After becoming disenchanted by pricey but middling gigs, I rediscovered the underground and became determined to champion it. But the obstacles are considerable

I’m listening right now to a record I’ve put out on a label I’ve set up myself: a spiralling piece of vinyl unleashing a glorious noise. Helping bring it into existence has been a rush like no other – frightening and intimidating at times, but eye-opening and enormously rewarding. A journey discovering that, away from the corporate behemoths, there’s a lot of friendly people doing the same thing, simply because they love music, too.

Music hit me at an early age and obsession has followed ever since. I’m the Guardian’s Formula One correspondent and I am deeply devoted to the sport, but listening to bands has perhaps been the only real constant in my life since first experiencing those teenage kicks. Forty years later it has reached this unexpected and yet rather glorious conclusion: my label, INH Records.