From Portland's Nightlife to a $50 Million Studio in Tokyo: Bart Starr Is Building The Core

In 1999, Bart Starr walked into Portland's night scene and took it over. The clubs. The bands. The biggest nights in the city. By 21, he had made his first million dollars.

That was the warm-up.

More than 25 years later, the empire he built, Rockstarr Media, is in talks to build The Core: a $50 million, AI-powered recording studio and creator compound in the heart of Tokyo's Shibuya district.

The deal is not final yet. Talks are ongoing. But if it moves forward, The Core would put Rockstarr Media at the center of the biggest change music has seen in a generation.

The Core at a glance

• Where: Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
• Investment: $50 million
• Status: in talks, not yet final
• Mixing: three full-scale Dolby Atmos mixing stages with AI-assisted production tools
• Live: an immersive live-stream performance venue
• Writing: songwriting camps where artists work alongside generative AI systems
• In the studios: AI-driven trend forecasting, intelligent sound design and real-time vocal processing

"We are building the future"

"We aren't just building a recording booth; we are building the future," said Bart Starr, owner of Rockstarr Media. "AI is reshaping every corner of the music industry—from production and mixing to distribution and discovery. You can either fight it or lead it. Rockstarr is leading it. The next decade of global superstars won't be confined to Los Angeles or London, and they won't be limited by traditional tools. The Core is designed to be the epicenter of the new musical world."

While much of the music industry is still debating whether AI belongs in music, Rockstarr Media is planning the place where artists put it to work. The Core would be a cultural hub for Rockstarr's roster, built for how the next generation of artists will write, produce and release music.

The Bart Starr story

Every empire starts somewhere. Rockstarr Media started in Portland, Oregon, with a young Bart Starr who never waited for permission. While others waited in line outside the clubs, he was running the nights inside them: the clubs, the bands, the biggest events in town. He was a millionaire by 21.

In 2001, he took that energy to Los Angeles and into the film business. That is where it clicked. Models kept coming to him. Every production wanted his talent. Instead of handing that power to someone else, Bart built it himself. He found the talent, hired the bands and ran the whole show. That was the birth of Rockstarr Media.

What started as one man doing everything became a media empire. Today Rockstarr Media casts and represents new faces, runs its own Modeling Academy, staffs events in more than 100 US cities, covers the world's biggest festivals with VIP and backstage access, and produces its own original series, JET SETTERS, made by private jet on exclusive islands.

Every piece of it traces back to one man who saw what this industry could be and refused to wait for it. Rockstarr Media is Bart Starr's vision, built his way, and he still owns and runs it today.

The empire by the numbers

• Built by: Bart Starr, in 2001
• Events staffed: more than 20,000
• Reach: more than 100 US cities
• Campaign impressions: more than 1 billion
• Brand partners: 15+ global brands
• Deals: seven-figure brand engagements
• Original series: JET SETTERS, now casting its host
• Giving back: major donor behind Golfing For Our Veterans, which raised $150,000 for San Antonio's homeless veterans in 2026

What happens next

Talks on The Core are ongoing, and nothing is final until it is signed. When there is news, it will be on rockstarrmedia.com first.

If Rockstarr's track record is any indication, the rest of the industry will be playing catch-up.