Mercury Records has promoted Tyler Arnold to Chairman & CEO and Ben Adelson to President & COO.
They will report to REPUBLIC Collective Founder, Chairman and CEO Monte Lipman and his brother, Founder, Vice-Chairman and COO Avery Lipman. Arnold is based in Mercury Records’ New York headquarters, while Adelson is based in the Los Angeles office.
Arnold and Adelson, who relaunched Mercury Records in 2022 as President and General Manager, respectively, have transformed the 80-year-old label. This year alone, Mercury has secured five of the top 20 albums on the Billboard 200. The label has overseen the success of artists like Post Malone, Noah Kahan, and Big Loud’s Morgan Wallen.
Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, while the artist secured eight GRAMMY Award nominations and claimed the “Second Best-selling Song of 2024” with I Had Some Help.
Meanwhile, Morgan Wallen, through Mercury’s partnership with Big Loud, has seen his Dangerous: The Double Album become “The #1 Best-selling Album of the 21st Century So Far.” Wallen’s new single, I’m The Problem, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Country Songs chart.
Arnold is credited with signing Post Malone, multi-platinum producer Metro Boomin, and comedian Bo Burnham. He signed Post Malone while working as an intern at Republic Records, where he transformed an internship into a full-time role as an A&R department assistant within five months.
”The last three years at Mercury have been incredibly special. I could not be prouder of our artists, our team and the culture we’ve created. Ben and I set out to build a label that supported artist development with time, patience and a real commitment to A&R and creative marketing,” Arnold said.
Adelson also started his career as an intern in 2007 at Republic Records, where he served as Avery Lipman’s assistant in 2008. He climbed the label’s ranks, progressing through various A&R roles before helping relaunch Mercury Records. He is best known for signing Noah Kahan, James Bay and Stephen Sanchez, as well as Gen-Z pop icon Conan Gray, indie artist Lord Huron and others. He also managed the career of Young The Giant.
“I am honored to continue building the legacy of Mercury Records. More than anything, I’m most proud of our authentic and dynamic roster and the team we have brought together. Thank you to Monte and Avery for their continued support and guidance,” added Adelson.
Billboard has recognized both Arnold and Adelson, naming them to lists like “40 Under 40,” “Country Power Players,” and the 2025 “Power 100” honorees, while Forbes included Arnold in its “30 Under 30” list in 2022.
Monte and Avery Lipman said, “Tyler and Ben began their careers at Republic, and we’ve had a front-row seat to their incredible growth. It’s been nothing short of inspiring to watch. With Mercury, they are building a legacy that honors the label’s history by developing, breaking and supporting the next generation of career-defining artists.”
The promotions at Mercury Records arrive less than a year after Universal Music Group restructured its US-based frontline labels. UMG’s East Coast-based labels, including Def Jam, Island, Mercury, and Republic have been officially restructured around a “central operational hub” called REPUBLIC Corps or REPUBLIC Collective.
Last month, REPUBLIC Collective announced a new round of executive promotions and hires across various departments, just weeks after promoting Jeffrey Remedios to President, Strategic Development.
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