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Type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Marketing |
Founded | 1996 |
Headquarters | New York City, United States Offices: New York, Los Angeles, London |
Key people | Rob Stone, Founder and co-CEO Jon Cohen, Co-CEO |
Products | Strategic Marketing, Creative, Lifestyle marketing, Digital Promotion, Public Relations |
Number of employees | 90 |
Website | www |
Cornerstone is a New York-based creative lifestyle marketing and public relations agency with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and London. It is helmed by co-CEOs Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The company employs approximately 100 professionals worldwide, in addition to a network of field marketing representatives throughout the United States.
In June 1996, Rob Stone left a major record label to create Cornerstone, a Manhattan-based music promotion firm that worked primarily with record labels to promote their artists. After being joined by business partner and co-CEO Jon Cohen in 1997, the firm began to expand into a marketing and creative agency that integrated ip music names in corporate branding campaigns. [1]
Stone and Cohen also founded The FADER , a music publication, in 1998.
In addition to strategic lifestyle marketing and creative services, the agency's practice areas include digital marketing, radio promotion, brand consulting, music supervision [1] and Cornerstone Public Relations, a full-service PR firm. [2]
Grammy award-nominated track “Better Than I’ve Ever Been” was commissioned by sportswear company Nike to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Air Force One shoes. Cornerstone executive produced the song, secured Kanye West, Nas, KRS-One and Rakim to collaborate, and oversaw production with Rick Rubin. The track was nominated for the Grammy Award for "Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group."
My Drive Thru was a collaborative single by The Strokes lead vocalist Julian Casablancas, American singer-songwriter Santigold, and The Neptunes producer and N.E.R.D member Pharrell Williams. The song was created for Converse's centennial and was released in June 2008. [3]
Green Label Sound produces and promotes tracks for notable young artists including Neon Indian, Chromeo and Freelance Whales. The label is managed by Cornerstone on behalf of soft-drink brand Mountain Dew. [4]
In late 2010, Pepsi's chief engagement officer hired Cornerstone to do the creative on the brand's campaign, Pepsi MAX NFL Audible, due to the firm's history of creating successful urban marketing campaigns. TV spots aired during January 2011 NFL playoff games and online, featuring rappers Big Boi, Lupe Fiasco, B.o.B and Talib Kweli. [5]
Cornerstone began construction on Rubber Tracks, a free recording studio managed by Cornerstone and operated by Converse in Brooklyn, NY, in 2010. The 5,200-square-foot (480 m2) space is open for free use to artists in the area. [6]
Cornerstone was also known for its monthly "Cornerstone Mixtape" series, which featured new music from their label clients and were mixed by the top DJ's in the music industry (known as the 1200 Squad). Some of the featured DJ's included DJ Premier, Mark Ronson, Green Lantern, Tony Touch and DJ Khaled. The mixtape was distributed to a select group of radio programmers, music directors, DJs, media and influencers.
Percy Robert Miller Sr., known by his stage name Master P, is an American rapper, record executive, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of the record label No Limit Records, which was relaunched as New No Limit Records through Universal Records and Koch Records, and again as Guttar Music Entertainment, and currently, No Limit Forever Records. He is also the founder and CEO of P. Miller Enterprises and Better Black Television, which was a short-lived online television network. Miller gained fame in the mid-1990s with the success of his hip hop group TRU as well as his fifth solo rap album Ice Cream Man, which contained his first single "Mr. Ice Cream Man". Miller's popularity grew in 1997 after the success of his Platinum single "Make 'Em Say Uhh!". In total, Miller has released 15 studio albums.
Paul Michael Slayton, better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse Records, and has released several albums under the label and collaborated with numerous other rappers signed to the label. He began his career performing alongside fellow Houstonian Chamillionaire, with whom he released several albums, including 2002's independently released Get Ya Mind Correct. In 2005, he was signed to Atlantic Records and became successful with his major label debut The Peoples Champ, which was followed up by Get Money, Stay True followed in 2007. He has been nominated for one Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance as a Duo or Group for the song "Grillz", his collaboration with rapper Nelly.
Jonathan H. Smith better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre crunk, and is credited with bringing the genre into mainstream success. Lil Jon frequently collaborates with Miami-based rapper Pitbull, Bay Area-based rappers Too Short and E-40. He participates as one-third of an unofficial trio consisting of Atlanta-based artists Ludacris and Usher who frequently create songs together.
Giant Step is a media, events and marketing company headquartered in New York City and Los Angeles. The company formerly released music through its record label, Giant Step Records. Giant Step is divided into two entities – the Giant Step brand, which promotes music and the creative agency, Giant Step Marketing, which provides marketing services to consumer brands.
Clinton Charls Sparks is an American DJ, record producer, songwriter and singer from Boston, Massachusetts. He initially started his career as a rapper, dancer, producer, and DJ who gained notoriety by making bootleg remixes and mixtapes and parlayed that into hosting radio shows on Boston's Hot 97.7, Baltimore's 92Q, Hartford's Hot 93.7, and Sirius XM's Shade 45. He was the long-time host of a worldwide syndicated radio show called SmashTime Radio. He is the current host and owner of the national hip hop radio station Get Familiar Radio on Dash Radio, a digital radio platform for which he served as vice president from 2016 to 2019.
Duck Down Music Inc is a New York City based record label, talent management, music-marketing, and consulting company founded by Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman and Kenyatta "Buckshot" Blake in 1995. In Duck Down's 20-year existence, the Company has released over 40 albums and sold more than 3 million collective copies worldwide. Home of established hip hop artists such as Boot Camp Clik, Pharoahe Monch, Black Rob, 9th Wonder, KRS-One, B-Real of Cypress Hill, The Away Team, Statik Selektah, Random Axe, Promise, David Dallas, Marco Polo, Ruste Juxx, Torae, Blue Scholars, Special Teamz and Kidz in the Hall.
Olubowale Victor Akintimehin, better known by his stage name Wale, is an American rapper. He first gained recognition in 2006, when his song "Dig Dug " became popular in his hometown, leading Wale to became locally recognized as he continued recording music for the regional audience. Wale met English DJ-producer Mark Ronson in 2006 and joined his label, Allido Records in 2007. While signed to that label, Wale released several mixtapes and appeared in national media including MTV and various Black American-focused magazines. A song called "Ridin' in That Black Joint" was featured in the popular video game Saints Row 2's soundtrack in 2008.
Rigo "Riggs" Morales is a Grammy Award-winning music executive, writer, producer, author, and former music journalist. He began his career as a music writer for publications such as The Source, XXL, Vibe and The Fader, and later became a record label executive known for working with artists such as Eminem, 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa, Janelle Monae, and for producing the Original Broadway Cast Recording for the Tony Award-winning musical, Hamilton.
Rob Stone is an American music, media and branding executive based in New York City. Stone is the founder of the full-service marketing agency Cornerstone, and co-founder of music and style publication The Fader.
Coalmine Records is a Brooklyn, New York-based independent hip-hop record label. Coalmine's catalog includes Pharaohe Monch, El Da Sensei, Kool G. Rap, Talib Kweli, Large Professor, Heltah Skeltah, Dilated Peoples, Bekay, Big K.R.I.T, Custom Made, Emilio Rojas, Torae, Skyzoo, Termanology, Alchemist, J.R.Rotem, M-Phazes, Illmind, Khrysis, Shuko, Domingo, DJ Kayslay, DJ Revolution, and DJ Babu.
Drew "Dru Ha" Friedman is an American music and marketing executive based in New York City. Friedman is Co-Founder and CEO of Duck Down Music Inc., 3D Consulting & Distribution, General Manager for Cinematic Music Group, and former Director of Urban Music at Cornerstone Promotion. Born and raised in White Plains, New York, he is a graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications where he studied advertising.
Moses Kenneth Haughton Jr. better known by his stage name Moses Stone is an American recording artist, music producer, entrepreneur, and actor. Moses Stone is the founder of brands Art Sky Agency, Art Sky Entertainment, Art Sky Productions he founded in 2013. Stone has appeared on MTV, BET, Showtime At The Apollo, NBC'S The Voice, Nickelodeon.
Bobby "Bobcat" Ervin, professionally known as Bobcat or DJ Bobcat, is an American Grammy Award winner and multi-platinum producer, songwriter, DJ, artist and music executive.
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