Last week, the @ncmhof_museum inducted six new members: Merge Records, Petey Pablo, Clarence Avant, Mary Cardwell Dawson...

Last week, the @ncmhof_museum inducted six new members: Merge Records, Petey Pablo, Clarence Avant, Mary Cardwell Dawson, Tommy Faile, and Bobby Hicks. To celebrate these pathbreakers, we’ll be spotlighting each one here in the coming days. First up: indie label stalwart @mergerecords. Founded in 1989 by Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance, Merge's currently celebrating their 35th anniversary. McCaughan and Ballance started the label to put out singles for their own fledgling indie powerhouse Superchunk, and soon started putting out records for likeminded friends as well. Since then, Merge has grown into a world-famous and influential label, known for their work with Magnetic Fields, Neutral Milk Hotel, Arcade Fire, Mountain Goats, Spoon, Caribou, Destroyer, Waxahatchee, and a host of singular alternative artists. Merge has come a long way from assembling 7”'s in Ballance’s bedroom to the NC Music Hall of Fame: Carolina, please join us in congratulating them!