The White Label Auction in Aid of The BRIT Trust returns in a week’s time on Tuesday, 5th November, with hundreds of lots of highly collectable ‘white-label’ test pressings from a diverse range of artists across all genres once again set to go under the hammer.
This fifth edition of the charity auction – made possible by major donations of test pressings by the UK’s record labels – led by Universal Music UK and supported also by Sony Music UK, Warner Music UK, other labels and the BPI, and first staged in 2019 – will be hosted live online and on-site for UK and international collectors by the music memorabilia and vinyl records specialists Omega Auctions.
Superfans and collectors will be able to bid for a great selection of white labels including coveted signed test pressings. Already confirmed are signed lots from The Cure, Iggy Pop and The 1975 as well as items from Chemical Brothers, Stones Roses, The Verve, The Police, OMD, Def Leppard, Genesis, The Who, Madness, Robbie Williams and the Sex Pistols among a great many others, while there will also be test pressings of collaborations by Calvin Harris with Dua Lipa, Sam Smith, and with Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams. More titles are being added.
Last year’s auction on 6 June 2023 set a new record for such a sale, achieving a total hammer price of £54,310 from the 231 lots up for grabs. Among the star items was a rare test pressing of Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s 1984 classic album, Welcome to the Pleasuredome, signed by the whole band, which went for £3,500. Additionally, The Cure test pressings all signed by Robert Smith brought in £12,300 between them, and in total 11 lots each achieved bids in excess of £1,000.
Johnny Chandler, who founded the White Label Auction and leads in organising it, said: “What started out as a bit of a fun, albeit with serious intent, has now become a key fundraiser for our industry’s main charity – The BRIT Trust. Monies raised have helped to support a range of great causes, such as the BRIT School, ELAM, and Nordoff and Robbins. I’m grateful to all the artists, managers and the participating record labels who contribute so generously.”
Dan Muscatelli-Hampson, Omega Auctions Auction Manager, added: “Driven by the enduring appeal of vinyl, including among younger consumers, the market for collectible albums and music memorabilia remains strong. The White Label Auction, the only one of its kind in the world, which Omega Auctions is proud to host, has struck a chord with artists and fans alike, and we invite collectors from around the world to join us on 5th November to bid for these rare gems.”
Tony Wadsworth CBE, BRIT Trust Chair, said: “The White Label Auction has become an eagerly anticipated event, not just because of the fascination vinyl albums hold over music fans, but because it does so much to raise the profile of the BRIT Trust’s work with the BRIT School, Nordoff and Robbins and other wonderful causes while crucially raising vital funds to help sustain this. It is further testament to the amazing power of music to improve lives.”
Background to white label test pressings and the market for vinyl albums
In January 2024, UK record labels association, the BPI reported vinyl albums had recorded a 16th year of consecutive growth in the UK, with over 6.1m LPs purchased in 2023 (11.8% up on 2022). It’s likely the BPI will report at the end of the year that sales of music on physical format (vinyl/CD combined) has shown its first year-on-year rise in 20 years. This continuing growth in demand for LPs has in turn seen a growing archive of white label pressings, so called because there is no finished sleeve artwork at this early stage, which labels produce ahead of the full release of an album to ensure audio quality. With only a handful produced for each recording, these first-off-the-press copies are snapped up by collectors on the rare occasions they become available, as evidenced by the interest in the White Label Auctions to date, which between them have raised more than £100k music charity The BRIT Trust.
Record labels support for the White Label Auction in aid of the BRIT Trust
Each year, the UK’s world-leading record companies and independent labels, led by Universal Music UK, who founded the event in association with the BPI, and also including Sony Music UK, Warner Music UK, BMG, Cherry Red, and Domino Recordings, among others, join forces to curate a broad selection of white label auction lots. The proceeds raised help fund the vital work of music industry charity The BRIT Trust – which promotes education and wellbeing through music and the creative arts to support causes that include the BRIT School, ELAM and Nordoff and Robbins.
Read Johnny Chandler’s White Label Auction blog for The BRIT Trust Diaries in full here.