10K Inks Joint Venture With Runway Records
• 10K Projects announced a joint venture with Runway Records, a newly launched label created and led by Ben Bijur, who recently joined Atlantic Music Group as VP of A&R. Serving as a developmental hub for emerging hip-hop artists, Runway Records combines early-stage talent identification with modern, internet-native growth strategies and already has a proven track record of success.
Runway Records’ first signing, Atlanta-based rapper Aziedoesntexist, is already generating over 800,000 daily streams within just three months of dropping her first release, “Everglades,” which reached the top spot on Spotify’s Viral Chart.
“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, commented, “Ben is extraordinarily talented and determined as both an executive and entrepreneur. We are thrilled to have him working across Atlantic and Runway.”
Bijur remarked, “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.”
Just 25 years old, Bijur has already signed an array of emerging hip-hop artists since joining Atlantic, including Diamond*, Ksuuvi, Sorisa, and Gorilla Glue & Lil Nakur. Bijur previously served as employee No. 1 at Signal Records, a joint venture with Columbia Records. [Photo Credit: Kathlyn Almeida]
