When it comes to winning Variety‘s Hitmakers Label of the Year, Republic Records is batting an incredible .667, winning the award six times out of the total nine years.
But true to his never-satisfied reputation, Republic Records co-founder/ Republic Collective CEO Monte Lipman says, “I hear that, and all I can think about are the three times we didn’t win.”
The label’s formidable roster of signed and distributed acts is of course the key to its success: Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Drake, the Weeknd, Post Malone, Pearl Jam, Florence + the Machine and even Stevie Wonder. It’s seen blockbuster success in 2025 with “KPop Demon Hunters,” Big Loud’s Morgan Wallen and — from the Collective’s Island Records — Chappell Roan and Hitmaker of the Year Sabrina Carpenter.
Based on their two decades of success, Monte and his brother and co-founder Avery — pictured above — were elevated by Universal Music Group chairman-CEO Lucian Grainge last year to head a new division, Republic Collective, which includes the titular label as well as the Def Jam, Island and Mercury and the Imperial independent division, as well as MCA, the recently rebranded UMG Nashville imprint. (With their promotion, Jim Roppo was upped to Republic Records chairman and CEO, and A&R ace Wendy Goldstein to the label’s chairwoman and chief creative officer.)
Yet for all the company’s success — 10 of the top 25 songs of the year — it’s rarely seen anything on the level of “KPop Demon Hunters,” the lead single from which, “Golden,” rocketed to No. 4 on the Luminate year-to-date charts in just under five months and may well finish out the year at No. 1. How does a company stay on top of a juggernaut like “Golden”?
“You don’t stay on top — you hold on for dear life,” Lipman says. “It’s a cultural phenomenon, and our staff and strategic partners recognized in real time how big this was and adjusted accordingly. I’ve been part of these kinds of projects before, like [Psy’s 2012 blockbuster] ‘Gangnam Style,’ but they’re very, very few and far between.”
He also enthuses about the success of Wallen, the Weeknd and Post Malone — “they’re all at the top of their games creatively, they’re in that top tier of the very biggest artists in the world.” But even with that, “The biggest story of this year, of course, is Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl’ selling a record 4 million units in the first week,” he says. “She is a creative force of nature, and we’re thrilled, grateful and honored to be partners.”
It’s a huge empire that keeps growing, yet his role of coaching the coaches, as he describes it, “hasn’t changed, but it’s evolved,” he says. “Because whether I like it or not, I’ve become an OG, because I’ve been doing it longer than just pretty much anyone else in the building. But something that’s critical to the success of all [of Republic Collective’s labels] is that they operate with a tremendous sense of independence and autonomy. My brother and I oversee the collective with [UMG execs] Jeffrey Remedios and Michele Anthony, and there are certain areas where we can come together as a collective. But as far as the decision making about the direction of the individual labels, that’s up to leaders at each individual label.
“Every label within this group operates with a tremendous sense of autonomy and independence,” he continues. This is the key ingredient for success across the Republic Collective—exceptional leadership empowered to deliver extraordinary results.
“The competitive spirit at Republic Records and their unwavering commitment to the artist community exemplifies this recognition,” he continues. “Jim Roppo and Wendy Goldstein continue to lead with passion and conviction as they continue to support the biggest artists in the world, including Ariana Grande, Drake, Taylor Swift, and the Wicked soundtrack, as well as the remarkable momentum behind global K-pop Demon Hunters.
“As for Mercury Records, Tyler Arnold and Ben Adelson have also shown extraordinary growth this year. What they’ve accomplished —with groundbreaking success stories like Post Malone, and Morgan Wallen via a historic alliance with Big Loud — has been nothing short of remarkable.
“Def Jam’s Tunji Balogun and Tim Pithouse and their team had a great run as well. Their year with Justin Bieber, along with the Grammy nominations they earned, speaks volumes about their passion and dedication to the creative community.
“Justin Eshak and Imran Majid at Island Records have had a phenomenal year with Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter — and their continued cultural influence with international breakout Olivia Dean. And at MCA, Dave Cobb and Mike Harris have brought a distinctive creative force and vision that continues to elevate the collective in meaningful ways.
“Lastly, Avery and I are always grateful for Lucian Grainge’s commitment to creative freedom and our pursuit of excellence, which has been pivotal as we’ve continued to build our own company.”
Consistent success can breed complacency, but the Lipmans are always stoking the fires to prevent that from happening. “Anyone who works with me has heard this quote too many times, but in the mid-‘70s, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said, ‘If they don’t win the pennant every year, they’re not having a good year.’ And that’s essentially how we go into this.”