Versions & edits
White label
A white label is a record pressed with a blank or minimal label, sent out ahead of release or issued without official credits. It carries no artwork and often no artist name at all.
In practice
A white label arrives with no metadata — whatever you type in is all your library will ever know.
Tag it the day it arrives, not the week of the gig. Artist, title and a comment saying where it came from and whether it is cleared, because in six months the sleeve will tell you nothing and neither will the filename. Analyse it for tempo and key at the same time: a record with no metadata also has no beatgrid, and finding that out in the booth is how a white label becomes the reason a transition failed. If it is a promo with an embargo, note the date somewhere you will actually see it.
Blank sleeve
What it looks like
No metadata
What it arrives with
Tag on arrival
The only working habit
Where these come from: Library practice, not catalog figures — a white label is defined by having no credits, so a store catalog cannot count them. Seven public titles contain the phrase, and they are records named "White Label" rather than unbranded pressings. The format is invisible to a catalog by construction. For what we can measure, see the fields you are filling in.
Why it matters
It solved two problems at once. Promos had to reach DJs before the release date, and unlicensed edits had to reach shops without naming anybody — the same plain sleeve did both, which is why the term now covers a promo and a bootleg equally.
For a DJ the practical consequence is metadata. A white label arrives with nothing filled in, so whatever you type into the tags is what your library will know about it forever, and an untagged one is the record you cannot find at the moment you want it.
Frequently asked
Why are some records called white labels?+
Because the label in the centre is literally blank. Pressing plants use plain labels for promos and test pressings, and unofficial releases use them to avoid naming anyone.
Is a white label the same as a bootleg?+
Not always. Many white labels are official promos sent to DJs before release. The plain sleeve is a manufacturing choice, and both licensed and unlicensed records use it.
How should you tag a white label?+
Artist, title, and a comment recording where it came from and whether it is cleared. Analyse tempo and key straight away — an untagged record has no beatgrid either.
Related terms
Dubplate
A dubplate is a one-off record cut for a single DJ, historically onto acetate. In sound-system culture it is usually a personalised version of a track recorded specially for that DJ.
Bootleg
A bootleg is an unofficial edit or remix released without the rights holder’s permission. It circulates on USB sticks and private links rather than through stores, which is exactly why you will not find many for sale.
ID3 tags
ID3 tags are the metadata written inside an audio file — title, artist, album, genre, year, comment, and on DJ files often BPM and key. They travel with the file rather than with the software that read it.
Record pool
A record pool is a subscription service supplying DJs with promotional music, usually including edits, intro versions and clean radio cuts that are not sold anywhere else.