I am very much into old library records, but there is a current crop of producers big and small releasing what are usually called sample packs. Some of these are straight forward - e.g., a collection of short phrases or drum breaks for music producers or songwriters to use in their beats or songs. Others, and the ones that are more interesting for library fans, are more full compositions, very similar to library records and often with the option to purchase full stem recordings of each track which is fantastic if you're into sampling like me.
These seem to be marketed directly to music producers, samplers, beat makers, etc. I see loads of them given my interest in this type of thing. Curious if anyone checks them out just for listening? Are they even on any else's radar, or is it really just producers & beat makers?
There are many options out there, but here are a few good examples that give a sense of what is available. Many are purposefully made to sound like they could be from old records (at least the ones I am drawn to!). There are likely more current/pop sounding ones too.
Kingsway (perhaps the most well known, they've had placements with huge artists):
https://www.kingswaymusiclibrary.com/Kersey & Castle from producer Rob Viktum (dark, ominous, spy/horror type sounds):
https://robviktum.com/collections/sample-kitsPolyphonic Music Library:
https://polyphonicmusiclibrary.com/Some are presented as royalty free - so one could use them in any project without paying additional fees, while others are kind of mixed - e.g., no royalty fee for a small indie artist, but negotiable royalties for a major placement.
I don't own many of them, but they are cool and worth checking out.