Atlantic Music Group’s 10K Projects signed a joint venture deal with Runway Records, a newly launched label led by Ben Bijur, who was recently hired at Atlantic Music Group as vp or A&R. The imprint will be “a developmental hub for emerging hip-hop artists,” according to a press release.
Runway’s first signing is Atlanta-based rapper Aziedoesntexist, best known for the track “Everglades.”
“Ben has brought his keen sense of culture, the ability to identify emerging talent, and his entrepreneurial spirit to launching Runway Records, and we are here for it at 10K,” said Nico Ziangas, co-president of 10K Projects. “We’re looking forward to working with him and his team to continue to build the successful repertoire at Runway.”
Atlantic Music Group COO Zach Friedman added, “Ben is extraordinarily talented and determined as both an executive and entrepreneur. We are thrilled to have him working across Atlantic and Runway.”
Bijur was previously at Signal Records, a joint venture with Columbia Records, where he signed or helped develop artists including Topoppgen, Nino Paid, Vonoff1700, Bloodhound Q50 and Lil Scoom. At Atlantic, he’s already signed hip-hop artists Diamond*, Ksuuvi, Sorisa and the Russian rap duo Gorilla Glue & Lil Nakur.
Bijur said, “Under the leadership of Elliot, Zach, and Tony, the new Atlantic Music Group is redefining what a record label looks like in 2026. Their ability to think differently and identify gaps in the market has driven meaningful success across the roster, and that forward-thinking approach is exactly what drew me to the company. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to be part of what they’re building. At the same time, Nico has built a best-in-class infrastructure at 10K Projects — one that truly empowers entrepreneurial ventures like Runway Records to operate and scale at a high level — and I’m incredibly thankful to be partnering within that ecosystem.”
Read about more recent music industry deals below.
