Merge Records

We love to highlight the many diverse and talented musicians that reside, hail, or are coming to the Triangle area. But this week, we decided to focus on two talented musicians who have propagating our airwaves with infectious tunes for over 25 years through their Durham-based record label, Merge Records.

Merge Records was started in the summer of 1989 by Superchunk members Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan in a spare room in their rented house in Chapel Hill.

The duo started Merge as a way to release their own music, but quickly came to acquire a variety of acts. With more than 350 releases from around 70 acts, including Arcade Fire, Neutral Milk Hotel, Spoon, She & Him, and M. Ward, Merge Records rapidly became a tour de force in the independent music world. 

John Cook, author of Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records notes that Laura and Mac, "...[are] just fans of these bands; that's the bottom line. They love these records and they're kind of uninterested in the notion of their own triumphs." The mentality of producing the music for the bands that they love has left a lasting impression on the music world. The passion and love for what they do has led Merge to being one of the most respected and successful independent labels around and as they progress towards their 25th anniversary, we couldn't be more excited to see what they'll continue to produce.