What is "white label"

1. 1 (context marketing English) A rebranded product – a generically manufactured product, branded with the marketer's or retailer's trade dress. 2 (context computing English) An unbranded product – a brand name product which has had a white label applied to remove branding so that it can be resold for cheaper without undercutting the value of the brand. 3 (context music English) A vinyl record with a white label or white background (rather than artwork), typically used for test records or promotion.

White label records are vinyl records with plain white labels attached. There are several variations each with a different purpose. Variations include Test Pressings, White Label Promos, and Plain White Labels.

Test Pressings, usually with Test Pressing written on the label, with catalogue number, artist and recording time or date, are the first vinyl discs made at the factory. They are produced in small quantities (usually under 5 copies) to evaluate the quality of the disc before mass production begins.

In the US, the traditional term "White Label Promo" (often abbreviated as WLP) 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.

Plain white label promotional recordings 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 discs are commonly used to promote new artists or upcoming albums by veteran artists. In some cases white labels are issued to conceal artist identities (examples of this include songs by Traci Lords and La Toya 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.

Aside from house music and hip-hop plain white label records are not generally distributed to the public.

White Label has several meanings:

• A white label record is one with a plain label sticker, usually produced in small amounts.
• Virgin Interactive re-published some of its once-successful video games in "white label" editions, sometimes containing bonuses or newer patches of the game.
• White Label is an album by Venetian Snares.
• White Label Music is an independent record label based in the United Kingdom.
• White Label Records was an imprint of Mushroom Records.
• A white-label ABM in Canada is one that is not operated by a bank or credit union.
• A white-label product is a permitted replication and rebranding of someone else's product (usually hiding the fact it was created under licensure).