Photo Credit: Qobuz

Secretly earns 11 wins while Qobuz, True Panther Records, and rock band Geese also clean up at A2IM’s Libera Awards 2026.

Secretly and its artists, labels, affiliate companies, and distributed label partners earned 11 wins at the 2026 Libera Awards. Heading into the night with nominations across 27 different categories, the scope of recognition reflects the continued expansion of the Secretly ecosystem and its ongoing commitment to empowering independence.

Highlights include Secretly Distribution taking home Publisher of the Year and Hayley Williams’ Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party receiving Self-Released Record of the Year. Secretly Group wins extended across Best Folk Record, Best Rock Record, Best Record From Games & Interactive Media, and Best Singer-Songwriter Record. Several of Secretly Distribution’s label partners also took home top honors for Best Jazz Record, Best Singer-Songwriter Record, Best Reissue, and Best Creative Packaging.

Ahead of the Libera Awards, Secretly celebrated 12 executives named to Billboard’s 2026 list of Indie Power Players, with honorees spanning Secretly Group, Secretly Distribution, and All Flower Group. Later this summer, Secretly will mark the 30th anniversary of its founding with What Comes After the Blues: Secretly 30 in Bloomington, Indiana. Taking place August 27 to 29 in the city where it first began and where it is still headquartered, the three-night series will feature special performances at local venues essential to the story of Secretly and the city itself.

Meanwhile, Qobuz, the independently owned high-quality music streaming and download platform, won the coveted Independent Champion Award. The award recognizes an individual or organization whose work has made a significant impact in supporting independent artists and labels through its high-quality listening experience, human-curated editorial content, artist-focused initiatives, and support of the broader independent music ecosystem.

“We’re grateful to A2IM for this honor,” said Dan Mackta, Managing Director, North America at Qobuz. “Championing independent music has been our main objective from the start, so it’s especially meaningful to be recognized by the organization that’s done so much to support artists, labels, and the community.”

2026 Libera Awards Winners

Best Alternative Rock Record

  • Geese – Getting Killed (Partisan Records / Play It Again Sam)

Best American Roots Record

  • Hayden Pedigo – I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away (Mexican Summer)

Best Blues Record

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

Best Classical Record

  • Tiffany Poon – Nature (Pentatone)

Best Country Record

  • Margo Price – Hard Headed Woman (Loma Vista Recordings)

Best Dance Record

  • Fcukers – “I Like It Like That” (Ninja Tune)

Best Electronic Record presented by Redeye Worldwide

  • Oklou – choke enough (True Panther Records)

Best Folk Record

  • Folk Bitch Trio – Now Would Be A Good Time (Jagjaguwar)

Best Global Record

  • Mdou Moctar – Tears of Injustice (Matador Records)

Best Heavy Record

  • Model/Actriz – Pirouette (True Panther Records)

Best Hip-Hop/Rap Record presented by AUDIOSALAD

  • Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out (Clipse, under exclusive license to Roc Nation Distribution)

Best Independent Record Store

  • Rough Trade NYC

Best Jazz Record

  • Mei Semones – Animaru (Bayonet Records)

Best Latin Record

  • Lido Pimienta – La Belleza (ANTI-)

Best Outlier Record

  • Panda Bear – Sinister Grift (Domino)

Best Pop Record

  • Oklou – choke enough (True Panther Records)

Best Punk Record

  • Lambrini Girls – Who Let the Dogs Out (City Slang)

Best R&B Record

  • Thundercat – “Children of the Baked Potato (feat. Remi Wolf)” (Brainfeeder)

Best Record from Games and Interactive Media

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

Best Reissue

  • MF DOOM – Special Herbs (Rhymesayers Entertainment / Metalface Records)

Best Remix

  • Oklou – “blade bird (Nick León Broward Mix)” (True Panther Records)

Best Rock Record

  • Wednesday – Bleeds (Dead Oceans)

Best Singer-Songwriter Record

  • Ichiko Aoba – Luminescent Creatures (Psychic Hotline)
  • Annahstasia – Tether (drink sum wtr)

Best Soul/Funk Record

  • Mavis Staples – Sad and Beautiful World (ANTI-)

Best Spiritual Record

  • Lecrae – Reconstruction (Reach Records)

Best Sync Usage

  • Wet Leg – “mangetout” (Heated Rivalry) (Domino)

Breakthrough Artist presented by Sounds Better With Tito’s

  • Geese (Partisan Records / Play It Again Sam)

Best Creative Packaging

  • MF DOOM – Special Herbs (Rhymesayers Entertainment / Metalface Records)

Distributor of the Year

  • Secretly Distribution

Independent Champion presented by Bandcamp

  • Qobuz

Label of the Year (15 or more employees)

  • Partisan Records

Label of the Year (6-14 employees)

  • Mexican Summer

Label of the Year (5 or fewer employees)

  • True Panther Records

Marketing Genius

  • Geese – Getting Killed (Partisan Records / Play It Again Sam)

Music Video of the Year presented by YouTube

  • Oklou – “viscus” (True Panther Records)

Publisher of the Year

  • Secretly Publishing

Record of the Year presented by Merlin

  • Geese – Getting Killed (Partisan Records / Play It Again Sam)

Self-Released Record of the Year

  • Hayley Williams – Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party (Post Atlantic)