AV: What led you to found Whitelabrecs, and how has the label evolved since its inception?
HT: I’d run a couple of labels before Whitelabrecs, including my old netlabel Audio Gourmet and then a short-lived attempt at a CD label, called Tessellate. In the latter, the design features and packaging format was really inconsistent and it sort of spluttered along. Then my wife and I moved into a new house and it had this small spare room where I set up my decks and vinyl collection. I looked through my records and sawa lot of white label editions, in their scruffy paper sleeves and white circular inner labels containing very little information. For one of the Tessellate releases I’d used a vinyl-effect CD-R and suddenly I had this idea to start a new label, called White Label Records, mimicking the old bootlegs I’d buy back in my DJing days.
The original plan was to be quite free with music styles, taking in all kinds of sounds such as Electronica and Ambient, to Jazz and Folk. The label has grown to become synonymous withAmbient and Modern Classical music, since my friends in music were mostly Ambient based. The label evolved from the original white label idea to printed editions but these are still vinyl-effect CD-Rs, inspired by classic gatefold LPs and 45s. Over the years, the design has become more consistent, and in recent years, it’s grown into more of a community.
AV: How does being both an artist and a label owner influence your perspective on the ambient music scene?
HT: I was an artist before I started running labels, so that was my first experience of the Ambient scene. I’ve always found it to be a really welcoming and supportive place - but of course, I experienced the rejection from labels and have faced many of the common
artist’s challenges over the years; the writer’s block, the constant battle with time, lack of resources and dare I say (and still to this day), a lack of expertise. This has proved really
valuable for my approach to running labels as I’m able to empathise and support on these challenges drawing on my own personal experiences. I’ve tended to find that half of those who follow and support the label are actually artists and creatives themselves. So the scene is full of artists and I really enjoy working with different people; either learning from them or passing on whatever I’ve learnt.
AV: Which aspects of curating releases for Whitelabrecs do you find most rewarding or challenging?
HT: My favourite part of the curation process is selecting a demo based on its sound, and then developing the overall package. So, the process of turning a demo into a record. Of course, artists often have a clear idea of the concepts behind their work, and/or what visuals to use for the artwork. But I enjoy the overall role I have to play in converting that demo into a record which sits in the broader catalog. In terms of challenges, I do try to riseto these as best as I can, but the things that have deflated me the most have tended to relate to shipping. Post-Brexit was a strange time, where I felt like I was having to manually understand the intricacies of the different customs offices of each EU member state.
Only to then find that even when I felt I’d worked out the ‘rules’ - sometimes they’d change when shipping the next order. In that time I will have lost a lot of fans who used to buy CDs regularly, and it was really hard to take. But thankfully,we’re out the other side and Bandcamp uses the IOSS system to good effect these days - I get far less returned parcels. The other big and constant challenge would certainly be time. But I know I put out a lot of much music, and do a lot of things around each release, so it’s no surprise that I don’t get as much time to make music myself these days.
AV: Can you describe your process for selecting artists and albums for Whitelabrecs?
HT: Generally it’s booked up for a good 12-18 months, so it feels relaxed in the sense that I have rarely ever had to go out and find artists myself. So it tends to always be, 99% of the time, an inbound thing rather than a case of constant outreach and scouting like some of the bigger labels, or even the newer ones. I have a mix of speculative demos from artists I don’t know, or I receive demos or book in slots for my regular artists. I’m more likelyto work with the latter, as the experience of mutual trust is really valuable; it’s much easier to work with someone when we’ve the benefit of experience from a previous release or two. Some come back regularly and we become friends and communicate regularly.
Not to mention the effect it has on fans when a familiar artist returns. But, I also really love to work with new people too and this gives a really nice diversity of sounds and ideas, to mix in with the stable of core artists. Whilst familiarity is valuable,spontaneity is really healthy too. In terms of technically what I’m looking for - the sound tends to be a particular feeling and I tend to pick up on it if this is present instantly when I listen. I’m less drawn to dark, murky sounds and more compelled by melancholy, acoustic instruments and a sense of space and presence. I also want the music to mean something - it doesn’t need to be anything huge or profound. But I’m looking for that spark where I know that the sound is right, and then the ideas and stories behind
it are something we can build upon as we head towards sharing it with the fan base.
AV: What role does the Lincolnshire landscape play in your creative process and sound design?
HT: I live in the flat countryside of the Lincolnshire fens here in the UK, and it’s a sleepy, simple part of the world. I’m never far away from nature and a sense of the rural - and this really helps inspire my music. Whenever I’m struggling for ideas and inspiration, I only need step outside on a short dog walk, looping back through one of the footpaths in the village. I’ll often capture field recordings, take photos, or just be alone with my thoughts
and some music as I take in the seasons. It’s all so inspiring. I think the simple, minimal landscapes around me are a lot like Ambient music in many ways so it’s a good match, me being situated here. Even if on the flip side, there’s not much going on and very little in the way of a local music scene.
AV: How do you balance your time between producing music and managing the label's day-to-day operations and still find time to pursue your own music?
HT: As alluded to above, time is one of the biggest challenges I face. There were times when I was much more productive in making my own music, particularly as Glåsbird, but always if I focus in one particular area the other will suffer. For many years, I approached promoting a release on the label in a simple way and without any strategy or campaigns. But I’ve spent the last 2 years on a steep learning curve, looking at a wide range of disciplines
such as the basics of running a record label, to marketing, branding to risk and business stuff.
And I’m now learning, the effort and care put into running these things effectively, takes a lot of time but can lead to growth. And I’d say the biggest positive of that growth has been in our community and keeping on top of this.
So the sacrifice in the last couple of years has been less time spent making my own music. I plan to reduce the release schedule in 2027 to free up some more time and hopefully by then,I’ll have come through most of the big self-learning phase that I’ve been in. Although, as they say, you’re always learning… so perhaps not!
AV: Are there any labels or artists that inspired you to start your own imprint?
HT: When I first got into Ambient, it was through downloading individual tracks on classics by the likes of Brian Eno, Steve Roach and Robert Rich. Whilst in my DJing days I’d followed labels and loved the consistency of design and sound, it was often all about the power of one track and what it could do in a set. So I didn’t discover Ambient labels for a while, until I started to run out of money splashing out on iTunes, and ended up discovering thenetlabel scene. The label that sticks out the most from those days would be Resting Bell; always great design in the cover artwork and so many interesting artists; field recordings, acoustic instruments, hiss and hum. All the good stuff. I got into buying CDs not long after when I discovered Boomkat and I guess the early days of Bandcamp too.
A first point of call was Ian Hawgood’s Home Normal label, and I had been enjoying Ian’s own music in the netlabel scene. Then there were labels like Type and Fluid Audiofrom here in the UK doing some amazing things. After a demo approval of my Spheruleus album ‘Voyage’, I found I was exchanging almost daily emails with Jonathan who ran Hibernate Recordings. He opened up the whole business and administration side of running a record label to me, and helped me set up my first netlabel, Audio Gourmet. And it’s from that encouragement that I’ve eventually found my way here, running Whitelabrecs.
AV: What qualities do you look for in demo submissions, and what advice would you give to emerging artists seeking to release with Whitelabrecs?
HT: I think demos is an interesting topic, as generally there always seems to be more artists than labels, even though, there are still lots of labels! It’s no surprise, as our scene is really thriving right now and it has been for a while. But this does mean that I get so many demos and I couldn’t possibly reply to them all. I try to listen to every one though and it really is about whether the sound resonates and the strength of the concept or aesthetic.
So I’m wondering - is there a story? Is there something interesting that will fit well with the wider catalog on the label?
I’d say that sadly, I do get quite a lot of demos from people who say they’re ’big fans of the label’ and then I listen, and the sound is just nothing like what I’d release. Such as dark and heavy stuff or dance music. It feels like they’ve not spent the time listening to the label’s catalogue to understand where it sits and if truly, it’s a good fit.
I don’t think I’d give any advice to artists looking to release on Whitelabrecs specifically, as that does depend on quite a lot of things as above, and in some cases it may just not be right and have nothing to do with the actual objective quality of the music. One of the reason I struggle to reply, is I don’t want to discourage someone who has made a great record, but just isn’t right for me personally. But in terms of broader advice, I’d say take your time to get ashortlist together of labels and then listen to their sound before sending your demo. I sometimes get messages that are very brief, and just say something like ‘I’m a big fan of your label, here’s a demo of some songs I made’. When you reach out, introduce yourself briefly and then share a bit around the story or theme of your music.
A good story can make a label thing before they even hear it, ‘I really want to like this demo’. Another bit of advice for newer artists is to pick your moments - perhaps start witha new label, or a small netlabel, even if under a pseudonym, so you can experience what it’s like to work with a label. You can then use your previous releases as ‘stepping stones’ onto bigger things and you’ll learn a lot as you go. I also think buying music from a label and ‘hanging out’ as part of their community can be really helpful too. Whenever I’ve had fans share their own work, I’ve always been keen to listen and try to find time to respond. That connection can go a long way.
AV: How do you see the ambient and modern classical genres evolving in the coming years?
HT: I think there’ll be a lot more AI out there as it takes hold, and the quality and appetite for that will improve. That might also impact the film and sync world too. It’s not for me personally, as the imperfections, the weird but personal stories, the meaning and depth, is what it’s all about. We’ve seen online that AI creators tend to put together these anonymous pseudonyms to create a bit of mystery. I should probably
not talk that approach down
too much, as, well, I did it with Glåsbird for a few years! Except without the AI bit… it’s hard to see the evolution beyond this point on AI, as often, music genres tend to shift with technological and/or cultural changes,
and I’m not sure if I can predict what these might be. I do feel that things as they are great! I’ve been in and around Ambient music and its related styles now for almost 20 years and it does not feel in any way stale to my ears. So it’s a case of, more of the same please!
AV: What have been some of the most memorable moments or milestones for you as a label owner?
HT: I think selling out the first few editions was really special in the first instance. It was the validation to keep going and all the encouragement I needed. In 2019, switching to printed editions and seeing those go well was special too. Then in 2020 I found myself furloughed from my day-job that summer, and had time to focus fully on Whitelabrecs, against the weird backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic and the fact that I couldn’t physically shipany records! Over the course of 3 months I launched a 30 edition series called Home Diaries, documenting the lives and experiences of artists during those uncertain times. I was releasing something new each week and the momentum got a little more interest in the label than I’d ever had before, which sort of put it on the map.
In 2024 I released my own album ‘Fenscspes’ as the first vinyl edition on Whitelabrecs, which was such a special time for me, being vinyl-obsessed and having grown up with this format. Butwhat stands out now more than anything is community - I’m working with label friends like Andrew Heath, initially with his design skills and now with his Driftworks imprint as a sister label, then Adrian Newton of Evergreen Music and James Osland of Elm. We’re in touch most days and it no longer feels like I’m working alone. Coming together at the Woodbridge Ambient Festival was wonderful and we’ve achieved so much together already. Then alongside this, there’s all the artists, fans and friends in our shared
Inner Echo community, and this has given us all a platform from which to support one another.
AV: How has your engagement with other labels like Lost Tribe Sound and Fluid Audio influenced your approach to music and curation?
HT: I guess this links to the advice I gave above on artists and demos. Anyone can self-release these days and you can take care of everything. But long-standing labels like Fluid Audio and Lost Tribe have the experience and know-how and you learn so much by being on their rosters, seeing the care and attention they show to all the small details. If you work with different labels, you’ll get different perspectives and learn different things. I have
had positive experiences with all the labels that I’ve worked with and have found them all to be supportive, and of one another too. I released with Ryan when Whitelabrecs was still pretty new, and so I looked up to him and how he approached running Lost Tribe. He was very transparent and open to sharing guidance with me on how he ran things on the business side. Working alongside him for my release, there were all these things he did with his label that I had no clue about or hadn’t thought of. There were gapsappearing in my own practice and things to learn.
There’s so much that goes into running a label that you don’t know about until you encounter it and, there are also often different ways to approach it. With Fluid Audio, I’d known Dan for years pretty much in the days when I got into Ambient music. He does something with his label that I could never do though; special edition hand-made art books with antique ephemera aplenty. So that’s something I really admired, but a lane I’ll stay out of. I tried a little withmy previous label, Tessellate, and I found that physically trying to hand assemble packaging is not my forte! It all felt very amateur when I did it…Dan was great to work with too; easy going and chilled throughout. I try to be like that with my communication with artists on Whitelabrecs, although I find being a bit of an administrative geek, I do tend to go on a bit and am only too willing to share what I’ve learned about something boring, even when people don’t ask for the advice…
AV: What are some challenges you face as an independent label in today's music industry?
HT: I think at the moment it seems to be getting discovered and building up a fan base. Of course I’ve been going with Whitelabrecs for 10 years and so sticking around for this long will have helped. But it’s often quite a lot of effort to raise awareness, particularly when the place to do this for the lowest cost, is social media. And these spaces use algorithms to create what can feel like a competition or popularity contest, barely showing yourposts to a fraction of those who choose to follow you and then seeing other musicians, artists and labels ace it with confidence. So you have to either post away into the void and moan, or be complicit and play the game. I see lots of artists, labels, creatives who either have done so already, or threaten to quit social media.
But then perhaps it gets even harder, as you’re left with even less in the way of places to be discovered and raise awareness about your work. Being honest, I too struggled with all ofthis myself for a long time but recently taking time to understand how marketing works, I’m now much clearer on where it all sits and see value in using social media as part of the bigger picture. It’s not somewhere you can expect people to instantly hop over from to Bandcamp and buy an album, after one solitary post. It needs consistency and ultimately, its purpose is to simply let people know you exist, as the first stage in the discovery journey, or as a little reminder to people who have supported the music
before. You can also approach it in whichever way you like; just like art, you don’t have to follow the rules. Whilst you may see others doing particular things - you can do whatever you feel comfortable with. The key is to be clear on how often you’ll show up and plan out your posts.
AV: Can you share some insight into the design and packaging philosophy behind Whitelabrecs releases?
HT: I had a consistent, repeatable approach in the early days with the hand-burnt mini white label style CD-R. When I switched to printed editions, I kept the vinyl-effect CD-Rs so it continued the link back to vinyl, the original inspiration behind the project - and now
I’m even doing a little of my own vinyl. So vinyl is the core philosophy. But the design and branding hasn’t always been consistent; between 2018 and 2021 I attempted my own design for
each release, guided by the visuals the artists sent me and being honest, the layouts, formats, fonts and colours were all over the place. It wasn’t until I started working with Andrew Heath that we began to work on some consistency between the releases. Andrew suggested a templated approach which had the benefit of being both consistent, and saving time. In the last couple of years, I’ve been focusing on getting cover artwork more consistent too and having a design aesthetic for Whitelabrecs that sits beyond
the packaging, so it all hopefully feels like it hangs together.
Some labels start off with a vision and set of design principles, and a clear identity - but as you’ll see, whilst I had a core idea that’s not changed, things have taken time to develop for Whitelabrecs.
AV: How do you ensure your projects remain fresh and innovative after more than a decade of music-making?
HT: For my own music, it’s all down to concepts and ideas - I struggle to make music when I don’t have a theme to work to. I know some artists work in the opposite way; enjoying the process of shaping sounds and then trying to work out what it’s all about, if anything at all. For me, making Ambient music is the personal experience of capturing and documenting what’s going on at the time of working; so for my Fenscapes album, I had a simple idea ofvisiting the 6 closest fen roads to where I live. I’d go for a walk, mostly with my two daughters.
Rather than intentionally hunting for specific sounds, I’d let the inquisitive nature of the girls take charge as we explored the paths. There was one moment where Isla, my eldest, heard the sound of a couple of brittle sticks colliding. We stopped, gathered a load of them, and recorded as the girls experimented with making sounds. It was all Isla’s idea, and tied neatly in the theme of exploring and documentingthe landscape. Being with my daughters makes the meaning of this album, for me, much more personal than if they hadn’t been involved, and I’ll always remember making this record with them. Away from field recordings, to freshen up from my previous work and avoid falling into patterns, I’ll usually buy an acoustic instrument or some new plugins.
For Whitelabrecs, the freshness is all down to my artists! I of course curate it, and select which projects to work with, but the amazing sounds and themes are all the work of incredible creativity from the artists. Having a studio tied to a label is a dream for many, spending days with your artists producing an album. But I imagine one of the biggest challenges with this could be keeping it fresh and also not controlling the ideas of the artist too much. When you work
remotely, it’s down to whatever you get sent and I am always so positively surprised by my artists - this is one of the most enjoyable parts. Each new album is a surge of energy for me as I hear it for the first time, and I look forward to helping prepare it, and then release to the world.
AV: Looking ahead, what are your goals and aspirations for your music and for Whitelabrecs?
HT: My goal for 2026 is to celebrate the ten year milestone with a really busy schedule! So it’s a case of just getting myself through it really, in terms of how much time and effort it’s all going to take. But in 2027, I plan to change things and slow down. During the pandemic in 2020 I started releasing 2 CDs per month to catch up after having paused the schedule. I’ve done that ever since! I also added a monthly digital release to the catalogue
called an eRecord and so I’ve been putting our 3 records a month for a few years now, and it’s a lot of hard work. I feel in many ways the titles coming out overlap and even have a diluting effect perhaps. Not to mention, it’s more choice for fans and collectors, and more CDs going out into the environment. So in 2027 I’m dropping down to 1 CD per month, and 1 digital edition. This means I’ll effectively be cutting down the schedule by a third and I’ll have the opportunity to use that time and space to promotethe records I’m releasing with more focus.
The one challenge I have is that I have a Bandcamp subscription where people pay an amount per month and get access to all of the catalog, as well as all future releases. Dropping down a release felt a little bit like the value of this would diminish a little. So, I’ve decided to launch a special subscriber-only EP series, called the Tea Break EP. Each one is no longer than 15 minutes (the time it takes to drink a cup of tea or coffee) and accompanying the music willbe an interview, where the artist shares things about how they made their EP, what the concept is about, what hot drink they enjoy, how they take time out and more. Because it’s subscriber only, the promotional efforts become less about individual releases and more about the subscription itself. I’ve got a couple of demos approved already, and I can’t wait! I’m also planning to write more long form content on Substack, where I’ll turn on paid subscriptions - people will get the Tea Break EPs here too.
AV: Tell me about the Woodbridge Ambient Music Festival in general and about the one coming up September 25-27 later this year. Why are ambient community gatherings like this important, and what are the benefits for listeners and artists alike?
HT: The festival will have been going for 5 years in September and is run by Jan Pulsford, supported by Tom Rogerson, who are both based in the town. As many will know, Brian Eno and his brother Roger grew up there and so it has been dubbed the home of Ambient music. We got invited after Gary James, a local broadcaster, played one of Andrew Heath’s tracks in a show and Jan reached out not long after. Following some conversations with Jan and Tom, we
collectively developed the concept of the Ambient Label Hub. Firstly we pulled together our line-up of artists and performers, which included Andrew Heath (Driftworks), James Osland (Elm Records) and Adrian Newton (Evergreen Music) - we noticed that we all had our own record labels. When explaining to Jan about who was who, we’d refer to their artist names and their label names, and it all started to get very confusing! Jan had the idea that since the festival audience was full of artists, a label hub would bereally helpful.
So for the afternoon, we demonstrated our music, our merch and had conversations with artists and creatives about things such as what it’s like to run a record label, how to promote music, how to prepare a demo and much more. Throughout, James Osland filmed the event and spent a few months editing it afterwards. I put it up on YouTube to my modest number of subscribers and suddenly it went bananas! We had so many lovely comments and people saying how they’d love to attend the next event. It wasall very moving and so nice to be able to capture the day to share with others. The best bit for me, was meeting the other labels face to face, as well as James Edward Armstrong, who is the mastering engineer for Whitelabrecs, and Adrian Lane, who has released several albums on the label. This group of people have been my online friends for years, so meeting them in a shared space like this was fantastic.
As for the 2026 festival, early plans are under way - the festival is held on the Autumn equinox, so tends to be in September for that reason. It’s a huge undertaking every year and no doubt takes an awful lot of time and energy to pull together. We’ve been invited back, so we will be looking to firm up some details such as the location, line-up and programme. It’s likely that I won’t be able to make this year’s event due to a clash of dates but the beauty of being a
collective, is that there are enough of us to keep things going if one can’t attend. I’d still help in the run-up of course.
I think these festivals and events are so important because the one thing that builds connections in a far more meaningful way than the aforementioned algorithms, is having a conversation face to face. Being Ambient music, they are rarely something that’s going to be a mass market commercial success but small gatherings like Woodbridge are amazing for artists and labels. I sold a few CDs and a couple of pieces of clothing and just about covered my costs to be there (excluding
the new records I bought for my DJ set…). I can imagine for full-time artists or labels, there may be a pressure for gigs and tours to provide a revenue simply to survive, what with streaming income being so paltry. For Woodbridge, we saw it as a day out with friends, a chance to make memories and be part of something. Whilst we never intended or expected our film on YouTube to reach so many people, the net result hasn’t been financial either. It’s been something you can’t measure; community - and that’s for
me, what these events are all about and why they’re well worth all the effort.
We’re currently planning a summer event of our own in Stroud near Bristol, which will be another Ambient Label Hub gathering but over the course of the full day. So anyone in the UK who is close enough to the event and interested, will be very welcome - following Whitelabrecs via the email newsletter will be the best way to hear all the details when they get firmed up.
AV: Tell me about your own musical goals as an artist and how you go about achieving them while still keeping things moving at Whitelabrecs at the same time.
HT: There was a time with my work as Glåsbird where I got a couple of small sync and film opportunities and I then had a goal to explore this further. But as I’ve alluded to earlier, the label has been a bigger focus than my own work as an artist. I imagine this is the challenge for most artists; positioning yourself as a sync-ready artist and getting the pitching, infrastructure and administration right for it - all the marketing, self promotion and
networking that goes with it - this is far less enjoyable than actually making music! And I’d add, making music based on your own artistic cues is far more enjoyable than trying to carve out a perfect sync-ready sound. So yes, this has fallen by the wayside a little for the moment and so much so that I’m not even making music at all, let alone developing my work. But I know it’ll all come back in time - I’m in a stage with the label where I need to focus on some things and have been enjoying the results in spite
of the hard work; and by that, I mean the community, helping others and making connections. So I think to answer the question, at the moment with the level of effort required for Whitelabrecs, I find that I can’t achieve goals for both the label and my work as an artist. It’s one or the other at the moment. But I’m confident that will change as it has been an intense growth journey for the label - I’m feeling a bit of fatigue around that and have a plan to slow down, so the balance will come, I’m sure of it.
AV: If this was the music industry at large there would be a sense of competition with other labels. From what I've seen over the years the relationships between ambient, electronic and new age labels tends to be more like family than competitors you are trying to beat for the prize. Tell me about your own relationships with the other labels involved in the Woodbridge Ambient Music Festival and beyond
that just labels in general who are also releasing music similar to what you do.
HT: Yes I love this question! It’s something I feel is very relevant in our scene. I’m not sure why it is; perhaps Ambient labels are generally run by artists, who have often released on other labels and we all sort of know each other. Often these labels are born out of a passion for the music first and foremost, and not driven for financial gain or status. I think fans of Ambient music are intelligent and know the sorts of music they enjoy, so they
don’t need to be sold to, with labels out-bidding one another on advertising spend, to scrap it out for pounds and dollars. I’ve done some surveys, albeit relatively small focused studies, and the eye opener was that on average people have between £30-£40 to spend on music each month. That’s 3-4 CDs if we’re talking physical. I’m currently doing 2 myself, then there are lots of amazing labels that I won’t list here, for fear of missing people out. Easily, we’re having 20 CDs or so a month enter the ‘market’ forpeople to choose from.
You can’t really compete with each other; we share many of the same artists, there’s only so many supporters and so much budget to spend. I think the thing we have collectively that we can all share, is the fact that Ambient music is still thriving after all these years. People still love it, and need it. A quick example of labels operating as a community on a global scale, is Past Inside The Present - they were already run by a collective of passionate artists and creatives - but recentlythey launched a distribution section of their website, selling music from international record labels. This was in response to the tariffs and rising shipping costs in the US, and an amazing initiative I was only too happy to support. This kind of thing would never happen in the world of major labels and big music business. My philosophy is to care deeply about the work I put out, and strive to be kind and supportive of other artists and labels along the way. I am a music fan first and foremost, and artists or
labels in the Ambient music scene that do well, can only benefit all of us. As my friend Tom (Rhubiqs) recently put it, ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’.
As for the labels who attended Woodbridge, these guys were already friends and collaborators; with each of the other label owners making their own music and releasing on Whitelabrecs. Driftworks and Evergreen are new labels and I’ve enjoyed helping where I can, sharing resources and experience. But I’m learning from the other labels too - we have an open dialog going on WhatsApp and their feedback and challenge on a range of things has helped me refine things. One of
the things that has been great has been sharing demos between us; I get too much music sent my way, more than I could ever work with. Some of it, if I wasn’t so busy, I’d release in a heartbeat! So there have been occasions where I’ve introduced artists to one of the other labels, and vice versa.
AV: Any final thoughts as to where AI, streaming, physical and digital music media is headed in 2026 and beyond in relation to ambient, electronic and new age music?
HT: AI is worrying for most as there are rumours that one day, AI music will be so strong that a streaming platform will just pipe your utopian music to you, having learnt your exact tastes and preferences. For me as a listener, I collect physical music. I’m very selective with what I buy probably just like most, as I only have so much space on the shelf. But the music I buy has to mean something; and so, it is always created by a real person, with
their mistakes and imperfections celebrated. You just can’t get that with AI, striving for perfection through the constant analysis and refinement of data. It’s all very cold and calculated, which happens to be the opposite of the warmth and personal feel of the Ambient music I like to work with.
Streaming is another thing and for me, it’s never really been worth the effort. Not just in terms of the tiny sums it generates, but in the flow into the community. I had read that the way to see streaming is as a form of top-level discovery. It made a little sense, because I use streaming as a way to narrow down what records to buy. So for a while I put some effort into developing it. However, I realise that I’m probably the minority, as most record collectors use Bandcamp
as the first port of call. Streaming platforms are so closed from any kind of community; they feel locked down presumably to try and stop people from being linked out and away from the platform. Ambient music is seen as a commodity for streaming users; it’s there solely to solve a problem - such as a lack of sleep or to heighten concentration at work. Those people have real challenges that need to be solved and they are not looking to learn about the artists who create the music. As passive listeners, they aren’t
even looking for music containing interesting or innovative ideas. So, AI will do just fine.
I think all this aside, there’s plenty of signals that an entirely separate group of people are out there, who enjoy collecting records, reading liner notes, diving into long-form written or video content. People who like to engage with artists and labels, and support their projects and ideas. And I wonder if for those using Ambient on streaming platform to solve a problem, can somehow grow to appreciate it enough to eventually take steps to learn more about it. From
its origins in Brian Eno, right onto the current scene. Imagine discovering this special, incredibly supportive community as a passive Ambient music fan, for the first time?
AV: Thanks for these wonderful insights into Whitelabrecs Harry, your thoughts as a netlabel owner and about how all of this affects you as an artist creating your own music in the ambient genre. I very much appreciate the time you took out of your busy days to answer these questions with thoughtful and detailed answers. I wish you much success in the coming year and years for Whitelabrecs and your own creative musical efforts.
