RMM Records & Video

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RMM Records & Video Corp.
Parent company Universal Music Group
Founded 1987
Founder Ralph Mercado
Defunct 2001
Distributor(s)

RMM Records (1987-1990) Sony Discos (1990-1995)

Universal Music Latino (1996-present)
Genre Salsa, Merengue, Tropical, Latin Jazz

RMM Records, also known RMM Records & Video Corp, was an independent Latin music record label established in 1987 and based in New York City. The label was most active during the late 1980s and early 1990s and produced primarily Salsa, Latin Jazz and Merengue music. At its peak, RMM Records employed 55 staff members and had distribution deals in 42 cities around the world, occupying 9,000 square feet in two floors at its Soho headquarters. The label was established by Fania Records promoter Ralph Mercado, who had established RMM Management in 1972 as an artist management and booking agency, providing bookings for latin artists like Tito Puente, Celia Cruz and Ray Barretto.

Artists who recorded for the label included Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Tito Nieves, Oscar D'Leon, Eddie Palmieri, Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Miranda, José Alberto 'El Canario', Tony Vega, Johnny Rivera, Ray Sepúlveda, Domingo Quiñones, Miles Peña, Orquesta Guayacan, Conjunto Clasico, Manny Manuel, the New York Band, Marc Anthony & La India. Musical Producers included Sergio George, Isidro Infante and Humberto Ramirez.

Empire and legacy[edit]

RMM filed for bankruptcy in November 2000, selling its assets to Universal Music Group.[1] According to the NYTimes,[2] unpaid royalties, as well as a lawsuit settlement of $7.7 million to Glenn Monroig totaling over $11 million, plus interest, contributed to the end of RMM Records. On June 25, 2001, as part of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy sale, Universal Music Group (UMG) announced the acquisition of RMM’s assets.[3]

Founder and key staff[edit]

  • Ralph Mercado Jr. (September 29, 1941 – March 10, 2009) was born in Brooklyn to a Puerto Rican mother and Dominican father. He entered the music business as a teenager, organizing parties and dances as president of a neighborhood social club. In the 1960s, he promoted R & B and soul artists like James Brown and paired them with Latin artists like Mongo Santamaria. In the 1980s-1990s, Mercado was a promoter of Latin Jazz, Latin rock, Merengue and Salsa. He establishing a network of businesses that promoted concerts, managed artists, and led to the foundation of the record label Ritmo Mundo Musical (RMM). Following the bankruptcy of RMM in 2000, Ralph Mercado returned to artist promotion.[4]
  • Debra A. Mercado, starting in the early 1990s, was RMM's National Director of Publicity, as well as overseeing international promotions generated by RMM International.[5] She also was in charge of public relations for four other enterprises: RMM (Management), Ralph Mercado Presents, Caribbean Waves Music (ASCAP), and Crossing Borders Music Inc. (BMI).
  • Nelson Rodríguez, starting in 1991, was the General Manager of the Record Division. He was also the National VP of Promotions & Marketing for RMM until 2000/2001.[6]

Familiar recordings[edit]

Artists[edit]

Labels[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "United States Bankruptcy Court Southern District Of New York" (PDF). United States Courts. Retrieved 2014-11-07. 
  2. ^ "For Sale...RMM Records". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-04-12. 
  3. ^ "Universal Music Group". cvK6ffb8uyx. p. 1. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2012. 
  4. ^ Billboard. cvK6ffb8uyx. p. 42. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2012. 
  5. ^ "Debra A. Mercado". cvK6ffb8uyx. Retrieved 26 April 2012. 
  6. ^ "RMM Records and Videos Corporation". Facebook. Retrieved 2012-04-09. 
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