Basin Street Records

What Basin Street Records does

Basin Street Records is a privately held, founder-owned independent record label founded in September 1997 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The label releases and retails recorded music in the New Orleans jazz, blues, funk, rhythm and blues, and rock tradition, working with an exclusive roster of approximately 16 artists including Kermit Ruffins, Irvin Mayfield, Rebirth Brass Band, Jon Cleary, Dr. Michael White, Bonerama, Headhunters, Davell Crawford, Lena Prima, and Jason Marsalis. The company is led by founder/proprietor Mark and operates with two full-time staff following a deliberate post-Katrina downsizing, with no external institutional ownership or funding.

The business operates on three revenue streams: physical music sales (CDs, vinyl LPs, including specialty pressings such as marble purple vinyl, plus cassettes, books, posters, and clothing) at unit prices ranging from $2 for digital singles to $300 for curated 30-CD tricentennial packages; digital downloads of singles and albums via the company storefront; and music licensing for third-party use. Distribution is direct-to-consumer globally through basinstreetrecords.com, with a second high-velocity channel at New Orleans festival retail — the label has consistently led CD sales at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and at French Quarter Fest, generating over $180,000 in sales at the first post-Katrina Jazz Fest week.

The product surface is a traditional recorded-music catalog, with no proprietary technology platform, API, or SaaS component. Marketing is concentrated in organic social (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube), an email newsletter offering 14-15 free songs as a signup incentive, content marketing through a blog with archives dating to 2004, and festival-event presence. The label's competitive position rests on twenty-plus years of brand equity in the New Orleans music market, evidenced by 11 OffBeat Best of the Beat Awards for Best Record Label, three Grammy wins by roster artists, and one #1 Billboard Jazz album ('A Beautiful World,' 2017).

Name

Basin Street Records

Legal name

Basin Street Records

Website

https://basinstreetrecords.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Basin Street Records is a founder-owned independent New Orleans record label, founded in 1997, that releases and directly retails jazz, blues, funk, and R&B recordings from a roster of approximately 16 artists via e-commerce and festival retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Music Label

NAICS

Record Production and Distribution (51225)

SIC

Retail-Record & Prerecorded Tape Stores (5735)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAIAAAC

Recorded Music Distribution (Physical & Digital)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Recorded Music (Labels, Master Rights, Distribution)

SECONDARYMPAIACAM

Download Stores & Digital Music Retail (Transactional)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Music Streaming & Subscription Services (DSPs)

Keywords

• Independent record label
• New Orleans music
• Vinyl CD releases
• Jazz blues catalog
• Music licensing services

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Physical Music Sales: Sale of physical music products including CDs, vinyl records (including specialty vinyl pressings like marble purple vinyl), books, posters, clothing, and collectibles through the company's e-commerce storefront and at festival retail events.
2. Digital Downloads: Sale of digital music downloads including albums and singles through the online shop. Products include digital EPs and singles at price points like $4.00 for singles.
3. Licensing: The label offers music licensing services through their dedicated licensing page, allowing their artists' music to be licensed for various uses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Basin Street Records is an independent record label that produces, releases, and distributes New Orleans-rooted music spanning jazz, blues, funk, R&B, and rock across physical formats (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes) and digital downloads. The label operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store, conducts retail at New Orleans festivals such as Jazz Fest and French Quarter Fest, and licenses catalog recordings for use in film, television, advertising, and other media.

Product overview

Basin Street Records is a New Orleans-based independent record label that has been releasing jazz, blues, funk, rhythm and blues, and rock music for over two decades (since 1997). The company operates primarily as an e-commerce platform selling digital downloads, CDs, vinyl LPs, and merchandise from its roster of recording artists. The product portfolio consists of individual artist catalogs (core albums/singles) and curated bundles/packages (add-on modules). Artist roster includes Kermit Ruffins, Los Hombres Calientes, Jason Marsalis, Irvin Mayfield, Dr. Michael White, Headhunters, Henry Butler, Jon Cleary, Theresa Andersson, Jeremy Davenport, Rebirth Brass Band, Davell Crawford, Saràyah, Bonerama, Lena Prima, and Kevin & The Blues Groovers. Bundled offerings include Jazz Fest Vinyl Bundle, Mardi Gras Vinyl Bundle, The Nice Vinyl 3-Pack, Essential Mardi Gras Collection, and New Orleans Tricentennial Package. The label also sells artist merchandise including hot sauce, greeting cards, and gift packs. The company does not appear to offer a software platform, API, or SaaS product—its primary offering is physical and digital music recordings sold through its e-commerce store.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Music Catalog Releases (Albums, Singles, EPs)
• Curated Vinyl Bundles and Collection Packages
• Artist-Branded Merchandise
• Music Licensing Services
• Festival Retail Sales

Quantifiable outcome

• 11-time winner of OffBeat's Best Record Label award
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• New Orleans Jazz and Heritage FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe label has a longstanding partnership with the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. They consistently lead all labels in CD sales at the festival. After Hurricane Katrina, the label stepped into a retailer role to provide opportunities for their artists and all performing artists to sell music at the festival.
• French Quarter FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong presence at the French Quarter Festival with multiple artist performances and product sales. Los Hombres Calientes' first album was ready to sell at the French Quarter Festival in 1998.
• Tipitina'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric music venue that helped launch Basin Street Records' first project in 1997. The label's first release was Kermit Ruffins' The Barbecue Swingers Live at Tipitina's.
• New Orleans Record PressminorOthersLocal vinyl pressing partner for specialty releases. The A Beautiful World marble purple vinyl was pressed locally at the New Orleans Record Press.
• Ritz-Carlton New OrleansminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArtist Jeremy Davenport performs regularly at The Davenport Lounge in the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rounder Records: Independent roots, blues, and world music label (now part of Concord Music Group), founded in 1970. Comparable as a long-established indie label with similar genre focus on American roots music and Grammy-winning artists.
• Stony Plain Records: Canadian independent blues and roots music label founded in 1976. Comparable as a similarly-sized independent roots/blues label with catalog-based revenue and touring-artist support model.
• Putumayo World Music: Independent world music label producing curated genre and regional compilations. Comparable as a niche indie label with strong retail presence, festival positioning, and culturally-themed compilation products.
• Delmark Records: Chicago-based independent jazz and blues label founded in 1953, one of the oldest indie labels. Comparable as a similarly-sized independent label with overlapping jazz/blues catalog and long operating history.
• Alligator Records: Independent Chicago-based blues label founded in 1971, recognized as a leading independent blues imprint. Comparable as a long-running indie roots music label with similar Grammy pedigree and physical/digital direct distribution.
• Preservation Hall Records: New Orleans-based jazz label closely associated with Preservation Hall venue, focusing on traditional and modern New Orleans jazz. Highly comparable to Basin Street as a genre-rooted New Orleans indie label with similar DTC and live event distribution.
• Blind Pig Records: Independent blues and roots label founded in 1977, known for blues and Americana artists. Comparable as a similarly-sized long-running independent blues label with overlapping genre focus.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian Folkways Recordings: Nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, the largest nonprofit cultural label with a vast catalog of folk, roots, and traditional American music. Comparable as a culturally-focused independent label with strong brand recognition and museum/institutional backing.
• Nonesuch Records: Long-established American record label (Warner Music Group subsidiary) known for genre-spanning roots, world, jazz, and classical releases. Comparable as a niche-curating label with Grammy-winning roster across roots and jazz, though at materially larger scale.

Emerging players

• Yellow Dog Records: Independent roots, blues, and New Orleans music label with catalog including New Orleans roots artists. Comparable as a smaller indie peer with overlapping New Orleans and roots blues roster.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/basinstrecords
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/BasinStRecords
• Facebookfacebook.com/BasinStreetRecords
• Instagraminstagram.com/basinstrecords
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/basin-street-records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Basin Street Records