WMG To Buy Majority Roadrunner Stake

Major to acquire 73.5% of label for $73.5 million.

Warner Music Group has entered into a deal to acquire Based on 2006 results, WMG now lays claim to the top
73.5% stake of Roadrunner Music Group B.V., parent comthree positions in Hard music marketshare in the U.S.,
pany of hard rock and heavy metal label Roadrunner with Warner Bros. at No. 1, Atlantic at No. 2, and Road-
Records, for $73.5 million. runner No. 3
Island Def Jam has been distributing Roadrunner, per-In four of the last five years, Roadrunner has had at least
haps best known as the home to rock radio staple Nickel-one of the five top-selling Hard Music acts in the U.S. with
back, for the last five years. The move and corresponding releases from Nickelback.
sale of a majority stake in the label to WMG comes at the In addition to Nickelback, Roadrunner's roster includes
recent conclusion of a five-year 50-50 joint venture be-multi-Platinum Grammy winner Slipknot, Grammy-nomtween Roadrunner and IDJ parent Universal Music Group. inated Stone Sour, Killswitch Engage, Theory of a Dead-
Following completion of the purchase, the Netherlands-man, Megadeth, Black Label Society and Trivium, among
based label will be housed within WMG's Atlantic Records others.
Group in the U.S. and within Warner Music International —Brian Garrity, N.Y.
for the rest of the world.
Roadrunner founder and managing director Cees Wessels will continue to head the label and operate it as a freestanding entity with its own sales marketing and promotion Go to Billboard.biz for 24/7 record label news
staffs.
No layoffs or restructurings are planned for Roadrunner's global staff of between 100 and 120. Founded in 1980
RMG has subsidiaries in eight countries around the world,
with offices in New York within the United States, Canada,
United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan and Australia.
The pact reunites Wessels with WMG Recorded Music
Chairman/CEO Lyor Cohen, who previously was responsible for overseeing IDJ's relationship with Roadrunner
dating back to 2001.

Roadrunner sucks. I remember when they first came out in the late 80's, they were a death metal label. I must have bought about 90 cds from that label from '89-93. In the last 10 yrs. they phased it out in favor of crappy, shitty nu-metal. Where is nu-metal now? Fuck that shit. Even Metal Blade took a giant crap. I get my music from Century, Earache, Nuclear Blast- label that don't follow trends.

Should I assume that you wont need any promos then

Dont get me wrong BC, loved the stuff you sent me and will gladly take all the free promos you can get- any genre.

Would it be possible to get the entire WB backcatalog?
Just asking, you know.

PM me...

I hate to see any indie label (assuming Roadrunner was) engulfed by a Major... But if it had to be one I am glad it is WMG. Bigcalm's overall suaviness lends WMG a good amount of integrity.