Behind the Scenes of Whitelabrecs in 2025

As we edge toward the close of another year, I’ve been reflecting on everything that has happened behind the scenes at Whitelabrecs. In 2024 I talked about working on the foundations and striving for a healthier way to run the label, and 2025 has been the year where those foundations have started to settle a bit. It’s been a mix of questioning everything including what’s important, refining processes and trying to carve out a rhythm that works for everyday life. It’s certainly still not there yet!

Below is a little window into what’s been happening behind the curtain this year...

NEW ROUTINES, NEW SYSTEMS

One of the biggest shifts this year has been getting organised, and Notion has been a wonderful discovery. It’s often nicknamed the ‘second brain’ and I can see why! I’ve now ditched my old spreadsheets and switched to Notion pages for release schedules, social media content, royalties, weekly planning, reporting and even organising my vinyl collection.

Towards the end of the year I started experimenting with something I call the ‘6am club’. It’s simply an early alarm that gives me an hour or so to tackle the day’s tasks before the school run and my day job. It means I’m not glued to the laptop every night, and it’s helped me develop better sleeping habits too.

Alongside this, I’ve been using a Habit app to track things like drinking 2 litres of water, hitting 8000 steps and getting to bed before 10:30. I don’t hit every goal every day and some prove tricky, but the act of tracking them has helped turn these into small, positive routines. Slowly, they’re sticking and I’m not too hard on myself when the odd thing slips.

SELF-IMPOSED CHALLENGES

Another big part of this year has been deliberately pushing myself to be more present on social media, experimenting and learning as I go. The aim around this was to boost both discovery and connection; so that new people can discover the label and those casually aware can become curious about the wider community. After learning more about the ‘marketing funnel’ and building materials to share some of this insight in a free social media course for Inner Echo members, it became clear that awareness starts with consistency. Or as some people call it, ‘showing up’. So I set myself a simple but demanding challenge: to post on Instagram every single day in 2025.

I treated this as an experiment; a chance to really understand the platform, not just dabble in it. I watched countless YouTube documentaries, absorbed advice from experts inside and outside the music world, and put things into practice with daily posts, reels and carousels, that I’d mapped out in a social media calendar (using Notion of course!). I’ve not stressed too much on production quality and have not worried about staying minimal and ‘true to the art’. This has meant I’ve done the occasional to-camera video which has been pretty hard to get my head around - as being pretty uncomfortable! After a year of doing this, I feel more confident in approaching Instagram and feel a little more comfortable in putting myself out there. I’ve seen follower numbers rise, reach has grown, and I feel more visible overall. I have a good idea on what works, what doesn’t, and why artists and labels can benefit from showing up regularly. It’s been a huge learning curve, and one I’m glad I committed to. But admittedly, it’s not always been as easy as it sounds! Despite having a calendar to plan things out, there have been days where I’ve had no plan and just threw something out there.

Social media is not for everyone and some find it can be harmful to their mental health; whether it be comparing against others or the addiction of scrolling through the feed. Those are good reasons to restrict or control its use. But often artists, labels or creatives fail to see the point of all the effort behind maintaining a social media presence or struggle to know what to post - if anyone reading struggles with these latter things, then it might be worth joining Inner Echo to check out what I've learnt via the free Social Media For Artists course. Join the email newsletter at the bottom of the page and you'll be granted access.

Alongside the social media challenge, I also set myself the challenge of writing a weekly blog post. These has been a mix of artist interviews, behind-the-scenes features, mixes and shows I put together, and then contributions from the community too. Some posts dive into topics like CD collecting or highlight a guest’s perspective, while others capture moments around the label or my own love for record collecting. Towards the end of the year we created an Inner Echo ‘Blog Squad’ to help drive future content, and I’m excited to see where this will lead next year. The blogs have become an enjoyable, steady rhythm and a place to gather those stories that might otherwise get lost.

MY ON-GOING NEMESIS: THE INBOX

If there’s one thing I still struggle with, it’s emails. I try to keep my inbox below 40, but inevitably it swells and it’s hard to get myself into the right mindset to reply, especially using my phone. On the laptop I’m fine, but on the go I just don’t seem to operate the same way. It’s clear to me how vital the inbox is for keeping everything moving, making connections and everything in between, so finding a better system for this is firmly on my to-do list for the future. I think the solution is probably ‘get on with it’ and to ‘stop getting distracted’.

INNER ECHO: A GROWING, THRIVING COMMUNITY

Inner Echo has now had its first full year, and honestly, it’s been incredible watching it grow. We’re sitting at over 170 members who are a brilliant mix of artists, fans and all sorts of wonderful creative people. We’ve produced albums together, gone on charity walks, shared ideas, musical recommendations and created a real sense of involvement. What’s surprised me most is just how many people are keen to get involved. It’s genuinely heartening and why we set it up. I’m looking forward to seeing this space develop, as we’ve welcomed two other UK based label owners in as community admins/leaders - these include Adrian Newton of Evergreen Music and James Osland of Elm Records. This all made perfect sense to Andrew and I, as we all banded together to present the Ambient Label Hub at the Woodbridge Ambient Festival.

Speaking of community, of all the things we do, the listening parties are where I always feel such a strong sense of connection. There’s a core group who come along time and time again, and it’s grown into a warm and supportive little gathering each time. Seeing familiar names and faces pop up makes these moments feel special and you feel you get to know people a little better with each one.

DRIFTWORKS: A PARTNERSHIP IN FULL FLOW

Working with Andrew more closely has been a highlight of the year. We’ve been in touch regularly with plenty of emails and Zoom calls, swapping ideas and supporting each other. It’s very much a two-way thing, as we both bring different experiences to the table. That mix has shaped Driftworks into something distinct from Whitelabrecs, with its own voice and style, which is all down to Andrew. It’s been wonderful to watch it grow and there’s a real identity and consistency that he’s developing as the label's brand establishes. I’ve been unable to resist collecting quite a few of his releases for myself this year!

SUBSCRIPTIONS, STORIES & NEW HORIZONS

Looking ahead, the thing I’m most excited about is building on the subscription side of Whitelabrecs. This year I launched a Bandcamp subscription giving access to the whole back catalogue plus all future releases for £10 a month. The response has been really encouraging with a stable group of supporters who I’m immensely grateful for. It’s something I need to highlight more often, because I hope it’s genuinely good value and helps support the label in a sustainable way. To check the subscription out, click HERE.

Alongside that, I’m going to be venturing into Substack, kicking off with a subscription in 2027. Part of me has been itching to do more long-form writing and storytelling, and Substack feels like the right home for that. It’s a place for more exclusive content, thoughts, behind-the-scenes stuff, and so much more. I’ve got it all mapped out and have started drafting some things already! I’ll be exploring this in 2026 as I get to grips with the platform, so if you’re on Substack click HERE to give me a follow and I’ll return the favour.

LOOKING FORWARD

So that’s been 2025 in a nutshell: new routines, aiming for more structure, plenty of learning, all underpinned with a deepening sense of community.

What I hope more than anything is that the work happening behind the scenes helps the music, and the people making and listening to it, to connect. That’s the bit that matters most. And with subscriptions growing, Inner Echo evolving, Driftworks blossoming, and new ideas beginning to form, I’m feeling genuinely excited for what comes next. 2026 will be Whitelabrecs’ 10th birthday so I’ve a really busy schedule planned, including some special compilation ideas and 8 vinyl reissues - this includes a charity compilation, community projects, a vinyl release and a special 24 page booklet edition looking back over the last 10 years.

But I’m also looking as far ahead as 2027 already, when hopefully I’ll have a more sustainable approach - where I will release less music, so that I can focus on promoting it more, tread more lightly on people’s wallets and inboxes, and hopefully get to a place where I can more reliably support the artists both in promotional efforts and with some royalties being shared to the artists too.

Here’s to 2026 and beyond! A huge thank you to anyone who supported Whitelabrecs and the wider community this year - you’re making a big difference and the whole thing worth while.