Former BMG U.K. President Alexi Cory-Smith has launched Bella Figura Music, an “artist-centric music company for the digital age.”

Financed by private equity fund Freshstream, the company has already made a number of acquisitions: the publishing catalog of Guy Chambers (Robbie Williams hits such as “Angels,” “Feel,” and “Let Me Entertain You”); David Gray’s label IHT, which owns all of his albums, including breakthrough 1998 set, White Ladder; and a divested portfolio of rights from Kobalt Music Copyrights that includes shares in recordings by Placebo Wombats, Dashboard Confessional and others.

Cory-Smith is CEO alongside co-founder and Head of Investments Neelesh Prabhu, who previously led the global investments division of BMG.

“I view David Gray and Guy Chambers as the founding blocks on which we build the business,” said Cory-Smith. “One is records, the other is publishing—both top quality catalogs.

“I am very proud of what we have achieved in Bella Figura Music’s first year of business. I’ve always wanted to have my own music company and after years in corporates the timing to take an entrepreneurial path felt right.”

Based in a Soho, London office, Bella Figura is aiming to taking a boutique hands-on approach with the artists involved in every aspect of business. A primary goal is to ensure its copyright data matches every royalty payment as soon as that payment is triggered.

Other assets acquired are R3HAB’s catalog up to 2022 and U.S. songwriter/producer Darrell Brown’s publishing shares in 25 songs, including hits for LeAnn Rimes and Keith Urban.