2019 Libera Awards
# 2019 Libera Awards

The 2019 Libera Awards took place on June 20, 2019. Presented by the American Association of Independent Music, it recognized the best in independent music during a ceremony at New York City's Ziegfeld Ballroom.

The ceremony was hosted by comedian Chris Gethard and featured performances by Deva Mahal, Sunflower Bean, and Jean-Michel Blais.

This was the first year where there were three categories for Label of the Year as opposed to two; Small (5 or fewer employees), Medium (6-14 employees), and Big (15 or more employees).

## Winners and nominees

Adapted from Libera Awards.

| Album of the Year | Best Live Act |
| - | - |
| Kamasi Washington – Heaven and Earth Mitski – Be The Cowboy IDLES – Joy as an Act of Resistance serpentwithfeet – soil Yves Tumor – Safe In The Hands Of Love | BADBADNOTGOOD King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Mitski Run the Jewels Kelela |
| Best American Roots/Folk Album | Best Blues Album |
| John Prine – The Tree of Forgiveness Calexico – The Thread That Keeps Us Richard Thompson – 13 Rivers I'm With Her – See You Around Dom Flemons – Black Cowboys | Fantastic Negrito – Please Don't Be Dead Shemekia Copeland – America's Child Boz Scaggs – Out Of The Blues Deva Mahal – Run Deep Cedric Burnside – Benton County Relic |
| Best Classical Album | Best Country/Americana Album |
| Jean-Michel Blais – Dans ma main Niklas Paschburg – Oceanic Henrik Schwarz & Metropole Orkest – Scripted Orkestra London Symphony Orchestra – Fuchs: Piano Concerto "Spiritualist" Oliver Coates – John Luther Adams: Canticles of the Sky | John Prine – The Tree of Forgiveness Phosphorescent – C'est La Vie Mary Gauthier – Rifles and Rosary Beads Jim Lauderdale – Time Flies Alejandro Escovedo – The Crossing |
| Best Dance/Electronic Album | Best Hip-Hop/Rap Album |
| Yves Tumor – Safe In The Hands Of Love Leon Vynehall – Nothing Is Still Jon Hopkins – Singularity SOPHIE – Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides Oneohtrix Point Never – Age Of | Awkwafina – In Fina We Trust August Greene – August Greene Myke Bogan – Joe Fontana Blueface – Famous Cryp Junglepussy – JP3 |
| Best Jazz Album | Best Latin Album |
| Kamasi Washington – Heaven and Earth Onyx Collective – Lower East Suite Part Three Esperanza Spalding – 12 Little Spells Julian Lage – Modern Lore Tia Fuller – Diamond Cut | Bad Bunny – X 100PRE Cuco – Chiquito Orquesta Akokán – Orquesta Akokán El Alfa – El Hombre Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles – Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles |
| Best Metal Album | Best Outlier Album |
| Deafheaven – Ordinary Corrupt Human Love High on Fire – Electric Messiah Underoath – Erase Me Thou – Magus Sleep – The Sciences | Khruangbin – Con Todo El Mundo Kero Kero Bonito – Time 'n' Place Serpentwithfeet – soil Yves Tumor – Safe In The Hands Of Love Oneohtrix Point Never – Age Of |
| Best R&B Album | Best Re-Issue Album |
| Charles Bradley – Black Velvet Durand Jones & The Indications – Durand Jones & The Indications Blood Orange – Negro Swan Kadhja Bonet – Childqueen Serpentwithfeet – soil | Pixies – Come On Pilgrim...It's Surfer Rosa Tom Waits – Small Change Bauhaus – The Bela Session Liz Phair – Girly-Sound To Guyville: The 25th Anniversary Boxset Hiss Golden Messenger – Devotion: Songs About Rivers and Spirits and Children |
| Best Rock Album | Best Sync Usage |
| Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel Mitski – Be The Cowboy Shame – Songs of Praise Snail Mail – Lush IDLES – Joy as an Act of Resistance | Run the Jewels (RTJ Music, Inc.) – x Black Panther Gillian Welch (Acony Records) – "The Way It Will Be" in This Is Us Shigeto (Ghostly International) – "Ann Arbor Pt 1" & "Lady Misaki" in Japan's Decorated Trucks - Shot on iPhone (Apple) Perfume Genius (Matador Records) – Eighth Grade trailer Alice Merton (Mom+Pop) – "No Roots" (Mini Cooper Sync) |
| Best World Album | Breakthrough Artist/Release |
| Bombino – Deran Gilberto Gil – OK OK OK Femi Kuti – One People One World Angelique Kidjo – Remain in Light Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 – Black Times | IDLES – Joy as an Act of Resistance Snail Mail – Lush Lucy Dacus – Historian Sunflower Bean – Come For Me Caroline Rose – Loner |
| Creative Packaging | Independent Champion |
| Kamasi Washington – Heaven and Earth Various Artists – Brainfeeder X Charles Bradley – Black Velvet Deluxe Box Mitski – Be The Cowboy John Maus – Vinyl Box Set | NPR Caroline CD Baby Redeye SoundExchange |
| Label of the Year (Big) | Label of the Year (Medium) |
| Domino Recording Co. Dead Oceans Polyvinyl Record Co. Rough Trade Records Warp Records | Partisan Records Bloodshot Records Mom+Pop Saddle Creek Yep Roc Records |
| Label of the Year (Small) | Marketing Genius |
| Daptone Records Brainfeeder Hardly Art Innovative Leisure Oh Boy Records | Aphex Twin – Collapse EP King Gizzard – King Gizzard Reissues Campaign Khruangbin – Con Todo El Mundo IDLES – Joy as an Act of Resistance Reggae Month – Studio One |
| Video of the Year | |
| Mitski – "Nobody" Moses Sumney – "Quarrel" John Prine – "Summer's End" Aphex Twin – "T69 Collapse" Kamasi Washington – "Street Fighter" | |

## Special awards

A2IM Lifetime Achievement Award

* Jonathan Poneman, co-founder of Sub Pop
