Ardent Music is an independent record label based out of the legendary Ardent Studios.
Often shortened to "Ardent," the Memphis record label was founded by John Fry in 1959. Ardent of the 1960s and 70s featured pop music acts and was distributed by Stax Records from 1972 until 1975. It is best remembered today for Big Star, who helped define the style known as power pop. The label was initially an attempt by the R&B-focused Stax to move into rock music, but distribution problems prevented any releases from succeeding.
In the 1990s the label was revived with two divisions: Alternative Mainstream and Contemporary Christian. The mainstream division of Ardent Records was closed in the mid-1990s. In 2008, the mainstream label was restored under the imprint Ardent Music as a derivative of the original Ardent Records label. Its current artists include Greyhounds, Star and Micey, Admirers, and, of course, Big Star.