Hospital Records

United Kingdom • LondonFounded 1996

Hospital Records is a British independent drum & bass label founded in 1996 by Tony Colman and Chris Goss in London. It is one of the most respected drum & bass labels in the world, home to Metrik, High Contrast (catalog), Netsky (catalog), Danny Byrd (catalog), Fred V, Flava D, Degs, Unglued, and Anaïs. The label employs 26 people and is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026 with the Hospital30 campaign.

Contact & HQ

Headquarters

London, UK

Ownership & Distribution

Label Type

Independent Label

Parent Company

Independently owned

Distribution

Independent distribution network

Additional Details

Genres

Drum & BassElectronicLiquid Funk

Signing Process

Hospital Records runs its own A&R. Unsolicited demos are not accepted through a formal portal, but the label has historically discovered artists through the drum & bass community and live shows. Hospital is highly selective and signs artists with a distinct drum & bass identity.

Demo Policy

No formal unsolicited demo portal. Hospital discovers artists through A&R scouting, the drum & bass community, and referrals.

Notable Artists

Metrik
Fred V
Flava D
Degs
Unglued
High Contrast (catalog)

Sub-Labels / Imprints

Hospital RecordsMed School

Hospital Records is a British independent drum & bass label founded in 1996 by Tony Colman and Chris Goss in London. It is one of the most respected drum & bass labels in the world. Hospital has been at the forefront of artist development within the genre, discovering and bringing through names such as High Contrast, Netsky, and Danny Byrd. The label employs 26 people and is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026 with the Hospital30 campaign, which kicked off with Hoax landing on the cover of Spotify's Massive Drum & Bass playlist.

Hospital's current roster includes Metrik, P Money x Whiney, Fred V, Flava D, Degs, Unglued, and Anaïs. The label's catalog includes defining drum & bass albums from High Contrast, Netsky, and Danny Byrd. The Hospital30 campaign in 2026 marks three decades of the label's operation, with 3000 releases and counting. The label's Med School subsidiary handles more experimental and liquid drum & bass.

How Hospital Operates

Hospital Records runs dedicated A&R for drum & bass from its London headquarters. It operates its own distribution network rather than relying on a major distributor. The label's strength is its deep ties to the drum & bass community, its artist development within the genre, and its direct-to-fan vinyl and merchandise business. Its Spotify playlist presence (Massive Drum & Bass) gives its releases strong streaming visibility.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you make drum & bass or liquid funk, Hospital Records is the most respected independent label in that genre. Its three-decade history of developing drum & bass artists (High Contrast, Netsky, Metrik) shows it can sustain careers in a niche genre. The Hospital30 campaign in 2026 signals the label's continued investment in the genre.

Drawbacks and Things to Consider

Genre focus: Hospital signs drum & bass and liquid funk. Artists in other electronic genres should look elsewhere.
No formal demo portal: Hospital discovers artists through the community and A&R scouting, not cold submissions.
Niche market: Drum & bass is a dedicated but small market, which affects advance sizes.
Small team: A 26-person operation has limited bandwidth for developing many new acts simultaneously.