Warner Brother Records Closes Roadrunner Records UK and Canadian Offices
In a cost cutting move, Warner Brother Records has fired the entire staff of Roadrunner Records U.K. and Canadian offices today. The label has also laid off several other Roadrunner Records employees at other offices internationally.
Trivium's Matt Heafy took to twitter to voice his disgust stating "I wish I knew who or what to blame specifically, and chew off it's heads - but Roadrunner records just fired some of their best employees. I don't know if it's corporate greed or it's due to the fact that no one puts value in physical art and that piracy created a domino effect. But our friends who are being tossed away so quickly by the label are now out of jobs. These people helped bands get where they are today."
In addition to the cuts at the U.K. and Canadian offices, 16 people are rumored to be on the chopping block at the U.S. offices in New York. CEO and founder, Cees Wessels has also stepped down.
Love or hate the label, they were a major factor in metal both signing and discovering some great and iconic bands over the years. Over the next few weeks, many Roadrunner bands will be dropped and left to find new labels with Warner taking just the bigger more cost effective bands, ie. Nickelback.
Awful news. Some of my favourite bands of all time have been Roadrunner artists at one time or another and i've discovered many other great/new bands over the years thanks to the Roadrunner label. Sad to see it go.
Yeh,it's a sad day,but hardly surprising really.The UK has just officially gone back into recession,even though most people here knew we never went out of recession to start with!Combine that with all the other financial problems globally,and you can see why companies look to cut costs.It's a tough climate to run a business these days,no matter what size it is.
Paganec wrote: No wonder. Musical industry suffers from piracy!
Agreed.
Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy) posted some great points about this and the domino effect that can/does/and will take place if the trend continues.
The demise of the METAL music scene:
Metal fans stop buying music, 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.. Its a small niche compared to mainstream music.
Bands have no label support anymore, thus won't get any tour support, so they can not go out and built 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 can not survive on touring income anymore as they wont get any good offers.. Esp. 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.
I always buy CDs of underrated/not mainstream bands to support them. Frankly, I don't even need these CDs. You're checking out art, booklet - that's it. Then CD only collects dust on a shelf.
I think Angela is too pessimistic about it all. I mean the whole situation is scary, but I don't think bands will just dissapear. It wont affect Arch Enemy much, it is very effective commercial band. These labels shall better think on how to increase income the other ways. Make digital distribution better.
Funny to say, I wanted to buy new FF Recharger single and couldn't do it. I'm unable to support my favorite band because I live in Russia. I have paypal account, whats the problem? Defuq is happening? Sure I'll download it for free. I have to. Its the only way lol!
Yeah, improve digital distribution, make more bonus stuff with CD's, autographs, photocards, etc. Plus I think in future fans themselves are gonna finance bands to make records. Its already in game industry (kickstarter) and music industry (pledge music). Very good idea!
