Bristol, England. Heartbeat Records was formed in 1978, and other labels have been added over the years to cater for specific niche markets or bands: Riot City Records in 1980, Disorder Records in 1981, FSA Records in 1992 and Trash City Records in 1994.
WHellcat Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. The label, an offshoot of Epitaph Records, was started as a partnership between Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, the owner of Epitaph, and Tim Armstrong of Rancid, who was generally responsible for signing bands.
WHypnotic Records is an American independent record label specializing in electronic music.
WMurder Inc. is an American record label founded by brothers, Chris and Irv Gotti in 1998.
WJYP Entertainment Corporation is a South Korean multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate founded in 1997 by J. Y. Park. It is one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea, and operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management company, concert production company, and music publishing house. In addition, the company operates various subsidiary ventures and divisions worldwide.
WKMG Records was a Christian record label. The label was established in 1997 by Buddy Killen as a subunit of the Killen Music Group / Buddy Killen Enterprises and sold in late 1998 to Cal Turner III, who is related to the Cal Turner of Dollar General stores. Following the sale, Buddy Killen continued to consult for the firm.
WLegion Records was started in 1997 by Michael Brosnan as Goatboy Records, later changed to Goatboy Farms Recordings. It was centered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The final name change occurred in 1999. The label specialized in the heavy metal, grindcore and sludge genres of music.
WLion Music is a production company and record label founded in 1989 by composer and artist Lars Eric Mattsson.
WMediaPro Music is a Romanian record label, part of the Universal Music Group. Launched in 1997, it became integrated business of the Radio Company PRO in 2006. Between the main label and its sub-labels most music genres are covered, ranging from rock and pop, to dance, Latin, traditional folk, and children music. Moreover, the company is also involved in event planning and publishing activities. In 2015, it was confirmed that American corporation Universal Music Group acquired MediaPro Music.
WMonsp Records is a Finnish record label founded by Keijo "Kepe" Kiiskinen in 1997 and owned by Warner Music Group since May 2019.
WNaïve Records is a French independent record label based in Paris, specializing in electronic music, pop music, jazz and classical music.
WThe Orchard is an American music and entertainment company, specializing in media distribution, marketing, and sales. It is a subsidiary of Sony Music, based in New York City. In 2019, the company sold off its film and television division, which was renamed 1091 Media.
WRock Express was a Serbian music magazine.
W5 Minute Walk was an independent record label founded by Frank Tate in April 1995. Operations were based in Concord, California in the back offices of The Screem, a music club operated by Tate. They only carried Christian bands and considered themselves to be a Christian ministry. Most records were produced by Masaki Liu at Masaki's One Way Studio and executive produced by Frank Tate.
WSolid State Records is a Christian record label, an imprint of Tooth & Nail Records. Unlike Tooth & Nail, Solid State signs hardcore punk and heavy metal bands. Like Tooth & Nail, Solid State is primarily a Christian label. However, they have signed several bands with Christian members that don't label themselves as Christian bands, including Stretch Arm Strong, Gwen Stacy, He Is Legend, the Famine, Training for Utopia, and the Agony Scene.
WSongBird is a Dutch sub label owned by Tijs Verwest and Arny Bink. It is a sub label of Black Hole Recordings, established in 1997, and is most well known as the label on which Tiësto's popular trance series, In Search of Sunrise, was released.
WTooth & Nail Records is a Christian rock record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington where it is situated today. It is home to many well-known musical acts, including Underoath, Hawk Nelson, Emery, The Almost, FM Static, Family Force 5, Anberlin, and MxPx.
WThrive Music is a United States-based record label founded in Los Angeles, California, by music industry entrepreneur, Ricardo Vinas.
WTKO Records is an independent punk rock record label in Portland, Oregon. The label is primarily known for its role in the late 1990s American street punk scene and has continued its notability as a source of new releases, reissues, and archival recordings. The OC Weekly newspaper recognized the label as "best record label" in Orange County in 2011 and its record store of the same name as "best punk-rock record store" in Orange County, 2008.
WTokyo Dawn Records is an independent record label based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The label carries origins in the demoscene and was established 1997 as one of the first netlabels worldwide to promote "opensource music". The label was relaunched in 2009 with a new concept.
WTrifekta is the name of a now defunct Australia based independent record label, based in Fitzroy, Victoria. It was started in 1997 by Tom Larnach-Jones, Tim Everest and Paul 'Presser' Towner (Gerling).
WTunnel Records is a record label founded by DJ Dean, and based in Hamburg, Germany. Tunnel Records was home to artists and groups such as X-Dream, DJ Dean, Gollum + Hunter, DJ Yanny, Accuface, Wrong Plane, DJ Shane, DJ Shoko, Waveliner, DJ Krid-Kid, Dj C-Bass & DJ Merlin, Ziggy X, Patrick Bunton, and Gary D.
WUniversal Music Latin Entertainment, a division of Universal Music Group (Vivendi), is a record company specialized in producing and distributing Latin music in Mexico, the United States, and Puerto Rico. UMLE includes famous Latin music labels such as Universal Music Latino, Fonovisa Records, Universal Music Mexico, Capitol Latin, Machete Music and Disa Records.
WVale Music was a Spanish record label founded and chaired by Ricardo Campoy. Together with executives Narcís Rebollo and Gabriel Blanco, who came from Campoy's previous record label, Max Music. Universal Music Group acquired the label in 2006, thus forming part of the world's largest music company.
WWind-up Entertainment was an American independent record label founded by Alan and Diana Meltzer in 1997. It was based in New York City and was distributed by BMG Distribution. Wind-up's best-selling artists worldwide were Evanescence.
WYep Roc Records is an American independent record label based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and owned by Redeye Distribution. Since 1997, the label has released albums from North Carolina and international artists, including Nick Lowe, Paul Weller, Mandolin Orange, Steep Canyon Rangers, Jim Lauderdale, Dave Alvin, Tift Merritt, Chuck Prophet, Robyn Hitchcock, Alejandro Escovedo, Aoife O'Donovan, Chatham County Line, Los Straitjackets, Amy Helm, Gang of Four, The Apples in Stereo, and Ian McLagan.