Roadrunner Records remaining staff are determined to keep the label’s values alive after its parent company hacked the headcount to pieces last month.
More than three dozen people were given their marching orders when Warners closed Roadrunner’s UK, Europe and Canada offices in a move that saw founder Cees Wessels departing too. The move was a surprise to fans of the imprint which boasts a roster including KISS, Lynyrd Skynyrd , Rush, Slash, The Cult, Ratt, Dream Theater and Airbourne, and Queensryche.
In his regular Facebook question-and-answer session the social media spokesperson for Roadrunner US faced a barrage of queries from worried rock and metal fans. Responding to their comments he wrote: “It was heartbreaking – but we’re soldiering on with extra resolve.”
However, he couldn’t answer specific queries about whether bands would be dropped from the label’s roster, saying: “None of us honestly know, but I can tell you that we don’t intend to change. I’m hoping none.” In a previous session he explained:
“All any of us know is that we’re still going to exist. Those of us still here have this sense that we have to kick everyone’s ass a little bit harder now. And we will. I pursued my undergrad degree in marketing specifically so I could work here. Ask around and I think you’ll find everyone who works here does so because they have a passion for our bands and the legacy we have".
“None of us are going to let that die without a huge fucking fight. We’re all determined to keep Roadrunner the company it has always been.”