Dead Oceans is an independent record label

Independent record label

An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...

 based jointly in Bloomington, Indiana

Bloomington, Indiana

Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....

 and Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

. The label has a small, but powerful roster of well-known acts including Akron/Family

Akron/Family

Akron/Family is a folk-influenced experimental rock band that formed in 2002, and its members currently live in Portland, Oregon , Tucson, Arizona and New York City, New York.-Music and history:...

, John Vanderslice

John Vanderslice

John Vanderslice is an American musician and songwriter. Previously a member of the band Mk Ultra, he now records and performs as a solo artist.-Early years:...

, Califone

Califone

Califone is an experimental rock band from Chicago. The band is named after Califone International, an audio equipment manufacturer. Their work has been critically acclaimed....

, Phosphorescent

Phosphorescent (band)

Phosphorescent is the working moniker of American multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Matthew Houck. Originally from Alabama, Houck began recording and performing under this nom de plume in 2001 in Athens, Georgia...

, Bishop Allen

Bishop Allen

Bishop Allen is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York. The band's core members are Justin Rice and Christian Rudder, who are supported both on stage and in the studio by a rotating cast of musical collaborators...

, Casey Dienel

Casey Dienel

Casey Dienel is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She released her debut album, Wind-Up Canary, in 2006 on Hush Records...

's band White Hinterland, Bowerbirds, and The Tallest Man on Earth

The Tallest Man on Earth

Kristian Matsson is a singer-songwriter from Dalarna, Sweden. Since 2006, he has released two full-length albums and two EPs...

.
After nearly a decade managing Misra Records

Misra Records

Misra Records is an independent record label run out of Durham, North Carolina with branch offices in Washington D.C., Seattle, Washington, and Los Angeles, California....

, Phil Waldorf jumped ship to form Dead Oceans in 2007. Run side by side with sister labels Secretly Canadian

Secretly Canadian

Secretly Canadian is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana. It was started in 1996 by Chris and Ben Swanson, Eric Weddle, and Jonathan Cargill. Their first release was a re-issue of an album by June Panic...

 and Jagjaguwar

Jagjaguwar

Jagjaguwar is an indie rock record label based in Bloomington, Indiana.-History:In 1996, in Charlottesville, Virginia, friends of Darius Van Arman who performed in a band under the moniker The Curious Digit had just recorded a new album, but they were signed to no label...

, Dead Oceans is co-owned by the partners behind Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar (Ben Swanson, Chris Swanson, Darius Van Arman, Jonathan Cargill) with Phil Waldorf.