I bought this - http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-goldwax-story-vol-1/id285859179 - on iTunes because I trust Goldwax to deliver quality. I feel the same way about FAME.

used to be a sign of quality, but that was last century and a lifetime ago

I agree with Charlie Gillett:

"There have been moments in pop history when you can depend upon a label to buy a record blind. Atlantic had it. Motown had it for a while. And World Circuit has it at the moment."

http://www.worldcircuit.co.uk

of the stuff on David Sylvian's Samdhi Sounds label - him, Steve Jansen, Sweet Billy Pilgrim, Nine Horses.

Constellation from Canada is usually a sign of quality - Godspeed you Black Emperor, A Silver Mt Zion Orchestra etc.

4AD I always liked a lot but lost touch with a little in the mid 90s and, of course, in the olden days when I still had full use of my faculties, the famous Charisma label.

explosions in the sky, fleet foxes, the low anthem, midlike, the acorn, etc. If i was in two minds about buying something and saw it was on bella union, that'd probably persuade me.

And also Stiff, Virgin (in the 70s/early 80s) & Rough Trade

and for re-issues/collections it always seems to be Metro, Rhino or Sanctuary.

Factory was usually pretty reliable, but a tad self-indulgent me thinks

http://analogafrica.blogspot.com/

King Crimson
Robert Fripp solo
Brian Eno
Bruford
UK

Votes for pink label-era Island and Stiff as well.

Very reliable.

for compilations the old soul.

Lovely lovely stuff.

Not still around but Berserkley was a pretty fine label and I bought a few CDs just because they said Demon on the spine. I remember buying my first Ben Vaughn CD from Camden Market just because it was on Demon and I assumed I couldn't go wrong - I was right.

Also, various other reggae labels -

Studio One
Trojan (if you can cope with having the same songs on so many different compilations)
Pressure Sounds
Blood And Fire
Channel One

its delmark

for those of a more modern persuasion, I am a fan of a few record labels that keep putting out very intersting records. I may not buy them, but I'm more likely to investigate.

Planet Mu (Neil Landstrumm, Boxcutter, Sunken Foal, Distance, Venetian Snares)
Hyperdub (Kode9, Spaceape, Burial)
Ninja Tune / Big Dada (The Bug, Roots Manuva, Spank Rock, Wagon Christ, Daedelus, King Cannibal)
Domino (Adem, Arctic Monkeys, Clinic, Hood, The Kills, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Psapp, Stephen Malkmus, Tricky, Four Tet, Franz Ferdinand)

These are the 4 that seem to dominate my record collection, anyway.

Postcard.

Oh, and Sarah Records make me happy

... the Swiss label hat Hut/Hatology is very reliable.

For the past 35 years it's been piloted by the excellently named Werner X. Uehlinger. Well done sir!

If you fancy dipping in to its magnificnet catalogue, try ...

"Alive in the House of Saints" by Myra Melford
"Ne Plus Ultra" by Warne Marsh
"Live at Dreher" by Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy or
"The Dark Tree Vols 1 & 2" by Horace Tapscott

... mind-expanding stuff.

A class act, whether classical, jazz or Wilco....

and another vote for The Famous Charisma label.

While we're talking 1970's history, has anyone mentioned UA, home of Hawkwind, Man, Help Yourself and the Greasy Truckers?

All labels that I've loved with considerable passion!

from the 50's and 60's could be bought on spec. I used to pick them by the cover artwork - never disappointed.

have had a pretty good strike rate, and for the first 10 years hardly put a foot wrong

The most treasured elements of my record collection are on the CBS imprint, to use an old phrase.
Dylan, Public Enemy (as good as CBS for most of early career), The Clash, Springsteen.
I have tonnes of Domino, Nonesuch, Vagrant, Merge, Barclay, Warners, some Shifty Disco even, but wouldn't swap any of it for the above four artists.

ztt
even creation

Especially back when they still released singles.

releasing nice Americana/Western/Hillbilly music. Home of Southern Culture On the Skids, Los Staritjackets, Todd Snider, Dave Alvin, etc.
Also Nick Lowe, Chuck Prophet, Mercury Rev, Ron Sexsmith.

Great to see Patrick highlight Soundway (that Ghana complilation is superb) and see labels like Soul Jazz and Analogue Africa.

I think Honest Jons is a worthy addition to that 'strand' - some incredible compilations of historic 'world music' (often compiled from archives of 78rpm discs) in particular have opened my ears to so much new music: the 'Open Strings' double CD of 1920s Middle Eastern string music (with contemporary 'responses' by the likes of Six Organs of Admittance) is a good example. The label is also home to Candi Staton, Trembling Bells and Moritz von Oswald (of groundbreaking techno band Basic Channel).

I'm keeping my eye on any Salvo reissues now, too, simply because the recent releases of the Move and Procol Harum catalogues have been terrific - gorgeous sound and presentation.

And I know this might be a bit of an odd pick, but I think Naxos is a great example of how a label can have such an extraordinary presence in a particular field. Obviously a lot of classical music buffs know what they're looking for when they make a purchase, but Naxos took quality recordings and made them cheap and accessible to the curious listener - still only £6 a throw now and they pack their discs to the brim.

I find that if I'm in the mood for radical 1970s and 1980s avant garde jazz (and I often am), then the Black Saint label can usually be relied upon. Here are a few choice tasters:

Muhal Richard Abrams and Malachi Favors - "Sightsong"
David Murray Octet - "Ming"
Billy Harper - "Black Saint"

... and best of all, the John Carter Octet's "Dauwhe", the first part of Carter's mind-blowing five-album suite "Roots and Folklore: Episodes in the Development of American Folk Music". Obscure but utterly brilliant. Trust me on this one.

Ace.
Definitive collections of so many artists with wonderful sleeve notes and mastering.
Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Impressions, Ricky Nelson, Shirelles etc.
Which reminds me, I think their new catalogue (free!) is out soon.

I was a fan before the free download via the Independent Online
http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/free-navigatorreveal-compilation-t...
I'm an even bigger fan now.

Are consistently good, and they do great vinyl.

On a smaller scale, Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation - nary a clunker released by them.

The March Violets
James Ray's Performance
The Sisters Of Mercy
Tabula Rasa?

Sun Ra, Albert Ayler and beyond.

“The artists alone decide what you will hear on their ESP-Disk”.