Pitts Leaving RCA For New Project

• Variety reports that Mark Pitts has stepped down as President of RCA Records after five years and will launch his new venture Cofvnders, a multi-media management company. Pitts will maintain his relationship with the RCA/Sony Music family, as a consultant on the acts he has worked closely with and developed.

Cofvnders, based in New York and Los Angeles has quietly played a key role in helping to orchestrate The R&B Tour, headlined by Usher and Chris Brown, for which Pitts is a producer in partnership with Live Nation. The tour launches June 25 in Denver.

Pitts also has partnered with entertainment attorney and entrepreneur Tamayu Takayama to help create the Tokyo Sound Continuum, a songwriting program that brings U.S. producers together with Japanese songwriters, producers and artists. Pitts plans to help create a long-term ecosystem designed to export Japanese talent onto the global stage.

During his tenure at RCA, Pitts held simultaneous positions as President of RCA and CEO of his ByStorm Entertainment, with a roster that includes Chris Brown, and Miguel, among others. The Brooklyn-born Pitts originally worked with the Notorious B.I.G., Changing Faces and Faith Evans, later serving as VP of A&R at Arista Records, then became President of Urban Music at Jive Records, while managing J. Cole.

“I’m proud of everything we built at RCA. I feel blessed to have played a part in shaping some of the most important careers in music, but even more importantly, in leading and helping guide the lives of young women and men. That’s legacy,” says Pitts. “I’m looking forward to continuing to work with RCA and Sony Music in a new capacity, while also feeling more energized than ever about what I’m building with Cofvnders. After more than 25 years in this business, to still feel this level of excitement is a blessing in itself.”