An independent record label needed more than a marketing website. RH Consulting built a custom platform that unifies catalog management, artist roster, release publishing, vinyl + digital commerce surfaces, and admin operations into one operator-grade system.
The public brand surface stays editorial and release-led while the backend keeps content manageable.
Built with an AI-accelerated workflow to move from strategy to shipped platform without traditional agency overhead.
Release catalog, artist roster, media, merch, external links, and admin operations structured into one system.
The label can manage core content without asking a developer to update pages manually.
Structured release, artist, video, merch, and link data creates the foundation for future AI workflows.
The Challenge
Empty Hand Records is an independent multi-genre vinyl label releasing across hip hop, boom bap, UK hip hop, funk, soul, and underground. Like most independent labels, the operational reality is fragmented: catalog tracked in spreadsheets, artist info scattered across DMs and PDFs, release pages built one-off in page builders, store links manually maintained across Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music, and no single system to coordinate it all.
- Catalog and metadata fragmented across spreadsheets and platforms
- Release pages were manual, not driven by a structured CMS
- No unified artist roster with editorial-grade profiles
- Store links and listening links maintained by hand on every release
- No operator admin for catalog, artists, or order tracking
Artist profiles are managed as reusable records, not one-off static pages.
Business Outcome
- Replaced spreadsheets and one-off pages with one managed catalog system
- Centralized artist roster, release metadata, formats, and store links
- Editorial-grade public surfaces for releases, artists, and label brand
- Operator admin for catalog management without touching code
- Foundation that scales as the label adds artists, catalog numbers, and formats
Structured release data supports filtering by format and gives the catalog room to scale beyond the first few records.
System Architecture
RH Consulting designed Empty Hand Records as a catalog operating system: the public label experience, the artist roster, the release catalog, and a section-based admin the label runs itself.
Experience Layer
- Public site & label brand
- Releases catalog
- Artist roster
- Release detail pages & video reel
Operator Layer
- Section-based admin dashboard
- Releases, Artists, Video, Merch sections
- Site content & external links control
- Updates / editorial publishing
- Password & session auth
Commerce Surface
- Vinyl & digital format display
- Per-release pricing
- Bandcamp link-out
- Spotify & Apple Music listen links
Section-based admin gives the label an operator control surface — releases, artists, merch, video, links, and updates managed without manual page edits.
One structured release record powers a public page with catalog number, format, price, listening paths, and purchase links.
Why It Matters
Independent labels usually outgrow page-builder sites the moment they pass a handful of catalog numbers. The value here is not a prettier site — it is replacing manual workflows with a managed catalog system the label can run itself, while still presenting an editorial-grade brand surface to fans, artists, and distribution partners.
Where AI Plugs In Next
The platform was built around structured content, not static pages. That matters because useful AI features need clean data, clear relationships, and operator control before automation is layered on top.
Draft release descriptions, social captions, and announcement copy from approved release metadata.
Answer questions about artists, formats, catalog numbers, links, and availability from structured records.
Prepare updates for human approval before they go live across site and social channels.
Make releases easier for future search, recommendation, and agent workflows to understand.
More than a label site. A managed catalog system the label runs itself.
What This Demonstrates
For SMBs that need more than a website: RH Consulting builds owner-operated systems with structured data, practical workflows, and AI-ready foundations.
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