Mom + Pop Music

Mom + Pop Music was born in 2008 out of a moment of creative frustration. Founder Michael Goldstone, a veteran A&R executive who had signed Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine earlier in his career, brainstormed 56 possible names for his new label. Fifty-five were New York-centric. The 56th stuck: Mom+Pop Music. It evoked the small, family-run businesses that feel personal and trustworthy, exactly the ethos Goldstone wanted to bring to the music industry.

The label started in a Times Square office across from the Brill Building, then moved to Manhattan's NoMad district in 2013. Today, it operates out of New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville, with a team of about 15 full-time staff. Thaddeus Rudd joined in 2009 and became co-president and co-owner in 2012 after buying out initial investors Peter Mensch and Cliff Burnstein. Together, Goldstone and Rudd have built a roster that reads like a who's who of modern indie: Courtney Barnett, Magdalena Bay, Madeon, Porter Robinson, Tycho, Caamp, and MGMT, among many others.

Mom+Pop prides itself on artist-driven decision-making. The label provides A&R, digital marketing, design, promotion, and licensing services in-house, and in August 2025, it signed a global distribution deal with Virgin Music Group. Goldstone has said the partnership felt right because Virgin respected their independence. That same year, he received the Seymour Stein Global A&R Award at MUSEXPO, a fitting tribute for someone who spent decades discovering and nurturing talent. [edit]