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This article is about the vinyl records; for other uses, see White Label (disambiguation).

White label records are vinyl records with plain white label stickers. Test pressings, usually with Test Pressing written on the label, with catalogue number, artist and recording time or date, are produced in small quantities (usually under 5 copies) to evaluate the quality of the disc production. Plain White Label promos were produced in larger quantities by bigger record labels, often containing a biography of the band, to distribute as demonstration discs ("demos") to music distributors, and radio stations in order to assess consumer opinion. Today, white labels are usually produced in small amounts (<300) by small record companies or DJs and are most popular with house music and hip-hop DJs. In the early 1990s, hardcore techno/house artists created tracks in home or local studios and had 500 or a few thousand singles pressed on 12" white labels, which were easy to sell at dance music record stores.^[1] Steve Beckett of Warp Records recalls that "shops would take fifty [white labels] off you for five pounds each, no problem. Dance music was all imports, then people in Britain started doing it for themselves, and their tracks started to get better than the tunes in America." ^[1] Record labels like Warp and Shut Up and Dance were begun as white-label enterprises, providing cutting-edge dance music to pirate radio stations and music stores alike. ^[2][1] Image File history File links Question_book-new. ... White Label has several meanings: A White label record is one with a plain label sticker, usually produced in small amounts. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... 33⅓ LP vinyl record album The vinyl record is a type of gramophone record, most popular from the 1950s to the 1990s, that was most commonly used for mass-produced recordings of music. ... DJ or dj may stand for Disc jockey, dinner jacket The DeadJournal website, or Djibouti. ... House music is a style of electronic dance music that was developed by dance club DJs in Chicago in the early to mid-1980s. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... Warp Records is a pioneering independent UK record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the most enduring artists in electronic music. ... Warp Records is a pioneering independent UK record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the most enduring artists in electronic music. ... For the hit 1994 single by Aerosmith, see Shut Up and Dance (Aerosmith song). ...

In the United States, the traditional term "White Label Promo" refers to a promotional pressing with a label that has mostly the same text and label logo/artwork as the commercial label, but with a white background instead of the color or artwork found on the commercial pressings.

Originally white labels came about when competing DJs would tear the labels off their records so that others would not be able to find out their most special, rare, or "secret weapon" tracks. Today, white labels are commonly used to promote new artists or upcoming albums by veteran artists. In some cases white labels are even issued to conceal artist identities (two successful examples of this would be songs by Traci Lords and LaToya Jackson, whose record companies issued white labels so that DJs would have no pre-conceived notions about the music just by seeing who the artist was). Many dance music producers press copies of white labels in order to test crowd response in dance clubs to their own musical productions. Traci Lords (born Nora Louise Kuzma on May 7, 1968), also known as Traci Elizabeth Lords and Tracy Lords, is an American film actress, producer, director, writer and singer. ... La Toya Jackson La Toya Yvonne Jackson (born May 29, 1956 in Gary, Indiana) is an American singer and the middle child of the Jackson family. ... Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ...

White labels can be found at most music stores that carry vinyl.

Copyright and royalties

Many white labels contain unsolicited remixes and/or tracks that are not yet licensed or released (also called "bootlegs"). White labels can be referred to as "promos" (short for "promotional copies") that many top-name DJs receive and play weeks or months prior to or the day of general release to the public. As artists using samples pay very high fees for the privilege of such, they must be able to gauge the market potential of their tracks prior to approval. Recently, smaller promo services offer record companies a more economical means of distribution although these companies may not have the means to properly protect releases from illegal copying. A remix is an alternate mix of a song different from the original version, made using the techniques of audio editing. ... For other uses, see Bootleg. ...

The industry itself seems to be aware of this necessity and white labels are commonly accepted as a necessary evil within the industry, which has only ever prosecuted an extremely small number of those artists using white labeled pressings of uncleared samples and compositions. Some white labels are recalled after the promotional period (except from top-name DJs and radio stations).

Depending upon your content, jurisdiction, and distribution, one may be subject to these issues in one domain but not in another, even for the exact same material. The laws and regulations are not uniform across regions, countries, or even various media, like radio, satellite, or internet.

• Copyright collective
• Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (UK)
• Australasian Performing Right Association (AU)
• SoundExchange (USA)

A copyright collective (also known as a copyright collecting agency or collecting society) is a body created by private agreements or by copyright law that collects royalty payments from various individuals and groups for copyright holders. ... The Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) is the United Kingdom body responsible for collecting and distributing royalties to composers, songwriters and publishers for recording of copyrighted music onto many different formats. ... The Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) is a copyright collecting society representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Tips on producing white labels

• General tips from BBC
• The record mastering and pressing process

A 12-inch record (left), a 7-inch record (right), and a CD (above) Two 7 singles (left), two colored 7 singles (middle), and two 7 singles with large spindle holes (right). ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Reynolds, Simon (1998). Generation Ecstasy: Into the world of Techno and Rave Culture. Little, Brown and Co.. ISBN 0415923735. 
2. ^ "Editors review: Warp Records". BBC. bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.