LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – Veteran artist manager Corey Smyth has joined forces with Capitol Music Group and Motown Records on a new joint venture, Blacksmith Recordings.
The label’s portfolio already includes artist Vince Staples; visual artist, singer and songwriter Kilo Kish; and emerging artists Ted When and Benn Good, among others.
Smyth founded the Blacksmith brand in 1991 while attending Morehouse College and majoring in marketing. Over the course of his 25+ year career as an artist manager and entertainment industry entrepreneur, he has since guided the careers of artists such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, De La Soul, Foxy Brown, Lil Jon, Dave Chappelle and Staples.
In a statement announcing the venture, Smyth said: “Today, more than ever, artists are evolving their professional identities in multi-faceted ways. My mission through Blacksmith Recordings is to nurture young and new talent from the ground up and enable them to expand their vision of success. We are looking at the big picture, thinking about how a musician evolves across genres, what success looks like in the first year and a decade later and what happens after the first album, the second and the third. Our goal is to reinforce career longevity and boundless potential in the artists we represent, while growing global brands around them.”
Motown/Capitol, Motown president Ethiopia Habtemariam added: “We are honored to partner with Corey and welcome Blacksmith Recordings into the Motown family. Our goal has always been to be the voice of today and tomorrow, and we know that with Corey and his remarkable roster of clients including Vince Staples, we are destined to continue to foster the path of future icons at Motown.”
Steve Barnett, chairman/CEO of Capitol Music Group said: “Corey is a seasoned expert in the entertainment industry who possesses a unique vision for developing and enhancing the careers of his diverse roster of talent. We can’t think of a better partner and look forward to welcoming Corey, Vince Staples and the entire Blacksmith Recordings team to Capitol Music Group.”
Working with a core staff of eight, Smyth expects to roll out new music under the Blacksmith/Motown/Capitol umbrella before the end of the year.
