ARCH ENEMY vocalist Angela Gossow has issued the following message in the wake of the news that Roadrunner Records was shutting down its European offices, and that their CEO Cees Wessels was stepping down (details here):

"Metal fans stop buying music, they download it 'for free.' Labels dont make money with selling metal music anymore.

Labels first cut down their offices and staff, then they will drop all the artists who don't sell CDs anymore. Metal bands are the first to go. It's a small niche compared to mainstream music.

Bands have no label support anymore, thus won't get any tour support, so they cannot go out and build a live profile / make a name as a good live band anymore. The only real income for a band these days.

This results in lack of touring offers in general.

Many bands cannot survive on touring income anymore as they won't get any good offers. Especially the newer acts. Bands will stop touring, you will only be seeing the same old, big bands coming round (METALLICA, IRON MAIDEN, etc.) but none of your fave smaller/underground acts or new acts, as they simply can not afford it.

If bands can neither release their music nor go out and play live, they'll disband sooner or later due to lack of motivation and any sort of reward.

The metal scene will lose a lot of innovative, exciting and diverse bands and many fans will never get to see their fave bands live. What a boring, corporate, streamlined future to look forward to.

And it's all in YOUR hands. Every time you rip music for free, you tick the 'I don't care if my fave band will die' box in a way.

Think about it. Twice."