PTC Bonds With Warner Records
• Protect the Culture (PTC), a new label founded by 25-year music industry veteran Marc Byers, has entered into a worldwide joint venture with Warner Records. Byers will also serve as an A&R consultant for Warner Records, focusing on the vibrant African music scene. Grammy®-nominated artist Lord Afrixana makes his debut on the newly minted label venture with the powerful new single, “No Dey Tire.”
Byers will also work closely with “Steve-O” Carless, President of A&R, and Karen Kwak, EVP/Head of A&R. In a joint statement, Carless and Kwak remarked, “Marc has already proven to be an invaluable A&R resource with the signings of breakout Nigerian artist Pheelz and afro-fusion rising star Lord Afrixana. We’re confident it’s just the beginning of what’s to come from Marc and Protect the Culture. Aaron [Bay-Schuck], Tom[Corson], and the team are excited to be championing such inspiring young talent from the electrifying African and world music scenes with passionate entrepreneurs, and we’re looking forward to all we can accomplish together.”
Commenting on this new chapter, Byers said, “I’m excited to bring Protect The Culture to Warner Records. I have a passion for this genre and feel it will be the Pop music of the world. Lord Afrixana is our first artist on the label, and he’s incredibly talented. PTC wants to introduce more than just sounds coming out of Africa because Afrobeats is universal and incredibly diverse. I’d like to thank Aaron, Tom, Steve, and Karen for their trust in my vision.”
Byers was most recently General Manager of Motown Records. From 2009 to 2011, he was instrumental in the formation of Philly360.com through his consultation agreement with Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), steering the organization’s sponsorship of the annual event, The Roots Picnic. He also produced the 2012 feature film Black November, starring Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, Vivica A. Fox, Wyclef Jean, and Akon. Earlier in his career, Byers was an A&R Director at Atlantic Records.
