Jay-Z and Stargate Join Forces for StarRoc Label

Jay-Z, as the head of Def Jam, helped discover and sign such now dominant pop superstars as Ne-Yo and Rihanna. The Norwegian production duo Stargate helped turn those artists' music into gold in the studio as well as being responsible for such towering hits as Beyonce's #1 smash "Irreplaceable."

Now, in the wake of Jay-Z leaving Def Jam at the end of last year, the 2 pop music powerhouses are joining forces for a new record label called StarRoc. The new venture is a 50/50 partnership and will nurture new artists with deals that cover everything from touring to merchandising and record sales. These agreements will be very similar to the one Jay-Z signed earlier with Live Nation. The headquarters for the new label will be at Jay-Z's New York recording studio Roc the Mic.

Related Link:

• Stargate interview

_{Jay-Z photo by Neilson Barnard / Getty Images
Stargate photo courtesy Stargate}