10K Projects Forms Joint Venture with Runway Records

Los Angeles-headquartered independent record label 10K Projects has entered a joint venture with Runway Records, which is led by Atlantic Music Group’s recently appointed VP of A&R, Ben Bijur.

Developmental hub:

• Runway serves as a developmental hub for emerging hip-hop artists, combining early-stage talent identification with internet-native growth strategies.

• Runway’s first signing is Atlanta-based rapper AZIEDOESNTEXIST, who it claims is generating 800,000 daily streams just three months after releasing debut single “Everglades.”

• As per Music Week, since its launch Runway Records has generated over 60 million streams and achieved three Top 10 Records on the TikTok Top 50 chart.

Backstory:

• Prior to joining Atlantic, Bijur worked at Signal Records, a joint venture with Columbia Records.

• There he signed or played a developmental role with artists such as Topoppgen, Nino Paid, Vonoff1700, Bloodhound Q50 and more.

What they said:

• Ben Bijur: “Under the leadership of Elliot [Grainge], Zach [Friedman] and Tony [Talamo], 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 [Ziangas] 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.”