ROADRUNNER RECORDS To Close European Office?
April 26, 2012, 12 years ago
According to Trebuchet Magazine, industry sources say that the metal label Roadrunner Records is to close its European Offices.
Speaking to Trebuchet earlier today it was revealed that Roadrunner is to close it's Europe office. It's unknown whether staff will be absorbed into parent company Warner Music Group, whether bands will shift representation within the group or be dropped. Stay tuned for more information.
According to Wikipedia, Roadrunner was launched in 1980 as Roadracer Records in the Netherlands by Cees Wessels. Roadrunner's initial business was importing North American metal-band recordings into Europe. In 1986, Roadrunner opened its US headquarters in New York City and later opened offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, Australia, Denmark and the latest in Canada. Early successes included albums from KING DIAMOND (the first Roadrunner artist to enter the Billboard Top 200 albums chart) and ANNIHILATOR.
On November 11, 2010, Warner Music Group announced they had acquired the remaining of Roadrunner's stock. Roadrunner will continue to operate as a distinct brand within WMG, according to sources.
A profile of Roadrunner Records, which originally aired in Europe in 1993, can be viewed below. A&R; guru Monte Conner is interviewed and bands such as DEATH, SEPULTURA, DEICIDE, Annihilator, OBITUARY, BIOHAZARD and GRUNTRUCK are discussed, as well as bands the label signed only in Europe such as SICK OF IT ALL and CORROSION OF CONFORMITY.
