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Jon Cohen
Occupation(s)Co-CEO of Cornerstone
Co-founder of The Fader
Co-founder Fader Label

Jon Cohen is an American music and media executive in New York City.

Early life and education

Cohen graduated from Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Communication in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in television and radio, film and marketing.

Career

After graduation he joined EMI's SBK label, promoting Blur and Jesus Jones. Cohen then worked for Columbia-Sony with Jeff Buckley, Alice in Chains and The Presidents of the United States of America. In May 2012, he was honored by Syracuse University's music and entertainment industry Bandier Program (founded by Sony/ATV Music Publishing chairman and CEO Martin Bandier) for contributions to the program.[1]

In 1997, less than a year after Rob Stone founded Cornerstone (a New York-based creative-lifestyle marketing firm with offices in Los Angeles and London which is "charting a new direction for the music industry"),[2] Cohen left Columbia to join Stone as a partner and co-CEO at Cornerstone (which was recognized in 2007 for its integration of musicians in advertising campaigns).[3][4]

Cohen is a member of the board of directors for Sweetgreen, a farm-to-table salad chain, and helped create the annual Sweetlife Festival concert.[5] He is also on the board of the Children's Cancer Association's music-medicine program, MyMusicRx, a digital playground delivering music to critically ill youth in the United States and Canada.[6]

The Fader

In 1999, Cohen co-founded The Fader with Rob Stone. An award-winning magazine,[7] it was called "the new music-and-fashion bible" by the New York Times.[8] With its 39th issue, The Fader became the first full-length magazine available on iTunes.[9]

In 2002, Cohen co-founded Fader Label with Rob Stone. Its roster includes Matt and Kim, the Editors, Neon Indian, Bird Monster, Saul Williams and Yuna. In spring 2003 they began Fader Films, an artist-friendly production division which has released critically acclaimed films (including Hooked: The Legend of Demetrius 'Hook' Mitchell and On The Outs.[citation needed] In 2021, they launched a management division of Fader Label with a roster including Del Water Gap, James Ivy, and Shallou.[10] With Stone, Cohen is one of the "veteran music marketers"[11] behind the Fader Fort at South by Southwest, presenting "some of the most memorable events at South by Southwest, like Kanye West's appearance two years ago and breakout performances by M.I.A. and Amy Winehouse."[11]

Advertising campaigns

Successful campaigns under Cohen's direction at Cornerstone include Nike's "Better Than I've Ever Been". Commissioned by the sportswear company for the 25th anniversary of Air Force One shoes, the 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 a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.[12] "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.[13] Among Cornerstone's music-related initiatives are Green Label Sound by Mountain Dew[14][15] and Rubber Tracks, a recording studio managed by Converse[15] in Brooklyn, New York.

In late 2010, Pepsi's chief engagement officer hired Cornerstone for the creative work on the company's Pepsi MAX NFL Audible campaign. TV spots aired during January 2011 NFL playoff games and online, featuring rappers Big Boi, Lupe Fiasco, B.o.B. and Talib Kweli.[16] In 2012, Pepsi retained Cornerstone for its NFL Pepsi Anthems campaign featuring Kelly Clarkson, Travie McCoy, Wiz Khalifa and Kid Rock.[17]

References

  1. ^ Jem Aswad (May 5, 2012). "L.A. Reid, Martin Bandier, Doug Morris, More Honor Jon Cohen at Syracuse University Event". Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  2. ^ Steve Marsh (February 2011). "I'm With the Brand". Delta Sky Magazine. Archived from the original on February 7, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  3. ^ Fountain of Youth. January 3, 2007. New York Enterprise Report: http://www.nyreport.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Feature.showFeature&FeatureID=406
  4. ^ Harding, Cortney (June 6, 2009). "Brand New Day: For Cornerstone Brands Are the New Record Labels and Corporations Are the New A&R Guys". Billboard.
  5. ^ somd.com. "Sweetlife Festival Grows from Backyard Concert to Big Attraction for Music Fans". Archived from the original on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  6. ^ MyMusicRx.org. "MyMusicRx: Our Friends".
  7. ^ Nat Ives (December 19, 2005). "Best magazine covers". Advertising Age. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  8. ^ Ben Ratliff (October 30, 2005). "Overcoming the Stereotype of Sexy and Sophisticated". New York Times.
  9. ^ Fader Mag to Distribute Issues on iTunes. June 8, 2006. MediaPost: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=44274 Archived 2011-08-16 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "FADER Label launches management division, makes raft of new appointments". Music Business Worldwide. 2021-11-08. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  11. ^ a b Ben Sisario (March 15, 2011). "In Austin, Music Lovers Get Parallel Universes". New York Times.
  12. ^ "Hip Hop Track Better Than I've Ever Been Nominated for Grammy". Nike News. Retrieved 2020-09-08.
  13. ^ Eleftheria Parpis (2008-07-14). "Converse turns up the noise". Adweek. Nielsen Company. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
  14. ^ Elsa Keslassy (November 16, 2009). "Music honchos to hunker down at Midem". Variety.
  15. ^ a b Stuart Dredge (January 25, 2010). "Converse, Pepsi and Cornerstone Talk Music Marketing".
  16. ^ Andy Gensler (January 14, 2011). "atch B.o.B.'s Pepsi Ad for Falcons vs. Packers Game". Billboard.
  17. ^ Edna Gunderson (August 14, 2012). "Most Popular E-mail Newsletter". USAToday.
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