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Warner Music Group to Acquire Majority Stake in Roadrunner Music Group
Leading Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Label Group Will Join WMG's Worldwide Family of Labels; Acquisition Bolsters WMG's Strong Standing in One of Music Industry's Most Successful Genres; Nickelback, Slipknot, Stone Sour, Theory of a Deadman and Killswitch Engage Join Roster of WMG Artists
| Source: Warner Music Group
NEW YORK, NY and AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS -- (MARKET WIRE) -- December 18, 2006 -- Warner Music
Group Corp. (NYSE : WMG ) today announced it has signed a definitive
agreement to acquire 73.5 percent of Roadrunner Music Group B.V., which
includes Roadrunner Records, one of the leading hard rock and heavy metal
labels, for $73.5 million in purchase price and other considerations.
In the United States, Roadrunner will become a freestanding label group
within WMG's Atlantic Records Group. Roadrunner's international affiliates
will become freestanding units within WMG's Warner Music International.
Roadrunner Managing Director, Cees Wessels, will continue to run the
company he founded. There will be no staff changes as part of the
acquisition.
Lyor Cohen, WMG's Chairman and CEO of U.S. Recorded Music, said, "Very
rarely do you find a record company with such a longstanding reputation and
distinct viewpoint that its very name rises to the level of true brand.
Roadrunner, from its strong artist roster to its deep catalog and
first-rate creative team, embodies the hard rock aesthetic to its core.
Cees and I shared great success when we brought Roadrunner into the IDJ
family in 2001, so naturally I'm thrilled today to welcome Cees and his
team to Warner Music Group. We look forward to building upon Roadrunner's
25 years of success together."
"It was predestined that Lyor Cohen and I would work together again. Five
years ago, before Nickelback broke massively worldwide, Lyor recognized the
power of the Roadrunner brand, its artists and the creative talent of the
staff," comments Cees Wessels on his initial partnership with Cohen.
"Today, after continuous strong growth of the label, I feel proud that we
are partners again. Roadrunner has become part of a forward-thinking group
of companies that not only looks with confidence to the future, but also
still retains the creative spirit of the founder of Atlantic, Ahmet
Ertegun."
One of the Industry's Most Successful Hard Rock Labels
Founded in 1980 in the Netherlands, Roadrunner Music Group is one of the
industry's leading Hard Rock label groups, with subsidiaries in eight
countries around the world. The group's headquarters will remain in the
Netherlands with offices in New York within the United States, Canada,
United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan and Australia.
The company has enjoyed strong momentum over the past several years. This
year alone, Roadrunner has increased its SoundScan market share in the Hard
Music genre (which includes both Hard Rock and Heavy Metal) by more than
two percentage points. The label's multi-Platinum, Grammy-nominated
artist, Nickelback, is responsible for the No. 1 Hard Music album for 2005
and year-to-date 2006 in the U.S.
In addition to Nickelback, Roadrunner's roster includes multi-Platinum
Grammy winner Slipknot, Grammy-nominated Stone Sour, Killswitch Engage,
Theory of a Deadman, Megadeth, Black Label Society and Trivium, among
others.
Bolstering WMG's Strong Standing in One of Music's Most Successful Genres
Roadrunner has been at the forefront of the Hard Music genre for more than
25 years, a genre that has outpaced the overall U.S. industry. According
to NPD MusicWatch, Hard Rock/Heavy Metal has experienced the greatest
increase in market share of any subgenres of Rock in 2006 over the prior
year.
In four of the last five years, Roadrunner has had at least one of the five
top-selling Hard Music acts in the U.S. with releases from Nickelback.
With the acquisition of Roadrunner, WMG will have the top three labels in
Hard Music based on 2006 year-to-date SoundScan figures: Warner Bros. at
No. 1; Atlantic at No. 2; and Roadrunner at No. 3.
The transaction is subject to regulatory approval in Germany and is
expected to close in January 2007.
About Roadrunner Music Group
Initially founded in the Netherlands in 1980, Roadrunner Records has earned
its place as one of the most prominent international independent record
labels. The Roadrunner catalog boasts early releases from such seminal
artists as King Diamond, Type O Negative, Sepultura and Annihilator. More
recently, the label has experienced unprecedented success with
multi-platinum artists Nickelback and Slipknot, Gold certified Stone Sour
and Killswitch Engage, as well as modern heavy hitters Black Label Society,
Trivium and Machine Head. Though primarily known as a metal and hard rock
label, Roadrunner's roster also includes acts such as The Dresden Dolls and
newcomers Madina Lake. Still headquartered in the Netherlands, Roadrunner
occupies offices in New York, now the A&R hub for the label, as well as the
United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Japan and Australia. For more
information about Roadrunner, visit: www.roadrunnerrecords.com
About Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group became the only stand-alone music company to be publicly
traded in the United States in May 2005. With its broad roster of new
stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of
the best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum,
Atlantic, Bad Boy, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Lava, Maverick, Nonesuch,
Reprise, Rhino, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros. and Word. Warner Music
International, a leading company in national and international repertoire,
operates through numerous international affiliates and licensees in more
than 50 countries. Warner Music Group also includes Warner/Chappell Music,
one of the world's leading music publishers. For more information about
WMG, visit: www.wmg.com.