The Story So Far…

One crisp winter night, two Lincolnshire musicians found themselves in a dinky old pub, listening to an extraordinary local artist. Enthused by their desire to hear more, they found that the artist had a self-produced CD, which they immediately purchased. This was the catalyst of conversation regarding the decline and rise of physical media in music. Seeing the popularity of this CD and the joy it brought to all, they knew there and then that there needed to be more. Thus came the birth of Yellowbelly Records.

Lincolnshire has always had a great variety of talented musicians, but, in this digital age, it is more difficult than ever to support local artists. This is what we are setting out to rectify; riding the resurgence of physical media to support artists across the county. Yellowbelly Records is working with local artists to give them opportunities to produce physical media and merchandise for their musical careers and aspirations, creating a catalogue of releases across a variety of artists that Lincolnshire can be proud of.

To help enable artists to invest into their releases, we are putting on a variety of showcases to demonstrate the talent in Lincolnshire’s music scene. The funds raised from these events will be going straight back into helping artists fund physical releases of their music, supported by a team of dedicated physical media enthusiasts. We are also partnering with talent across Lincolnshire’s art scene, including fine artists, photographers and videographers, graphic designers and stage engineers, to bring out the best Lincolnshire has to offer.

What We Do

  • CD Production

    • To do this, we have an in-house industry-grade CD burner/printer, ensuring each of the CDs we produce sound perfect and look splendid.

    • We also have an industrial laser printer, stapler and guillotine in-house for all of our covers and booklets.

  • Cassette Production

    • We’ve recently invested in some industry-level cassete mastering machines and duplicators, as well as printing labels and covers with our laser printer.

  • Novelty Production

    • MiniDisc, DVD, Blu-Ray, Floppy Disc?!

    • All the above and more; Cullen loves a challenge!

  • Distribution

    • We distribute across a variety of platforms, including online at www.yellowbellyrecords.co.uk, and in a variety of retail stores, including Back to Mono (Lincoln) and Off the Beaten Tracks (Louth)

  • Merch

    • We’ve partnered with the guys at The Crafty Cove in Whitby, who have a very similar ethos to us and produce fantastic merch, including shirts, patches, hats and much more!

  • Our Artists’ Agreement

    • We believe in honesty, fairness and transparency with our artists. All our artists own all of their music and lyrics, 100% of the time.

    • Our artists always receive at least 50% of the profits we make; if a CD sells for £‎10, the artist receives £‎5. Our half then goes towards the costs of production and investments in equipment, supplies and shows.

    • We can also produce merch similar to other companies, where artists can pay us up front and receive some CDs/Tapes/ect. However, as we aim to make these more accessible, especially in this economic climate, so the vast majority of our artists work with us on the split deal.

  • Shows

    • We love live shows, and love to put them on for our artists. Our team of sound engineers and photo/videographers love nothing more than to put on a cracking show with our artists!

    • We often have shows for album launches, artist showcases, tours and special occassions.

  • Future Plans

    • Of course, we would love to produce vinyl records. Price is certainly a contributing issue, though we’re currently attempting to revive a 7-inch cutter…

You can find more information on our FAQs page.

If you have any ideas for collaboration, would like to work with us or one of our artists, or would like to sign up with us as an artist, get in touch!

Yellowbelly Records Team

  • Cullen Gaskell

    Cullen has been involved in Lincolnshire’s music scene for many years. From touring the country with The Wildflowers, to putting on regular Open Mic nights and gigs across the country, Cullen is well ingrained in the Lincoln rock and acoustic scenes. With a background in technology, Cullen continues to expand his knowledge and experience new challenges in the music industry. He has had an interest in music production for a long time, making many home-made physical releases and obscure proof of concepts, and he is thrilled to be able to expand this interest with the rest of the Lincolnshire music scene.

    Since starting Yellowbelly Records, he has learned a lot about the production of physical media, and now operates industrial machines to put together each of the releases we’re releasing. He loves the more unique kinds of releases and exploring new ideas and technologies to craft media for our artists.

  • Rupert Ibbotson

    Rupert is Lincoln born and raised. Since his schooldays, he has assisted in the cultivation and development of arts scenes across the region, and he has utilised skills acquired during his university careers to date to now distinguish himself, as one who is well recognised and respected within the Lincoln arts scene, and one who is capably able of championing the return of physical media with Yellowbelly Records.

    From co-editing international zine Esoterica to creating Unlocked Lincoln, an independent promotor of the Lincolnshire arts scene, Rupert has worked with an array of artists, and has developed a network of talent that enables him to connect dots; he finds fulfilment in guiding the introduction of likeminded artists, and in providing opportunities for those who require an open door. Now settled within Lincoln, Rupert has fortunately found himself the opportunity to give something back to the arts community that helped shape who he is.

  • Magnumpix Photography

    Mick, alongside his incredible team, formed Magnumpix Photography in early 2021. With both organisations beginning around the same time, Yellowbelly Records teamed up with Magnumpix Photography to help each other gain a footing in the scene.

    While photographing at nearly every Yellowbelly event, Magnumpix Photography has also been photographing at many amazing events and locations, including Whitby Goth and Steampunk weekends, Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, De Montford Hall and Tired Bear Promotions, among many other.

  • Mary Cooke

    After being called in to save our butts on a couple of occassions, it quickly became clear that Mary was a sensational live sound engineer and all-round star to work with. Mary is now our go-to live engineer, drawing on her experiences for doing engineering across the country; including Download festival and many shows at Lincoln’s Engine Shed, among many others.

    Working alongside Cullen at our Yellowbelly Recorded events has allowed the two of them to deliver the best of both worlds; a great dedicated live sound recording alongside a stellar live show.

  • Henry Parkk

    Henry has been involved with the arts scene for most of his life, enjoying stints in bands, in theater, and more recently in comedy. After following videography in education, Henry started working his skills with Yellowbelly Records alongside his budding YouTube channel; both of which have been testing his writing, directing and filming chops.

    As well as filming live shows, scripted material and behind-the-scenes content, Henry has been making waves in the comedy circuit, especially in the online VR comedy scene.

  • Joe Andrews

    Joe got involved in 2023 as a local mix artist wating to branch out and try new things. From the first demo he sent us, and his friendly and professional demeanour, we knew we were onto a winner!

    We’ve got plenty of mixes going on all the time, so you’ll see more of his credits in liner notes going forward!

  • Josh Curson

    The only man with the balls to casually and flawlessly pull off Dragonforce at an Open Mic, Josh has been a rock in the Yellowbelly community since day one. With hidden talents throughout the audio spectrum, he’s helped in lots of live shows and recording scenarioes, with many more to come!

    An invaluable asset at every show, buy this man a drink next time you see him!

  • Annmarie Gaskell

    When things started expanding for us at a great pace, Annmarie began helping us with many administrative tasks, including assisting with communications, posting and packaging, and keeping the rest of us on track. Although largely behind-the-scenes, her impact on operations at Yellowbelly Records have enabled us to develop and grow at a greater rate.