Although Richard Dunn ran a music label early in his 30-year career, he never thought that, in 2026, he’d be running another one.
The epiphany hit him last summer. But it wasn’t as deep as it sounds.
Songwriter and producer Munson Steed consulted Dunn on promoting music for a local artist.
By the time they were done, a business idea blossomed.
“We realized we were building an infrastructure, and we just decided to open it up,” said Dunn, 51.
The “it” is Rolling Out Music, a new record label from Rolling Out, a longtime Atlanta media company founded by Steed that focuses on Black entertainment. The why? Creating an ecosystem that combines the influencer market with music.
Credit: Natrice Miller for the AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller for the AJC
It’s not about the often uninspired trend of turning influencers into musicians, though. It’s about ensuring musicians are equipped with tools to sustain their brand just like an influencer would.
“When we say influencers, it’s people that have created dynamic communities, who really want to be a part of a global marketplace,” said Steed.
‘Culture in motion’
Rolling Out Music is headed by Steed, Dunn and Dennis McKinley, who owns the distribution company Music XChange (although Bravo fans may recognize him from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” as Porsha Williams’ ex-fiancée). Rolling Out media company, acquired Music XChange late last year.
The label officially launched in November, with the release of R&B singer Kevin Ross’ song “This Winter”(Ross isn’t signed to Rolling Out, but Steed produced and co-wrote the song). This year, Rolling Out Music plans to release projects from its four signed artists: rapper Pap Chanel, dance artist Troi, R&B singer/TV personality Drew Sidora and soul music veteran Anthony David, a recent addition to the roster.
Many other artists have partnered with the label solely through its distribution arm.
Rolling Out Music, touting transparency and fostering community as core tenets, strives to be a one-stop shop for musicians: a resource for touring and distribution; a media hub for creating social media content and an incubator for artists wanting creative control. Those are the same values that Steed said were foundational to the primordial Rolling Out, which he founded in 1998. The company began as a weekly print publication and now focuses on multimedia.
“Our whole theme for the next 25 years is culture in motion,” Steed, 65, said. “That’s our whole tagline. When there’s no motion, you’re stagnant. We don’t want to be an old brand.”
Steed said he’s able to apply his expertise in dealing with advertisers to the label’s marketing.
“If you really want to build something that’s special, then this is a place to at least come evaluate if there’s a fit because everybody don’t have to fit in,” Steed said. “We’re not trying to have numbers like you want to be a volume dealer … we’re not in a rush.”
Credit: Courtesy of Rolling Out Music
Credit: Courtesy of Rolling Out Music
For Drew Sidora, signing with Rolling Out Music “just made sense.” Sidora, who also stars on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” and has an acting career, worked with McKinley on her 2025 album “I Did It to Me.” She began a singing career as a teen and had stints with Def Jam and Slip-N-Slide Records. Working with Rolling Out feels like a family environment to her.
Rolling Out signees have control over how their music is distributed (which essentially means they, instead of the label, own the intellectual property).
“ (My past labels) were like, what are you gonna do?,” Sidora, 41, recalls. “Show us. Then, you kind of get shelved, and nothing ever happens. But here, everyone is ready and excited, and we’re all in this together, so it’s more of a partnership. I still have a voice as an artist.”
She plans to release her first project with the label later this year, which she says will reflect a “healed version of myself” after experiencing a tumultuous divorce over the past three years.
Credit: RODNEY HO
Credit: RODNEY HO
Pap Chanel is another Rolling Out artist who relishes the label’s camaraderie. The 27-year-old, previously signed to Def Jam, cites Rolling Out Music’s headquarters — a 15,000 square-foot facility near west Midtown — as one of its many selling points.
In May, the label hosted a listening party for Chanel’s new album, including her latest single “Where You Been,” at its office.
“They have a podcast room, a photo booth, relationships that I could use even outside of my music,” said Chanel, who has nearly 400,000 Instagram followers. “Me making music, I use that as a sound for my brand. I also model and want to get into acting, so I was like, you know what, I can use everything that they have. When they was explaining to me everything that they could bring to the table, I was like, well, I got ‘hot sauce in my bag’ in my Beyoncé voice.”
An independent lane
Rolling Out Music arrives at a promising time for indie labels. For the first quarter of this year, indies represented over 44% of the music business in the country, according to a recent report from Luminate, a entertainment data company. But in Georgia (and elsewhere), challenges remain. A bill that would’ve bolstered investment in the state’s music industry didn’t pass Gov. Kemp’s desk this year.
Still, Dunn, who serves as Rolling Out Music’s CEO, hopes his work with the label can inspire others in the area to adapt the same model. Along with his extensive music career (from owning a nightclub to running a promotions company and everything in between), Dunn is also the COO of the Black-owned newspaper Atlanta Voice.
“As a native of Atlanta, (Rolling Out Music) is very reminiscent of the impact that LaFace had when (it) was here in the ’90s versus my career in the music business,” said Dunn, who in 1998 co-founded of Groovement, the management company that helped fuel the careers of acts like India Arie. “I always had to go to New York, LA and Nashville to get record deals and budgets, so I’m excited about being able to extend that here in Atlanta.”
Credit: Natrice Miller for the AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller for the AJC
With a core team of 10 staff, Dunn is keen on creating an environment where artists feel safe and comfortable.
“You got a place you can pull up and shoot content and talk to us so you can get real support other than just somebody putting your music on DSPs (digital streaming platforms),” Dunn noted.
He also takes pride in the label being both Black-owned and independent. While there are a handful of popular Black-owned labels (including Top Dawg Entertainment and even Atlanta’s LVRN), most of them have partnerships or distribution deals with major labels like Interscope and RCA.
“When you’re making content for Black consumers, if you’re not rooted in the community, you’re assuming what’s relevant versus knowing what’s relevant,” Dunn said. “We know when we do certain things, how it’s going to land and what part of our community will be impacted and how they’ll be impacted.”
Dunn hopes for 2027 to be Rolling Out Music’s “breakout” year. Among his lofty goals is creating original films and documentaries. The label also plans to host a local talent search for new artists.
Credit: Natrice Miller for the AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller for the AJC
When asked about the financial investment into the label and all its endeavors, Dunn responded bluntly: “It’s expensive.”
“But we feel like we are working with smart talent, we’re working with hard-working talent, and we’re working with talent that will make good records, so we feel confident that we will make a solid return,” he added.
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