By Raoul Hernandez

SEPTEMBER 8, 1998:  The last time the Chronicle examined Austin's independent record labels, South by Southwest '95 (Vol. 14, No. 28), the terrain was much different. Of the eight labels profiled, only three still exist; two of those, Arista-Texas and Antone's/DMZ/dos, survive today in radically different forms. The others, Trance Syndicate, Dejadisc, Rise, Sector 2, and Unclean have all gone out of business; only Watermelon Records still stands strong as a beacon for local music. This being the case, and fall being the busiest time of year for release schedules, we thought it was a good time to reexamine te local labels that export Austin music to the rest of the world. The seven labels written about herein aren't the only labels in town; rather, as Watermelon and the others were referred to three years ago, they're the new "torch bearers."

-- Raoul Hernandez

• Lazy SOB
• Framed!
• Doolittle
• Freedom
• Peek-A-Boo
• Chocolate
• Cold Spring

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