A monthly focus on the key players in the industry’s independent music landscape.

DIY wouldn’t be what it is without buzzy bands and grassroots scenes, and independent labels are a crucial cog in that wonderful new music wheel.

Up next in our monthly feature spotlighting some of the very best in the biz, we chat to Jared Jones, founder of LA-via-Indiana label Winspear, which counts the likes of Lutalo, Jahnah Camille, and Wishy among its ranks.

How would you describe, in less than 10 words, the ethos behind Winspear? Facilitating collaboration between creatives from an independent mindset.

Why did your community need a label like Winspear? Tell us a bit more about why you decided to set it up. We started in Bloomington, Indiana, in 2015. I grew up in Indiana and went to college in Bloomington. We were inspired by other small tape labels that existed at the time: our friends at Jurassic Pop Records, who were also from Indiana, and Sports Day Records out of Austin, TX. We were equally inspired by the bigger and more established indie labels that also started in college towns – Polyvinyl, Merge, and Bloomington’s own Secretly Canadian. We felt like there were a ton of local and regional bands that were really great and didn’t get the shine they deserved, and thought we could add value by partnering with them to release their recordings.

I moved to LA in 2020, not out of any sense that the city needed a label like ours; it certainly is doing just fine without us. However, it has been a great HQ for the label over the last few years, as we’ve expanded beyond working with bands based in the Midwest to working with bands all across the US. It’s been a great city for meeting others who work in music and want to help champion our artists on a national and international level.

Your roster is a small but mighty collection of stellar, staunchly indie artists. What’s your decision process for what you decide to record and publish at the label? What makes someone the right fit for Winspear? Keeping the roster small but mighty is a big part of what sets us apart. The size allows us to focus our efforts and invest our resources in a more concentrated way than if the goal were to release as many records as possible. This mindset is a big factor in deciding what is the right fit for us - knowing that we may only release four or five albums in a year, we have to be sure we will have enough time, energy, and resources for a project before taking it on. Another big related factor is, of course, how much we personally connect with the music. With a small team like ours, waking up every morning ready to go to bat for a record we really, really believe in is crucial to breaking through the noise.

“With a small team like ours, waking up every morning ready to go to bat for a record we really, really believe in is crucial to breaking through the noise.”

What excites you most about the independent music scene at the moment? I love seeing bands still booking DIY tours, being scrappy with their recording, and not letting the rising costs of everything get in the way of creating art, music, and the community around it. I think some of the best, most creative music comes out of these communities, and their flourishing is critical for the wider independent music scene.

What’s your biggest Winspear highlight/most memorable moment? Our semi-annual label showcase, called the Winspear Review, is always a highlight for me when it happens. So much of what we do happens over the internet, for better or worse. So when we get to see our bands play live and hang out with them in person, it always feels like such a high. All our efforts behind the scenes culminate in this moment where people gather together to appreciate the songs we ushered into the world. It always feels special, and I’m excited for our London showcase on 11th November!

Tell us the biggest lesson you’ve learned since founding the label. Most things are out of your control; as in life generally, but when running a record label, it’s lesson after lesson of this truth. Despite having little control over how a record is ultimately received, I see our role as helping guide the albums, artists, and releases. We aim to put them in the best possible position for success. If, at the end of the day, we did everything in our control to give a release its best shot, I can be happy with the results.

**Musically or otherwise, what are you most looking forward to for the rest of 2025? ** As our most prolific year yet comes to a close, I’m looking forward to reflecting and refreshing. The end of the year is a great time for taking stock of what we did right and laying plans for next year. I love how things quiet down significantly at the end of the year in the music industry - and with that lull, I look forward to doing some traveling, seeing friends and family, and doing some big picture thinking and dreaming.

**Find out more about Winspear Records at winspear.biz. **

**2025’s Winspear Review takes place tomorrow (11th November) in London at MOTH Club; get tickets here. **

As featured in the October 2025 issue of DIY, out now.

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