Element 9 is a

music company "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and t ...

founded by Stu Pflaum in 2005. The company is based in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

and has three divisions with specializations in

music publishing A music publisher is a type of publisher that specializes in distributing music. Music publishers originally published sheet music. When copyright became legally protected, music publishers began to play a role in the management of the intellectua ...

digital marketing Digital marketing is the component of marketing that uses the Internet and online-based Information technology, digital technologies such as desktop computers, mobile phones, and other digital media and platforms to promote products and service ...

and a

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

Company history

The Element 9 music company was launched in 2005 as a promotional outlet for aspiring

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

artists. The company was founded by Stu Pflaum while he was a senior at

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...

. Pflaum formerly performed as a DJ on college radio before launching the company. Upon graduation from Ohio University, Pflaum moved the company to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

where he split the company into two divisions, Element 9 Recordings, specializing in

and Element 9.0, specializing in

. Element 9 Recordings was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

in 2008 in the category of

Best Rap Song The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rap music genre. Honors in several c ...

for their role as music publisher for

Crank That (Soulja Boy) "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" is the debut single by American rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'Em. It served as the lead single from his debut studio album, '' souljaboytellem.com'' (2007) and accompanies the Soulja Boy dance. The song is recognized by its ...

Soulja Boy DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), known professionally as Soulja Boy (formerly Soulja Boy Tell 'Em), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to prominence with his self-released 2007 debut single, "Crank That ...

. In November 2009, the record label division, Element 9 Muzik, was formed. Shortly after, the company announced a partnership with

Fontana Distribution Fontana Distribution was a division of San Franciscobased Isolation Network (now owned by the Virgin Music Group unit of the Universal Music Group since 2019). A minority stake of the company was owned by Universal Music until Ingrooves acquired ...

, the independent distribution arm of

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

, for international distribution for artists signed to the label. The label division is headed by music industry veteran Tony Franklin. Stu Pflaum serves as

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

for the label. The first release from the Element 9 record label was

Arms & Hammers ''Arms & Hammers'' is the third studio album by the American hip hop group Strong Arm Steady. It was released on February 22, 2011, via Blacksmith Records/ Element 9. Production was handled by DJ Khalil, Blaqthoven, Jelly Roll, Terrace Martin, Ma ...

by West Coast rap group

Strong Arm Steady Strong Arm Steady, often referred to as SAS, is a hip hop group in California's underground hip hop scene. As of December 2009, the act consists of members Phil Da Agony, Krondon, of Los Angeles, and Mitchy Slick of San Diego, California. Ori ...

. The album was released in February 2011. In November 2011, the company released Habits of the Heart by

Idle Warship Idle Warship was a musical duo composed of Brooklyn emcee Talib Kweli and Philadelphia singer Res. Res has appeared on each Talib Kweli album since 2000's ''Train of Thought''. They have also toured together, including on the summer 2005 MGD ...

, which is composed of rapper

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He first earned recognition through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def (now known as Yasiin Bey) in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's music ...

and singer Res. Prior to the album's official street date, the label released the album through the

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

music service. The advance release was the first instance in which a

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

based music company debuted a project far in advance using the

service. The move was viewed as bold by music and technology critics and a counterweight to the release strategies of artists such as

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...

and

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...

, who had refused to make their music available through Spotify.

Releases

*2011:

- Habits of the Heart

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

**2008: Best Rap Song: "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" (Nominated)

References

External links

Official website

Company history

Releases

Awards and nominations

References

External links

See also