NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter has inked a deal with record producer team Stargate to form a new record label and publishing company, StarRoc Music Publishing. It will be the first partnership for Jay-Z's Live Nation vehicle, Roc Nation.
Based in New York, StarRoc will be headed up by Jay-Z and will seek to partner with artists to provide rights management, global distribution and marketing services. Live Nation's Artist Nation division is an equal partner in the endeavor and will allow StarRoc to leverage the promoter-giant's resources in support of StarRoc artists.
The production team of Stargate has made a solid name for themselves in recent years. Comprised of two Norwegians Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen, Stargate has been nominated for numerous awards, including six Grammys, the 2007 PRS/ASCAP Songwriters of the Year, 2008 Rolling Stone Magazine Hitmakers of the Year, 2008 Ivor Novello Award recipients, Billboard #1 Hot Producers 2006 and multiaward- winning ASCAP songwriters 2006-2008.
The duo have a successful history of collaboration with Jay-Z, most recently with the #1 songs "Irreplaceable" (Beyonce), "Take A Bow" (Rihanna), "Closer" (Ne-Yo) and "Unfaithful" (Rihanna).
"Stargate were like a secret weapon. We had great success with Rihanna and Ne-Yo. In only 2 years, they've generated 10 singles in the Top 10 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and 3 of those singles hit the # 1 position. This has been a rewarding partnership and it was time to take the creative venture to the next level," commented JAY-Z. -CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
