What Lex Records Limited does

Lex Records Limited is an independent record label, music publisher, and film production company founded in 2001 by Tom Brown and based in London. Originally launched as an imprint of Warp Records, the company became fully independent in 2005 and has since operated across three business verticals: the core Lex Records label (releasing vinyl, CDs, cassettes, and digital downloads), Lexoleum (a music publishing imprint established in 2012 administering songs by artists including Alan Moore, MF DOOM, and Prefuse 73), and Lex Films (a film production arm responsible for short films and the 2018 feature THE SHOW with Alan Moore and Mitch Jenkins, an official SXSW and Sitges selection). The label's roster spans underground hip-hop, electronic, and experimental music, with marquee names including MF DOOM, Danger Mouse, Kae Tempest (Mercury Prize nominee 2014), BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah, Fly Anakin, and recent signings such as GENA (Liv.e and Karriem Riggins), Chuck Strangers, LORD JAH-MONTE OGBON, and zzzahara, supplemented by a 2008 Mercury Prize nomination for Neon Neon's Stainless Style.

The company operates a direct-to-consumer go-to-market, selling physical and digital music products through its own e-commerce storefront (checkout.lexrecords.com) and distributing through independent record stores worldwide. Pricing is structured as one-time purchases across formats: vinyl at £4–£35 (including limited-edition colored variants and 12" LPs at 180g), CDs at £6–£25, cassettes at £8–£9.50, with 320kbps MP3 downloads included with physical orders. Marketing is conducted organically across Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and an email newsletter, supplemented by press coverage. The business is privately held with no disclosed external institutional investment and is led by founder Tom Brown, operating with a small team of 1–10 employees out of a single London office.

Revenue derives from four streams: music sales (physical and digital), merchandise (t-shirts, tote bags), music publishing royalties through Lexoleum, and film production through Lex Films. The company serves individual music fans globally as its primary customer base, with no enterprise or large B2B customer concentration identified. Underlying technology is conventional for the sector — physical vinyl pressing and manufacturing, 320kbps MP3 digital distribution — with no AI/ML, proprietary software, or API capabilities disclosed.

Name

Lex Records Limited

Legal name

Lex Records Limited

Website

https://lexrecords.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lex Records Limited is a London-based independent record label, music publisher (Lexoleum), and film producer (Lex Films), founded in 2001 by Tom Brown. It releases underground and alternative music across vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital formats directly to consumers and through independent record stores worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Record Label / Music Entertainment

NAICS

Record Production and Distribution (51225), Music Publishers (51223)

SIC

Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)

akta.pro primary industry

Record Labels (Major & Independent) (MPAIAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Publishing Administration (Catalog Admin, Global Subpublishing) (MPAIABAB)

Keywords

• Independent record label
• Music publishing services
• Vinyl record sales
• Film production
• Branded merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Music Sales: Sales of vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, and digital downloads of artists' music releases
2. Merchandise Sales: Sales of branded merchandise including t-shirts, tote bags, and other apparel
3. Music Publishing (Lexoleum): Music publishing imprint publishing songs by Alan Moore, Becoming Real, Eyedress, GILA, Haleek Maul, Jneiro Jarel, MF DOOM and Prefuse 73 since 2012
4. Film Production (Lex Films): Film production including short films written by Alan Moore and directed by Mitch Jenkins, and feature films like THE SHOW

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Lex Records Limited is an independent record label, music publisher, and film production company that releases and sells music (vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, and 320kbps MP3 digital downloads) and branded merchandise (t-shirts, tote bags) from a curated roster of underground and alternative artists directly to fans worldwide through its own e-commerce storefront. The company also operates Lexoleum (music publishing imprint publishing songs by Alan Moore, MF DOOM, Prefuse 73 and others) and Lex Films (producing short films written by Alan Moore and feature films like THE SHOW, an SXSW and Sitges official selection).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Music Releases (Vinyl Records, CDs, Cassettes, Digital MP3 Downloads) Physical and digital music releases (albums, EPs, singles) from Lex Records' curated roster of underground and alternative artists across hip-hop, electronic, and experimental genres, sold directly to fans worldwide in standard, colored, 180g, picture disc, and limited-edition vinyl variants with bundled 320kbps MP3 downloads.
• Branded Artist and Label Merchandise Artist- and label-branded apparel and accessories such as t-shirts, organic rib baby tees, long-sleeve t-shirts, and tote bags, sold directly to fans through the Lex Records online shop alongside music releases.
• Lexoleum Music Publishing Music publishing imprint of Lex Records that administers songs by artists including Alan Moore, Becoming Real, Eyedress, GILA, Haleek Maul, Jneiro Jarel, MF DOOM, and Prefuse 73, earning licensing royalties on those compositions.
• Lex Films Production Film production division of Lex Records producing short films written by Alan Moore and directed by Mitch Jenkins, and feature films such as THE SHOW, which was an official selection at SXSW and Sitges film festivals.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Warp Recordsformer_parentOthersLex Records was initially an imprint of Warp Records before becoming fully independent in 2005. This relationship provided early support and distribution infrastructure for Lex's launch.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Big Dada Recordings: UK independent hip-hop and electronic label (Ninja Tune sub-label). Direct peer — directly comparable underground hip-hop roster focus, with shared artist overlap in the UK/independent hip-hop space and similar release formats.
• Hyperdub: London-based independent electronic label. Direct peer — comparable size, London base, and focus on leftfield electronic and experimental artists, with a similar vinyl-plus-digital release strategy and curatorial identity.
• Ghostly International: US-based independent electronic/experimental label. Direct peer — comparable scale, similar release-format mix (vinyl-heavy limited editions, digital, merch), and curatorial positioning in underground electronic music.
• Rough Trade Records: UK independent label and retail chain founded in 1978. Direct peer — UK-based independent with shared ethos of artist development and physical-format emphasis, though larger and with broader roster scope.
• Ninja Tune: London-based independent label founded in 1990. Direct peer — same city and a comparable size tier, with overlapping electronic, hip-hop, and experimental artist rosters plus in-house publishing and merchandise operations analogous to Lex Records and Lexoleum.
• Warp Records: UK independent electronic/experimental label founded in Sheffield in 1989. Direct peer — Lex was originally a Warp imprint (2001–2005), shares a similar artist-development ethos in electronic and underground hip-hop, and operates from the UK with comparable catalog and curatorial positioning.
• Brainfeeder: Los Angeles-based independent label founded by Flying Lotus. Direct peer — comparable scale and roster focus on experimental electronic, beat music, and underground hip-hop, with a similar curatorial-led brand identity.
• Stones Throw Records: Los Angeles-based independent label founded in 1996. Direct peer — comparable size and ethos focused on underground hip-hop, experimental, and leftfield electronic music, with similar D2C vinyl-driven model and curatorial brand.

Broad incumbents

• XL Recordings: Major UK independent label (part of Beggars Group). Broad incumbent — operates in the same UK indie label space with some overlapping artist development capabilities, but at substantially greater scale and with broader pop and alternative roster.
• Sub Pop Records: Seattle-based US independent label (Warner-affiliated). Broad incumbent — overlaps with Lex in independent/alternative music ethos and physical-format emphasis, but operates at significantly larger scale with broader roster scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/LexRecords
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCiJV8Wz4C8ev_0h4C7NTBhQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Lexprojects
• Instagraminstagram.com/lexrecords
• TikToktiktok.com/@lexrecords
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lex-records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lex Records Limited