We were lucky to catch up with Dave Klein recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dave, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

When you think of a record label, you might imagine the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, buildings full of music executives wearing expensive suits, and your favorite artists making the next hit in an iconic studio. But, while a handful of corporate-owned labels might produce most of the songs on the top-40 rotation, most of the music being recorded, distributed, and published today are either completely funded by the artist themselves, or supported by one of the many independent record labels across the US and beyond. Independent record labels serve an important demographic: the independent artist.

As of Feb 2023, over 100,000 new tracks were uploaded to streaming services every day. With that much music being produced, how does an independent artist stand out? How can a songwriter, band, or even a label hope to cut through the noise and get noticed? And, at an average royalty payment of $.003 per stream, how can the label and artist hope to make enough income to sustain their music careers?

An independent record label can help bridge this divide and help create opportunities for up-and-coming artists. For one thing, a record label can help with recording, mixing, and mastering costs, all of which make an artist’s track much more likely to get streamed, downloaded, or purchased. A label can also help advertise on a larger scale and help an artist or band expand beyond their hometown. Finally, because it represents several different artists and works with many different studios, venues, and companies, a record label can help artists set up live shows and tours, which generate better revenue than streaming/downloads alone. Finally, a label can ensure artists songs are registered properly with royalty-collecting agencies so that an artist is generating as much revenue as possible from their work.

An independent record label can help bridge this divide and help create opportunities for up-and-coming artists. For one thing, a record label can help with recording, mixing, and mastering costs, all of which make an artist’s track much more likely to get streamed, downloaded, or purchased. A label can also help advertise on a larger scale and help an artist or band expand beyond their hometown. Finally, because it represents several different artists and works with many different studios, venues, and companies, a record label can help artists set up live shows and tours, which generate better revenue than streaming/downloads alone. Additionally, a label can ensure artists songs are registered properly with royalty-collecting agencies so that an artist is generating as much revenue as possible from their work. Finally, some labels, like Baffin Records, have a publishing arm that can help find opportunities for licensing artists’ works for TV and movies, thereby opening another potentially profitable revenue stream.

In short, it’s never been easier to get your music in front of people (just upload and hours later you’re live on Spotify, or record a video and it’s instantly on Instagram or TikTok), but it’s for this reason that you now have to compete with hundreds of thousands of new songs/videos each day. Some artists will be “discovered” by a big label and be catapulted into stardom. For most artists, it’s a constant struggle to compete for listeners’ attention. An independent label can be an important part of a musician’s journey.

Dave, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Baffin Records is an independent record label and music publisher based in Alexandria, VA. Baffin Records represents several local (DC-area) artists and specializes in production, distribution, publishing, and live events. Baffin Records strives to ensure its new and up-and-coming artists have the opportunity to stand out and be heard alongside established artists. Through promotion, live shows, social media engagement, and publishing services, Baffin Records seeks to elevate new artists to make sure their music can reach its full potential.

Founded in 2021, Baffin Records has been recognized in the DC region with three “Wammie” Awards, DC’s annual music awards. Hanoi Ragmen’s 2022 album “The Oldlight” won best rock album of the year, and the song “Foolhearted” from that album took home the best rock song award at the 2023 awards. This year, Marian Hunter’s single “@80” won best pop song of 2023.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My cofounder and I used to work together at a government job. We would often write and record songs together. In 2021 we started Baffin Records.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

We use Shopify–it’s been very easy to showcase the merchandise online and keep track of everything. For live events, we use a portable Square terminal and it makes it VERY easy for fans to buy merchandise with cash, card, tap etc.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://baffinrecords.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baffinrecords/