Mark Pitts has stepped down as President of RCA Records.
Pitts, who also served as CEO of ByStorm Entertainment, the label imprint he founded in 1998, confirmed his departure on Monday (April 14).
He will maintain a relationship with RCA and Sony Music in a consultancy capacity, working with the artists he developed during his tenure at the label, including Chris Brown and Miguel.
The move comes as Pitts launches COFVNDERS, a new multimedia management company operating out of New York City and Los Angeles.
Pitts’ biggest artist, Chris Brown recently announced a co-headlining stadium tour with Usher dubbed “The R&B Tour”, which is set to kick off in late June in Denver, in partnership with Live Nation.
Pitts is credited as a producer on the tour, which, according to a press release, was orchestrated through COFVNDERS while the company was still operating in stealth.
Brown is also preparing to release his 12th studio album, BROWN, on May 8 via Chris Brown Entertainment/RCA Records.
The new album follows the Grammy Award-winning 11:11 (Deluxe), which took home Best R&B Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in 2025. Its lead single, It Depends featuring Bryson Tiller, was nominated for two Grammys at the 2026 ceremony — Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance.
Beyond artist management, COFVNDERS has partnered with entertainment attorney and entrepreneur Tamayu Takayama on a new initiative called the Tokyo Sound Continuum (TSC).
The program, backed by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, a cultural body of the Government of Japan, through its Creator Support Fund, is designed to bring US producers and songwriters to Tokyo to collaborate with Japanese creators.
Pitts said he plans to use the initiative to build a longer-term ecosystem aimed at exporting Japanese talent to the global stage, supported by a network of international executives.
“I’m proud of everything we built at RCA,” said Pitts. “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.
“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.”
“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.”
Mark Pitts
A Brooklyn-born producer and executive, Pitts began his career working alongside Sean Combs at Bad Boy Records in the early 1990s, where he managed The Notorious B.I.G.
He subsequently served as VP of A&R at Arista Records, where he worked on Usher’s diamond-certified album Confessions (2004), before becoming President of Urban Music at Jive Records, during which time he signed a teenage Chris Brown in 2004 and also managed J. Cole.
Following the 2011 Jive-RCA merger, Pitts was appointed President of Urban Music at RCA Records. He was promoted to President of RCA in January 2021, reporting to Chairman and CEO Peter Edge.
During his tenure, Pitts also oversaw the development of Latto, among other artists on the RCA roster.Music Business Worldwide