User:Virtuoso1980/sandbox

Merck Mercuriadis (born Oct 2, 1963 in Schefferville, Quebec, Canada) is a Canadian music executive, a record producer, and a music and A&R manager. He is the current CEO, Founder and managing partner of  Hipgnosis Music Ltd., a management firm based in London. Mercuriadis is also known as the former manager of several notable rock bands and musicians including Guns N' Roses, Iron Maiden, Elton John, Morrissey, Macy Gray, W.A.S.P., Mary J. Blige, Joss Stone and Jane's Addiction. Mercuriadis is notable for serving from December 2004 to June 2007, as Director and CEO of Sanctuary Records Group, a major independent record label in the UK.

Life
At the age of 12, Mercuriadis travelled 100 miles from his home town to watch a Kiss concert. According to him, this event was the defining moment that led him to embrace a career in music.

Career
Mercuriadis is the current CEO, Founder and managing partner at Hipgnosis Music Ltd. In the past, he was CEO of Pacifica Artists Group, Inc., a record company he founded in January 2007 in  Los Angeles, California;  CEO of [Sanctuary Records Group (1986 - 2006 ). Earlier, he was an A&R and marketing director at Virgin Records where he started his career at the age of 20. Mercuriadis is best known for his contributions to a number 1 single with Ozzy and Kelly Osbourne, number 2 single with Elton John, a top 20 singles with Morrissey, Mercury Music Prize with Antony And The Johnsons. In addition, Mercuriadis was the first music manager to feature on the cover of Billboard magazine with Elton John on September 10, 2005. .

Sanctuary Records: 1986 - 2006
In 1986, Mercuriadis joined Sanctuary Records Group Limited, a record label based in the United Kingdom. Later, in 2000, Mercuriadis moved from London to New York to build the North American base. In New York, Mercuriadis served as Chief Executive Officer of Sanctuary Group North America until December 2004. Then, Sanctuary reorganized its management team and named Mercuriadis CEO of the entire group for his substantial contribution in the global revenues overseas. During his tenure at Sanctuary Group, Mercuriadis oversaw the careers of Destiny's Child, Beyoncé, Nelly, Mick Fleetwood, Tommy Lee, The Who, Robert Plant. With its list of notable artists,  intellectual property rights collection, record labels, integrated services style, Sanctuary Group created a unique position the music industry.

After several months of negotiations, Mercuriadis resigned from Sanctuary Music Group on 31st October 2006 after 20 years of service. He brought along with him Guns N' Roses and Morrissey while Elton John stayed with the company.

Gun N' Roses: 2001 - 2006
Mercuriadis came into contact with Guns N' Roses when his company Sanctuary Records acquired Doug Goldstein's Big FD Entertainment in 2001. He started becoming involved with the band although it appeared that Goldstein was still co-managing the band from June 2001 until the end of the rescheduled 2002 European tour. Sometime after the end of the tour, Goldstein left the band and Mercuriadis took over as its main manager. Mercuriadis's collaboration with Guns N' Roses span over several years.

Elton John: 2001 - 2006
After Elton John sold Twenty-First Artists to Sanctuary Group for $30.1 million, he turned to Mercuriadis to manage the creative side of his career. Mercuriadis was the manager of several of Elton John's albums including Elton John's Christmas Party and The Captain & the Kid. He was also the executive producer of the Elton John's TV show The Red Piano  from 2004 to 2006. However, following some disagreements, Mercuriadis stepped down from the creative duties related to the artist.

Morrissey: 2003 - 2008
During their collaboration that span over 5 years, Mercuriadis managed three of Morrissey's albums (Greatest Hits, First of the Gang to Die,  Ringleader of the Tormentors)  which had notable rankings on the record charts. In addition, this collaboration produced ten top 20 singles together with numerous international concerts from Earls Court Exhibition Centre (London) to the Universal Music Plaza Stage (Los Angeles) formerly known as the Hollywood Bowl Theater. In November 2007, Mercuriadis weighted in a controversy around Morrissey statements about immigration in Britain. He threatened with court action and sued the NME magazine editor, Conor McNicholas. However, in May 2008, Morrissey parted company with his manager Merck Mercuriadis and joined ie: music.

Filmography

 * Elton John: The Red Piano 2005 - 2006 (TV Show) - Executive Producer.
 * Iron Maiden: Rock in Rio (2002 Video) - Executive Producer.
 * Nightlife: The Nightlife Tour (2001 Video) – Management.

Discography
The table below lists notable music artists and bands besides Iron Maiden, who collaborated with Mercuriadis.