International Anthem Recording Company is an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. Formed in 2012 by Scottie McNiece and David Allen, and launched in 2014, the label mostly releases records that have been categorised as jazz, with a particular focus on artists from the Chicago area.
History
The label formed when McNiece, a drummer originally from Indiana, moved to Chicago and started a live jazz night in a bar in the River North part of the city. He invited David Allen, a recording engineer based in South Illinois, to record the acts. The label's first release was Alternative Moon Cycles, by Chicago Underground trumpeter Rob Mazurek, in December 2014.
British DJ Gilles Peterson named International Anthem as his Label of the Year in 2020. In 2021 two of the label's releases, We’re New Again – A Reimagining by Gil Scott-Heron & Makaya McCraven and Suite for Max Brown by Jeff Parker, were nominated for Libera Awards Best Jazz Record, with the Scott-Heron/McCraven collaboration going on to win.
As well as releasing records independently they have put out co-releases with other labels including Don Giovanni, Nonesuch, and XL Recordings.