Glen Mendlinger
Republic Records today formally launched Imperial Music, a new independent music company led by veteran label executive Glenn Mendlinger that has already generated more than four billion cumulative streams for its artists’ releases since its soft launch less than a year ago.
Imperial signs, develops and markets emerging independent artists and creators, and partners with Ingrooves Music Group for distribution services. Based in New York, Imperial is a new division of Republic and Mendlinger reports to Monte and Avery Lipman, Republic Records co-founders and executive leadership team – a structure that provides Imperial the flexibility to uniquely upstream artists to Republic who require more resources.
With Ingrooves, Imperial’s artists receive industry-leading distribution, technology and analytics. The partnership of Republic and Ingrooves, both divisions of Universal Music Group (UMG), allows Imperial to attract a more diverse roster of artists and expands the growing spectrum of independent services provided by UMG, including Virgin Music Label & Artist Services.
“Imperial Music was created to support the incredible emerging talent that continues to grow in the independent music sector,” Mendlinger commented. “Artists and creators are seeking more independence, speed to market and services that scale with their needs. I’m thrilled with the quick and successful impact Imperial Music has made in the marketplace to support the next generation of musicians and creators.”
Imperial has already released a series of successful projects across nearly all genres. In the last 2 months alone, Imperial debuted five Top 10 albums, with two of those landing in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200. Additionally, Bo Burnham’s Inside (The Songs) has already won 3 Emmy Awards including the music direction, variety special directing and variety special writing awards.
This Month, G Herbo’s 25 debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, while [June 15,2021] Bo Burnham’s Inside (The Songs) arrived at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Comedy Albums Chart and No. 7 on the Billboard 200. Tomorrow X Together’s The Chaos Chapter: Freeze bowed in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200 [June 14th, 2021] and their album repack bowed at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 while Twice debuted at No. 6 with Taste of Love [June 21st, 2021]. Additional Imperial Music artists notably include Baby Gravy (Yung Gravy & bbno$), The Chemical Brothers as well as Jelani Aryeh, Brye, The Score, Chri$tian Gate$ and Laurel.
Before joining Republic Records to launch Imperial, Mendlinger spent 21 years at Astralwerks, serving as the General Manager of the influential label since 2006. Throughout his tenure, he fostered the mainstream explosion of electronic music at multiple junctures, overseeing campaigns for classic records by Fatboy Slim and The Chemical Brothers at the turn of the century, with Daft Punk and David Guetta during the mid-aughts and again with Swedish House Mafia into world domination. In 2014, he signed Halsey and shepherded her into a Grammy Award-nominated multiplatinum force of nature and cultural icon. With a focus on artist development, he has been a catalyst for numerous superstars, singing and working with Sia, Phoenix, Porter Robinson, Empire Of The Sun, Kraftwerk and AIR. Prior to Astralwerks, he worked at East West and Virgin.
