Element 9 (music)

Company history

Element 9 was launched in 2005 as a promotional outlet for aspiring hip hop artists while founder Stu Pflaum was a senior at Ohio University. Pflaum had previously performed as a DJ on college radio. After graduating, he moved the company to New York City and split it into two divisions: Element 9 Recordings, focusing on music publishing, and Element 9.0, specializing in digital marketing. In 2008, Element 9 Recordings was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Rap Song category for its role as music publisher of Crank That (Soulja Boy) by Soulja Boy. The record label division, Element 9 Muzik, was formed in November 2009. Soon after, the company partnered with Fontana Distribution, the independent distribution arm of Universal Music Group, for international distribution of label artists. The label division is headed by music industry veteran Tony Franklin, with Stu Pflaum serving as Vice President. Before the album's official street date, the label released it through the Spotify music service, marking the first instance a US-based music company debuted a project far in advance on Spotify. This move was viewed as bold by music and technology critics and as a counterweight to the release strategies of artists like Coldplay and Adele, who had refused to make their music available through Spotify.