Vince Staples and Kilo Kish are among the acts on the multi-genre label
Veteran artist manager Corey Smyth has partnered with the Capitol Music Group and Motown Records for a new joint venture, the multi-genre Blacksmith Recordings. Smyth brings with him a roster that includes Vince Staples, visual artist-singer-songwriter Kilo Kish and two emerging acts—alternative pop artist Ted When and pop artist Benn Good—among others.
In a statement announcing the venture, Blacksmith Recordings founder/CEO Smyth said of the Los Angeles-based label, "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."
Of Blacksmith Recordings partnering with Motown/Capitol, Motown president Ethiopia Habtemariam commented, "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."