For Dane "BRICKS" Childs, music is a constant.

"I've always been involved in music," said the founder of the independent music label Kingpinz Music Group. "When I was at Penn State, I would record music in my dorm."

The 23-year-old Penn State alumnus attended Rogers Middle School for the Creative and Performing Arts in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pa., where he was a drama major. That's where he says everything started.

Once at Penn State, Childs worked at getting a degree in criminal justice and sociology during the day, and then followed musical pursuits in his free time.

"I would perform around town and worked with [local hip-hop group] Audio Imagery," he said.

When Childs graduated, he took his affinity for music to another level.

As the former chief marketing officer for RAV Inc., he decided to strike out on his own with his independent label.

"I've always been into the arts, so this was natural to me," he said.

He currently has seven artists under his label, including PlayBizzle, YC Kendrick and Fre$h Millz. With several artists to keep track of, dealing with clashing personalities can also prove to be an issue.

"It's stressful because you have to deal with a lot of egos and different personalities," he said.

It can also prove problematic when artists decide to move on to bigger labels.

"A lot of groups do leave, and it does get frustrating," Childs added.

Despite this, one of the unique qualities of Childs' record label is that he does not tie his artists down with contracts. Even though he does not want artists to leave, he doesn't want to hinder them from following their dreams.

"I don't do contracts. I'll give to you as long as you do what you are supposed to do," he said.

Kingpinz Music Group was recently nominated for the Pittsburgh Hip-Hop Awards' Best Record Label of the year. Even though the label did not win, Childs said he was glad for the experience and the networking that came with it.

"One of my artists got to perform, and we were VIPs," he said.

Childs said word has gotten around about the label and he has been able to move some of his artists to larger venues.

"Our last gig had 400 people," he said.

Starting Kingpinz Music Group, Childs said, was by no means easy and took a lot of time and effort.

"It took me a while to develop it," he said.

It was equally difficult for him to handle all of the marketing and advertising for his artists, while simultaneously making sure all their needs were met, he added.

"I'm definitely multitasking, giving the artists individual attention while trying to reach different fan bases," Childs said.

Even though Kingpinz Music Group is establishing itself and becoming more recognized, the company has yet to return big profits.

"I'm just starting to break even," Childs said.

One of the difficulties of running an independent label is that, even though Kingpinz can promote music online, it's hard to make money with the Internet, he said.

"People hear your music, but it's harder to turn into a profit," he said.

Like his nickname, "BRICKS" is strong and willing to work hard for his company and his artists.

He added that he would love to come back to State College for a show and plans to talk with the Cell Block, 420 E. College Ave., about a potential performance.

"I love Penn State," he said. "I had a lot of good times there."