white label

• white-label

US, 20th century. Originally used for musical vinyl records whose labels had been torn off or covered with a white label by competing DJs to conceal which records they were using.

white label (not comparable)

2. (marketing) Being a generically manufactured product, rebranded with the marketer's or retailer's trade dress: synonym of private label.
4. (computing) Unbranded; being 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.^[1]

   Coordinate terms: OEM, off-lease, open box, recertified, refurbished, system pull

6. (music) Being a vinyl record with a white label or white background (rather than artwork), typically used for test records or promotion.
   • 2014, Chris Cunningham, quoted in Piers Martin, Aphex Twin: ‘His music is a perfect mix of mystery and adrenaline’ (in The Guardian) [1]

     I started going to the record exchange in Camden two or three times a week to look for the Rephlex white labels or test pressings that would end up there. I actually got one of the original Caustic Window vinyl LPs from there.