Mark Samuels is sitting in an armchair in the corner of a coffeeshop in Mid-City New Orleans. He looks mild mannered from afar, but up close there is a subtle firmness that indicates he is not to be taken lightly. And, as a man who went from working in the tough energy business to the equally tough music business, this firmness has helped him well. Then again, he yawns and says that he is just back from his honeymoon, so it could be fatigue showing. In any event, over a cup of joe, Samuels begins telling the tale of how he started one of New Orleans' most successful record companies, Basin Street Records.
      In the late 80s, Samuels was working in his family's business, an energy company that extracted hydrogen sulfide from natural gas. He was looking for something else to do. He had helped his brother put on showcases at the Cutting Edge Music Conference, and there ran into Tom Thompson, manager of trumpeter Kermit Ruffins. Thompson approached him with the idea of investing in Ruffins' live recording, and, as he says, Rather than invest in just a recording, I decided to start Basin Street Records. They released the Barbeque Swingers Live in February 1998 to great acclaim. At first Samuels remembers, I did it as a nights and weekend thing, but then I came to hear a drummer named Matt Dillon at the Funky Butt in the pouring rain in March 1998 and I ran into Irvin Mayfield. He asked me if I was interested in doing a record of Los Hombres Calientes. 'Yeah,' I said, 'but if you want one out by Jazzfest like you said in the articles I saw you in, we have to move quick.' They signed a deal on March 11, and the record was out by April 16. That record won Billboard 2000 Latin Jazz Record of the year and was a top seller at Jazzfest 1998 and 1999. On the strength of that and Kermit's sales, I quit the energy business to run the label in June of 1998.
      After Los Hombres, Samuels signed Jason Marsalis and Mayfield as a solo artist. Producer Jerry Brock convinced him that clarinetist Dr. Michael White was going to make a great record and would sell, so Samuels signed White. In time he also added pianists Henry Butler and Jon Cleary, funk band the Headhunters, and vocalist/multi instrumentalist Theresa Andersson. My philosophy, says Samuels, is that I need to be able to hear the music every day. I have to be a fan of the music and must enjoy working with the people. Samuels also takes a hands off approach to the music. My interest is in the marketing, distribution, and P.R.. But I have to like the music. I listen to the music and make an occasional suggestion on song length or edit, but I try to leave the recording aspect of things up to the producers like Tracey Freeman or Delfeayo Marsalis.
       Marketing, distribution, and P.R can be a challenge given the effects of both the federal flood and the new music business paradigm. Samuels lost his house in Lakewood South and his office on Canal Street when the federal levees failed. Although this has forced him to streamline his business because of that, there have been difficulties. The Road Home program was a disaster and still is, he asserts, and the SBA is a disgrace. Like many property and business owners, he has had to supply certain information several times over, and then they ask for more. That has been a mess, and they ask me to get together things that I already got together once, and I don't have time for it. Also, the transition in the music business has been tricky. People burning music for friends or sharing it through an illegal music service has hurt. They're not necessarily sharing Dr. Michael White, but they are sharing Mariah Carey or Britney Spears, and that makes the retailers go out of business. National chains like Wherehouse Music or Tower have gone under, and we've lost 900 of 2700 independent retailers. And shelf space is limited, especially at Walmart, Best Buy, Circuit City, and the big box stores. Retailers are interested in making a profit, explains Samuels, and they are more inclined to carry stuff that sells 100 copies a month rather than 10 copies a month. On the positive side, it's easy to go to Amazon or the Louisiana Music Factory website or our website and buy music. The ability to buy music from your iPhone when it comes out is a great plus. Music is an impulse purchase. If people are carrying around a device where they can buy it on the spot, that is a wonderful thing. However, Samuels is still a fan of buying the CD. I want a buyer to have the whole album, he states, We do that type of music. It's not hits music. And I want them to see the efforts we put into the packaging. The new Henry Butler CD has art from Chuck Siler and notes from Larry Blumenfeld and George Winston. There is a lot you can get there that you can't get on a digital platform. Samuels is confident that New Orleans and Basin Street Records can deal with any changes, whether from rising water or illegal downloads. His goal is simple. Basin Street Records must find a niche. What I'm striving for is to be the premiere label for New Orleans talent.