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.
Mercury will launch with a new roster including Post Malone, James Bay, Lord Huron, Jeremy Zucker, Chelsea Cutler, and Noah Kahan, as well as emerging talents BoyWithUke, Ka$hdami, Lyn Lapid, Stephen Sanchez, and Camylio. They also have strategic alliances with Nashville’s Big Loud Records (Morgan Wallen, Lily Rose) and Imperial Music (Bo Burnham).
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The Mercury label was originally founded by Irving Green in 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 operate as an extension of Republic.
Regarding the next chapter of Mercury Records, Monte Lipman commented, “Tyler and Ben’s accomplishments speak volumes as top A&R executives over the past few years, and the legacy of Mercury Records will be in perfect hands. Their competitive spirit, drive and determination will lead a new vanguard of creative artists into uncharted waters.”
Arnold commented, “We’re very grateful to Monte and Avery for 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 is Mercury’s priority to lead as a creative company, putting our artists first and taking an energetic, entrepreneurial approach to A&R and marketing. We are building Mercury to become the modern music label.”
Adelson added, “Tyler and I each began our careers at Republic and have worked together for almost a decade. We’ve leaned on Republic Co-President’s Jim Roppo and Wendy Goldstein for their wisdom, perspective, and guidance and hope to bring that same leadership and forward thinking to our roles at Mercury. The path to success looks different for every musician, and Tyler and I are committed to fostering an environment where artists who are uniquely themselves can thrive.”
Arnold was most recently executive VP of A&R at Republic, a role he has held since 2020. Since joining the company in 2014, he has been responsible for signing and developing Post Malone and partnering with super-producer Metro Boomin. He has also signed Clairo, Bo Burnham, Jeremy Zucker, and Chelsea Cutler and led the initiative to team up with Big Loud Records in 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.