Republic Records is an American

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

owned by

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

(UMG). Based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an imprint of the Universal Motown Republic Group, and was renamed Universal Republic Records after a reorganization in 2006 before going back to its original name in 2012.

History

Foundation and Universal Records: 1994–2005

According to Avery Lipman, he and his brother Monte conceived the idea for Republic Records at their apartment in New York. Lipman stated that both had previously been employed by record companies and were in between jobs at the time. They began putting records out as a hobby, the first of which was the Bloodhound Gang's '' Dingleberry Haze''. Republic Records was formed in 1995 as a subsidiary of MCA's

Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...

, but soon after its foundation, the distribution changed to the newly established

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

. In January 2000, it was announced that the Universal Music Group acquired the Lipman brothers' Republic Records as a wholly owned

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...

. Monte Lipman was named president of the Universal Records label, while Avery Lipman became Republic's president.

Universal Republic Records: 2006–2012

In 2006, corporate restructuring saw the formation of Universal Republic Records through a merger between the two labels. Monte Lipman became the president and CEO of the restructured label while Avery Lipman served as co-president and COO. Other changes were made at the label's parent, Universal Motown Republic Group, during the summer of 2011. Universal Motown Records was shut down, transferring its artists to the newly recreated Motown Records or Universal Republic Records. Universal Republic Records became a stand-alone label and the Universal Motown Republic Group was shut down. In August 2011, the restructured Universal Republic signed Ariana Grande to a record contract.

Republic Records revival: 2012–present

In October 2012, Universal Republic Records returned to the Republic Records moniker. Just prior to the label's return to the Republic name, it signed Canadian artist

The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for adding Pop music, pop, electronic music, electronic and hip-hop stylings ...

through his imprint label, XO. In addition to artists' albums, the label has released soundtracks with the Fox (''

Star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...

''), NBC ('' The Voice''), and former UMG parent

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

('' Fifty Shades'' and '' Sing''), among numerous other partnerships, films, and television series. Republic Records had songs in six of the top-10 spots on the Mediabase Top 40 Chart in 2015, tying a 2013 record. Also in 2015, the label signed American rapper and singer,

Post Malone Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995), known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. His music blends various genres including hip-hop, Pop music, pop, Contemporary R&B, R&B, Tra ...

. In November 2017, the company was named '' Variety''s Hitmaker Label of the Year. In 2018,

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

signed to Republic Records after releasing her music through the Republic imprint, Big Machine Records, for a majority of her career. In December of that year, Republic partnered with Sony Pictures on the release of the

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

for '' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse''. The soundtrack's lead single was Post Malone and Swae Lee's " Sunflower" which reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and broke the record for most weeks in the top ten of the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart at 45. Early 2019 saw the signing of a reunited Jonas Brothers, as well. Also in 2019, Republic Records was named the "Label of the Year" by both '' Billboard'' and ''Variety''. It has been ''Billboard''s label of the year for 4 of the last 5 years and ''Variety''s for each of the last three. Republic was also named ''Billboard''s Hot 100 Label of the Year for the sixth straight time. Five Republic albums (Ariana Grande's '' Thank U, Next'', Taylor Swift's '' Lover'', Post Malone's '' Beerbongs & Bentleys'', Drake's ''

Scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...

'' and Post Malone's '' Hollywood's Bleeding'') also appeared in the top 10 of the year-end ''Billboard'' 200 chart. In 2020, Republic Records partnered up with

JYP Entertainment JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1997 by Park Jin-young, J. Y. Park. Operating as a record label, talent ...

for the South Korean girl group Twice as the group's first American label and distributor. Twice will be the first artist from JYP Entertainment to be powered under the alliance. Twice's signing represents a diversifying market for K-pop in the US. On April 8, 2020, it was stated that the record has partnered up with the South Korean girl group (G)I-dle after the release of their third EP '' I Trust'', marking the group's official debut in the US. At the 2020 iHeartRadio Music Awards, Republic Records won "Label of the Year". At the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards, Republic Records won "Label of the Year". For 2021, for the first time, Republic Records was ranked number one on ''Billboard's'' three year-end label rankings: "Top Labels", "200 Labels", and "Hot 100 Labels". ''Billboard'' then featured the Lipman brothers in a December 2021 cover story on Republic Records. Republic Records became the first label to partner with DistroKid, allowing it to mine data from the company looking for new artists. The initiative began in 2021 and allowed DistroKid to receive a finder's fee for any new artist signed to the label. In January 2021, the label had five of the top seven albums on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, including the top three spots with Morgan Wallen's '' Dangerous: The Double Album'', Taylor Swift's '' Evermore'', and

Pop Smoke Bashar Barakah Jackson (July 20, 1999 – February 19, 2020), known professionally as Pop Smoke, was an American rapper. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, he rose to fame with the release of his 2019 singles "Welcome to the Party (P ...

's '' Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon''. The Weeknd's '' After Hours'' and Ariana Grande's '' Positions'' were sixth and seventh respectively. That month, Republic also had six of the top ten albums on the ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' album chart and nine of the top 20 songs on the ''Rolling Stone'' song chart. In March 2021, Taylor Swift became the first Republic artist to win the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Album of the Year for her album, ''

Folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

''. On November 24, 2021, Jim Roppo and Wendy Goldstein were named co-presidents of Republic Records. Since August 2021, Universal Music Group began to launch and expand the Republic Records imprint in international markets. The label made its first International debut in China via its local subsidiary UMG China on August 16, 2021. The label launched in Philippines via its local subsidiary UMG Philippines in July 22, 2022, with domestic artists Darren Espanto, Elha Nympha and Zack Tabudlo among other artists who were signed to the label. In 2022, Republic Records expanded its current partnership with JYP Entertainment to include Itzy and Stray Kids. Republic Records partnered up with NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan to include fripSide and Nagi Yanagi. This was later expanded to cover all of their artists, alongside worldwide distribution of artists and catalogs, A&R, marketing and business development. At the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards, Republic Records won "Label of the Year". For the second year in a row, ''Billboard'' listed Republic Records as number one on its three 2022 year-end label rankings, including "Top Labels". In 2023, Republic Records had the longest streak for a label atop the ''Billboard'' 200 in 25 years, including Morgan Wallen's '' One Thing at a Time'', Taylor Swift's ''Midnights'', and Stray Kids' '' 5-STAR''. On December 6, 2023, Republic had the top six albums on the ''Billboard'' 200. It was the first time in 60 years the same label had released the top five albums on the chart. In February 2024, Republic was reorganized under the newly structured umbrella of Republic Corps, a music label unit formed by parent Universal Music Group. As part of reorganizing UMG's coastal operations, Republic was aligned with

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

and Def Jam Recordings under the "East Coast" banner; Monte Lipman, the label's co-founder, oversees the New York City operations.

Releases

Republic Records released the Bloodhound Gang's 1994 EP, '' Dingleberry Haze'', and their first LP, '' Use Your Fingers''. Kevin Rudolf's single, " Let It Rock", was certified triple platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. Jay Sean's debut single, " Down", sold six million copies in the United States and received a large airplay on radio worldwide. Sean's follow-up single, " Do You Remember", sold over one million copies.

was first signed to Nashville-based Big Machine Records, recording her first six studio albums with the label. As her contract with Big Machine ended in 2018, she signed with Republic, with her first single " ME!" with the label released on April 26, 2019. Jack Johnson has received a number of gold and platinum certifications. Damian Marley's debut album was certified gold and sold one million copies worldwide.Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley's Welcome To Jamrock Certified Gold by RIAA; Project Also Nominated for Two Grammy Awards
. World Music Central.org (February 4, 2006). Other prominent Republic releases in recent years have come from acts like Ariana Grande (2013's '' Yours Truly'', 2014's '' My Everything'', 2016's '' Dangerous Woman'', 2018's '' Sweetener'', 2019's '' Thank U, Next,'' 2020's '' Positions'', and 2024's '' Eternal Sunshine''); the Jonas Brothers (2019's ''

Happiness Begins ''Happiness Begins'' is the fifth studio album by American pop rock band Jonas Brothers, released on June 7, 2019, by Republic Records. It is their first studio album since '' Lines, Vines and Trying Times'' (2009). For the record, the band enl ...

'' and 2023's '' The Album''); Taylor Swift (2019's ''Lover'', 2020's ''Folklore'' and '' Evermore'', 2021's '' Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' and '' Red (Taylor's Version)'', 2022's ''

Midnights ''Midnights'' is the tenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on October 21, 2022, by Republic Records. She conceived ''Midnights'' as a concept album about nocturnal ruminations inspired by her sleepl ...

'', 2023's '' Speak Now (Taylor's Version)'' and '' 1989 (Taylor's Version)'', and 2024's '' The Tortured Poets Department''); The Weeknd (2013's '' Kiss Land'', 2015's '' Beauty Behind the Madness'', 2016's '' Starboy'', 2020s '' After Hours'', and 2022's '' Dawn FM''); Florence and the Machine (2015's ''

How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful ''How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful'' is the third studio album by the English indie rock band Florence and the Machine, released on 29 May 2015 by Island Records. After her year-long break from music, the lead vocalist, Florence Welch, returne ...

'', 2018's '' High as Hope'', and 2022's '' Dance Fever''); Lorde (2013's '' Pure Heroine'', 2017's ''

Melodrama A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...

'', and 2021's '' Solar Power''); James Blake (2019's '' Assume Form'' and 2021's '' Friends That Break Your Heart'');

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...

(2020's '' Gigaton''),

Poppy A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, '' Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug ...

(2022's ''Stagger''); fripSide (2022's ''Infinite Resonance'') and Kim Petras (2019's '' Clarity'' and '' Turn Off the Light'', and 2023's '' Feed the Beast'').

Artists

As of 2024, the current Republic Records roster includes AJR, Anitta, Any Gabrielly, Ariana Grande, Bastille, Benee,

Bo Burnham Robert Pickering Burnham (born August 21, 1990) is an American stand-up comedian, musician, actor, filmmaker, and YouTuber. Burnham's work combines elements of filmmaking with Comedy music, music, Sketch comedy, sketch, and stand-up comedy, co ...

Clairo Claire Elizabeth Cottrill (born August 18, 1998), known professionally as Clairo, is an American singer-songwriter. She began posting music on the internet at age 13. Clairo rose to prominence following the viral success of the music video for ...

, Coi Leray, Conan Gray, Drake, Em Beihold, FLO, Fujii Kaze, Ski Mask The Slump God, Florence and the Machine, fripSide,

Glass Animals Glass Animals are a British indie rock band formed in Oxford, England in 2010. The band's line-up consists of Dave Bayley (vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums, songwriting), Drew MacFarlane (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Edmund Irwin-Singe ...

, Itzy, James Bay, James Blake, John Mellencamp,

Julia Michaels Julia Carin Michaels (''Birth name, née'' Cavazos; born November 13, 1993) is an American singer and songwriter. She has received six Grammy Award nominations, including twice for Grammy Award for Song of the Year, Song of the Year and Grammy A ...

, Kid Cudi, Kim Petras, Leith Ross, Lil Tecca, Lil Wayne, Metro Boomin,

Miranda Lambert Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country music, country singer. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place ...

, Morgan Wallen, Nayeon,

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...

, Nmixx, Noah Kahan,

Of Monsters and Men Of Monsters and Men is an Icelandic indie folk/Folk rock, rock band formed in Garðabær in 2010. It consists of lead singer and guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, singer and guitarist Ragnar Þórhallsson, Ragnar "Raggi" Þórhallsson, ...

Peach PRC Sharlee Jade "Shaylee" Curnow (born 2 April 1997), known professionally as Peach PRC, is an Australian pop singer, songwriter, and social media personality. Her major label debut single "Josh" was released in early 2021, which peaked at numbe ...

, Peter Gabriel,

, Shania Twain, Stephen Sanchez,

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

, Stray Kids, Swedish House Mafia,

the Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for adding Pop music, pop, electronic music, electronic and hip-hop stylings ...

, Tomorrow X Together, Twice, SosMula, Vcha, Volbeat, Wargasm and Zayn Malik.

Associated labels and imprints

* 21 Entertainment * American Recordings * Anti * Uptown Records * Aware Records * Beauty Marks Entertainment * Big Hit Music * Boominati Worldwide * Boywithuke LLC * Brushfire Records * Casablanca Records * Cash Money Records * Def Jam Recordings * Electric Feel Records * Galactic Records * Federal Films * The Heavy Group * Heavy On It Records * Hikari-Ultra *

* Imperial Music * Lava Records *

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...

* Motown Records * Monkeywrench Records * One Non Hispanic * Real World Records * Republic Kids & Family * Republic Nashville * Rowdy Records * Schoolboy Records * SRC Records * So What the Fuss Records * Victor Victor Worldwide *

* Wicked Awesome Records * XO * Young Money Entertainment * Jackson Pendergist * Riteorwrong KVH Entertainment

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Alternative rock record labels Universal Music Group Labels distributed by Universal Music Group Record labels based in New York (state) Record labels established in 1995