Mel Carter (businessman)
Mel Carter | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1985 (age 39–40) Port of Spain, Trinidad and
Tobago |
| Nationality | Trinidadian and Tobagonian |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, record executive, podcaster |
| Years active | 2015 – present |
| Children | 1 |
Mel Carter (born January 14, 1985) is an American businessman and music executive, originally from Trinidad and Tobago.[1] He is the former Senior Vice President of A&R at Republic Records[2][3] and is the founder of Second Estate Records,[4] a record label distributed by Warner Records since 2022.[5]
Carter is the owner of a franchise development company, Melanbo, which has acquired dozens of Bojangles fast food franchises across the United States with Kevin "Coach K" Lee.[6][7] He is the co-host of the finance-based podcast called “Business Untitled” with Mike Novogratz and Dave Barry.
Personal life
[edit]Carter was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago to Clifton Carter and Stacy Jenkinson. He emigrated with his mother and sister to the United States in 1997, settling in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Between the 7th grade and 10th grade, Carter was kicked out of four different schools before ultimately dropping out.[1] Carter has one child, a daughter born in 2006. He has one sister.[1]
Career
[edit]Music industry
[edit]Carter began his career as a talent manager for artists that were later signed to Republic Records, Atlantic Records, Roc Nation, and Interscope.[1] Carter is the Founder of Hikari-Ultra, a joint venture with Republic Records that discovered the music group City Morgue. In 2018, Carter began working with Republic Records, as Senior Vice President of A&R, overseeing the Hikari-Ultra imprint. He was the first Senior Vice President of Republic Records without a high school diploma.[8]
Carter exited Republic Records in October 2022 to launch a label, Second Estate Records, which is distributed by Warner Records.[9][better source needed]
Other ventures
[edit]Carter is the owner of the franchise development company, Melanbo. Quality Control Music’s founder and COO, Kevin Lee, is an investor in Melanbo.[10] The group has acquired more than 32 Bojangles fast food franchise stores.[11] Carter is a former investor in Nas’ restaurant group, Sweet Chick,[1] but later sold his shares due to conflict of interest with Bojangles. Carter co-founded Adansonia in 2023, a real estate firm focused on developing affordable housing in the New York tri-state area.[citation needed] Carter is the co-host of a finance-based podcast called “Business Untitled” with Mike Novogratz,[12] founder of the technology-financial services firm Galaxy Digital, and real estate developer Dave Barry.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Executive Spotlight: Mel Carter, SVP Of A&R At Republic Records, Wants To Inspire Young Black Executives at Forbes; by Rianna Turner; published October 29, 2020; retrieved December 2, 2024
- ^ Republic Records Names Mel Carter Senior VP of A&R at Variety; published November 18, 2019; retrieved December 2, 2024
- ^ Executive Turntable: Republic Loses A&R SVP to Restaurant Biz; UnitedMasters Hires 6 Execs at Billboard; by Chris Eggertsen; published September 23, 2022; retrieved December 2, 2024
- ^ Mel Carter moves forward while looking back at Amsterdam News; by Karen Juanita Carrillo; published July 12, 2023; retrieved December 2, 2024
- ^ WARNER RECORDS SETS JOINT VENTURE WITH MEL CARTER’S SECOND ESTATE RECORDS at Warner Music Group; published October 3, 2022; retrieved December 2, 2024
- ^ Quality Control’s Coach K And Music Exec Mel Carter Strike Historic Deal As Bojangles Owners at Vibe Magazine; by Armon Sadler; published December 2, 2022; retrieved December 2, 2024
- ^ Coach K & Mel Carter to Build 14 New Atlanta Bojangles Restaurants at Empower Atlanta Magazine; published December 12, 2022; retrieved December 2, 2024
- ^ Without a College Education, Mel Carter Used Life Lessons and People Skills to Become a Successful Music Exec at Black Enterprise; by Cedric Thornton; published September 21, 2020; retrieved December 2, 2024
- ^ Staff (2022-10-05). "Mel Carter signs 2Rare for $800k on the spot". Remixd Magazine. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ Coach K and Mel Carter now own the largest Black-owned franchise at Bojangles at Revolt; by Kevin Keise; published December 2, 2022; retrieved December 2, 2024
- ^ How Music Executive Mel Carter Added Fifth Largest Bojangles Franchisee In History To His Resume at Afro Tech; by Samantha Dorisca; published October 26, 2022; retrieved December 2, 2024
- ^ Galaxy Digital CEO Michael Novogratz Says Hard Assets Key For Building Wealth For Those in 30s And 40s: 'I Still Like Bitcoin' at Benzinga.com; published April 11, 2024; retrieved December 2, 2024
- ^ Board of Trustees David Barry, Co-Chair at Liberty Science Center; retrieved December 2, 2024