Republic Records is relaunching the Mercury imprint as an “extension” of the label, the company announced Monday. The move is similar to Atlantic’s relaunch of Elektra and Interscope’s of Geffen, an effort to split the parent label’s large roster so that artists receive more attention. The relaunched label will have Tyler Arnold (pictured below, left) as president, based in New York, and Ben Adelson (below, right) as GM in Los Angeles. Both will report to Republic co-founders Monte and Avery Lipman.
Mercurywill launch with a new roster includingPost Malone, James Bay, Lord Huron, Jeremy Zucker, Chelsea Cutler,andNoah Kahan,as well as emerging talentsBoyWithUke, Ka$hdami, Lyn Lapid, Stephen Sanchez, and Camylio. They also have strategic alliances with Nashville’sBig Loud Records(Morgan Wallen, Lily Rose) andImperial Music(Bo Burnham).
The Mercury label was originally founded byIrving Greenin 1945 and operated for decades out of Chicago. It was acquired by PolyGram which in turn was acquired by Universal in the late 1990s and ceased operations as a stand-alone shortly afterward. It will now operateas an extension ofRepublic.
Regarding the next chapter ofMercuryRecords, Monte Lipmancommented,“TylerandBen’s accomplishments speak volumes as top A&R executives over the past few years, and the legacy ofMercuryRecordswill be in perfect hands. Their competitive spirit, drive and determination will lead a new vanguard of creative artists into uncharted waters.”
Arnoldcommented,“We’re very grateful toMonteandAveryfor entrusting us with such a legendary label and brand. I am so proud of our incredible roster and am excited to represent some of the most talented, influential and creative artists in music today. It isMercury’spriority to lead as a creative company, putting our artists first and taking an energetic, entrepreneurialapproach to A&R and marketing. We are buildingMercuryto become the modern music label.”
Adelsonadded,“Tylerand I each began our careers atRepublicand have worked together for almost a decade. We’ve leaned onRepublicCo-President’sJim RoppoandWendy Goldsteinfor their wisdom, perspective, and guidance and hope to bring that same leadership and forward thinking to our roles atMercury. The path to success looks different for every musician, andTylerand I are committed to fostering an environment where artists who are uniquely themselves can thrive.”
Arnold was most recently executive VP of A&R atRepublic, a role he has held since 2020. Since joining the company in 2014, he has been responsible for signing and developing Post Maloneandpartnering with super-producerMetro Boomin. He has also signedClairo, Bo Burnham,Jeremy Zucker,andChelsea Cutlerand led the initiative to team upwithBig Loud Recordsin 2020.
Adelson, an executive VP of A&R at Republic since 2018, has signed James Bay, Conan Gray, Lord Huron, and Noah Kahan. He joined Republic as an intern in 2007, left in 2009 and returned two years later.
