Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City.

History

The label was launched in 1980 in the Netherlands. Roadrunner's initial business was importing North American metal-band recordings into Europe. In 1986, Roadrunner opened its US headquarters in New York City and later opened offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, Australia, Denmark, Russia and Canada. Early successes included albums from King Diamond (the first Roadrunner artist to enter the Billboard Top 200 albums chart) and Annihilator. The label also handled early

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

releases in the Scandinavian region. The end of the 1980s saw the release of two albums that are now considered classics of their respective genres:

Obituary An obituary ( obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Ac ...

's '' Slowly We Rot'' and Sepultura's '' Beneath the Remains''. The 1990s saw the arrival of acts such as Life of Agony, Machine Head,

Suffocation Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can i ...

, Type O Negative, and underground

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

rockers Willard. As the 1990s wore on, several of Roadrunner's bands managed to make an impact on the mainstream, most notably Sepultura and Type O Negative. Sepultura's 1993 album, ''

Chaos A.D. ''Chaos A.D.'' is the fifth studio album by Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura, released in 1993 by Roadrunner Records. The album saw a stylistic departure from the band's earlier thrash metal style,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 131. by featuri ...

'', became the first Roadrunner band to crack the Top 40 on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

album chart. Type O Negative became the first Roadrunner band to receive a certification from the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

; this was a Gold award (and later Platinum award) for the 1993 album '' Bloody Kisses'', which was certified in 1995. The band also became the first Roadrunner band to receive radio play. In 2000, Slipknot became the first Roadrunner band to go Platinum. Nickelback were also very successful on the label, although they were signed to another label in their native Canada. Derek Shulman ran the label in the late '90s. Roadrunner Records ran into financial trouble in 2001 after its distribution deal with RED Distribution through Edel Music was aborted after Edel ended up in US$400 million in debt. Unfortunately, as Roadrunner had just taken out a US$15 million loan from Edel, Cees Wessels was forced to put 49% of the label's stock up for $30 million, attracting the interest of major labels such as RCA Records,

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

and

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. In July 2001, The Island Def Jam Music Group purchased a 50% stake in Roadrunner worth US$33 million, larger than the asking price. While there were fears of legal action from Edel, who owned 17% of Roadrunner's stock, negotiations allowed the label to switch "immediately" to Island Def Jam and its distributor,

Universal Music & Video Distribution Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

. On December 18, 2006, Warner Music Group signed an agreement to purchase a majority in shares (73.5%) of Roadrunner Records' parent company, Roadrunner Music Group B.V. This deal became finalized on January 29, 2007, after receiving regulatory approval in Germany. On June 11, 2008, Roadrunner Records was voted as the "Best Metal Label" by Metal Hammer at their Golden Gods Awards, an award that it has won the past four years in a row. The award was accepted by Sharon den Adel and Ruud Jolie of Within Temptation, one of Roadrunner's biggest acts. Roadrunner Records was significantly affected by Warner Music Group's legal dispute against YouTube, including having their account's YouTube partnership canceled. Most of the videos on their channel, however, are still viewable. There is even a disclaimer talking about Warner's dispute right on the channel. On November 11, 2010, Warner Music Group announced they had acquired the remaining of Roadrunner's stock. Roadrunner will continue to operate as a distinct brand within WMG, according to sources. Cees Wessels, the label's founder, remains CEO. On April 26, 2012, it was announced that Warner Music Group would make substantial cutbacks throughout Roadrunner Records worldwide operations. According to staff working at the company, The UK offices and the Canadian offices of Roadrunner Records are to be closed completely, with severe levels of cutbacks occurring across the rest of the label worldwide. It has also been announced that the Roadrunner office in The Netherlands is to close, and that the label's founder Cees Wessels is stepping down from his role of CEO. The following years saw several major Roadrunner acts leave the label, including DevilDriver and Alter Bridge (who both moved to Napalm Records, with Devildriver's catalogue being sold to The Echo Label),

Opeth Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal/rock band from Stockholm, formed in 1990 by lead vocalist David Isberg. The group has been through several personnel changes, including the replacement of every original member; notably Isberg in 1992. Mikael ...

, Machine Head, and Soulfly (all of whom followed former A&R of SVP Monte Conner to Nuclear Blast) and

Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of the ...

(who signed with InsideOut Music in 2017) In July 2017, British rock band Milk Teeth signed with Roadrunner Records. In June 2018, Roadrunner became a sub-label of Warner's

Elektra Music Group 300 Elektra Entertainment (or 3EE) is an umbrella label group owned by Warner Music Group. It exists as a merger of 300 Entertainment and Elektra Music Group, along with its respectively owned labels. The umbrella label describes itself as " a ...

division. In June 2022, Elektra Music Group, and subsequently Roadrunner, was merged into the new umbrella label group 300 Elektra Entertainment.

International labels

Roadrunner Records UK

Roadrunner Records UK operates out of the Warner Music London office. Their roster includes the addition of Alter Bridge,

Down Down most often refers to: * Down, the relative direction opposed to up * Down (gridiron football), in American/Canadian football, a period when one play takes place * Down feather, a soft bird feather used in bedding and clothing * Downland, a ty ...

, Satyricon and

Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash th ...

Signed bands and previous artists

Currently signed

Angel Du$t Angel Dust (stylized as Angel Du$t) is an American rock supergroup formed in Baltimore, Maryland in 2013, made up of members of Turnstile and Trapped Under Ice. They have released four albums. In 2018, they signed to Roadrunner Records. In 2019, ...

* Code Orange * Coheed and Cambria *

Corey Taylor Corey Todd Taylor (born December 8, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter and actor. He is the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Slipknot (band), Slipknot, in which he is designated #8, as well as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the ...

* Creeper * Dinosaur Pile-Up ( Parlophone/Roadrunner) * Fever 333 *

Gojira Gojira (ゴジラ) is the original Japanese name for Godzilla, a giant monster at the center of a media franchise. It may also refer to: Films * ''Godzilla'' franchise, known as ''ゴジラ'' (''Gojira'') in Japan ** ''Godzilla'' (1954 film), rele ...

* Higher Power * Highly Suspect *Joyous Wolf *Mess Of Wires * Motionless in White * Slipknot *

Stone Sour Stone Sour is an American rock band formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1992. The band performed for five years before disbanding in 1997. They reunited in 2000 and since 2015, the group has consisted of Corey Taylor (lead vocals, guitar), Josh Rand ...

* Theory of a Deadman * Trivium * Turnstile *Unto Others

Past Roadrunner Records artists

3 Inches of Blood 3 Inches of Blood was a Canadian heavy metal band formed in 1999 in Victoria, British Columbia, last consisting of Cam Pipes, Justin Hagberg, Shane Clark, and Ash Pearson, none of whom were original members of the band. Their music was strongl ...

8 Foot Sativa 8 Foot Sativa is a New Zealand-based extreme metal band formed in 1998. Their most famous single is their self-titled song, "8 Foot Sativa", which was number one on the M2 (a late night New Zealand music show) top 12 list for 12 weeks, and sta ...

''(NZ)'' *

36 Crazyfists 36 Crazyfists were an American metalcore band formed in Anchorage, Alaska in 1994. The band's name comes from the Hong Kong martial arts film ''36 Crazy Fists'' (1977) starring Jackie Chan. To date they have released eight studio albums. Histor ...

''(excluding US)'' *

A Skylit Drive A Skylit Drive is an American post-hardcore band from Lodi, California. The band has released one DVD, one EP and five studio albums: '' Wires...and the Concept of Breathing'' (2008), '' Adelphia'' (2009), '' Identity on Fire'' (2011), ''Rise ...

''(excluding Fearless)'' * Adaje * Above All * The Agony Scene * Airbourne * Alesana (including

Fearless Fearless or The Fearless may refer to: Psychology * Lack of fear * Courage or bravery Film, television and audio Film * ''Fearless'' (1978 film), an Italian film directed by Stelvio Massi * ''Fearless'' (1993 film), an American drama directed ...

) * Alexisonfire * Alter Bridge *

Amanda Palmer Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer (born April 30, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and performance artist who is the lead vocalist, pianist, and lyricist of the duo The Dresden Dolls. She performs as a solo artist and was also a ...

* Amen * The Amity Affliction * Annihilator * Anti-Mortem * Anyone * Artillery *

At The Skylines AT or at may refer to: Geography Austria * Austria (ISO 2-letter country code) * .at, Internet country code top-level domain United States * Atchison County, Kansas (county code) * The Appalachian Trail (A.T.), a 2,180+ mile long mountaino ...

* Atreyu ''(excluding US)'' * Atrocity * Avenged Sevenfold ''(EU)'' *

Atrophy Atrophy is the partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body. Causes of atrophy include mutations (which can destroy the gene to build up the organ), poor nourishment, poor circulation, loss of hormonal support, loss of nerve supply t ...

* Baby Fox *

Bad Seed Rising Bad Seed Rising was an American rock band from Maryland composed of four teenagers: singer/rhythm guitarist Francheska Pastor, lead guitarist Mason Gainer, drummer Aiden Marceron and bassist Louey Peraza. They were the youngest band to sign wit ...

Believer Believer(s) or The Believer(s) may refer to: Religion * Believer, a person who holds a particular belief ** Believer, a person who holds a particular religious belief *** Believers, Christians with a religious faith in the divine Christ *** Bel ...

*Ben Smith And The Associates ''(US)'' *

Berri Txarrak Berri Txarrak (''Bad News'' in English) is a Navarrese rock power trio whose songs are sung in Basque. It was founded in 1994 in Lekunberri, Navarre, Spain. History Berri Txarrak originated in Lekunberri, Navarre, Spain in 1994 as a parallel p ...

''(Spain)'' * Biffy Clyro ''(US and Japan)'' *

Big Rude Jake Andrew Jacob Hiebert (1 March 1963 – 16 June 2022), known professionally as Big Rude Jake, was a Canadian songwriter, singer, musician, and bandleader based in Toronto. The original "Swing Punk", he was associated with the neo-swing trend of t ...

* Biohazard * Black Flag * Black Label Society * Black Stone Cherry * Behind Crimson Eyes *

Betzefer Betzefer ( he, בצפר) is an Israeli groove metal band originating from the community settlement Maccabim-Re'ut. The band was formed up in 1998 and was signed to Roadrunner Records from 2005 to 2007. Betzefer is notable for becoming Israel's ...

''(excluding US)'' *

Baptized in Blood Baptized in Blood was a five-piece London, Ontario-based heavy metal band. They were managed by Dave Mustaine, the frontman of American thrash metal band Megadeth. In 2006, they independently released the EP ''Baptized in Blood''. In 2009, the ...

Billy Talent Billy Talent is a Canadian Rock music, rock band from Mississauga, Ontario. They formed in 1993 with lead vocalist Benjamin Kowalewicz, guitarist Ian D'Sa, bassist Jonathan Gallant, and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk. There have been no lineup change ...

''(US)'' *

Black Train Jack Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

* Bleeker Ridge * Boiler Room * Brigade ''(Japan)'' * Brujeria * Buzzoven * Caliban * Carnivore * Cavalera Conspiracy * Channel Zero * Chimaira * CKY * Close to Me * Clovve * Coal Chamber * Collective Soul (via Loud & Proud) * Convent of Mercy (band) ''(Australia)'' * Corrosion of Conformity *

The Creetins ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

Cradle of Filth Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved originally from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other metal genres. Their ly ...

* Crease (band) * Crimson Glory * The Cult *Cyclone * Cynic * Dååth * De La Tierra * De Novo Dahl * Death *

Defiance Defiance may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Defiance'' (1952 film), a Swedish drama film directed by Gustaf Molander * ''Defiance'' (1980 film), an American crime drama starring Jan-Michael Vincent * ''Defiance'' (2002 film), a ...

* Deicide * Delain *

Delight Delight may refer to: Music *Delight (band), a Polish metal band * ''Delight'' (album) or the title song, by Rina Aiuchi, 2006 * ''Delight'' (Baekhyun EP), 2020 * ''Delight'' (D-Lite EP), 2014 *"Delight", a song by 2 Unlimited from ''Get Ready!'' ...

(Poland) *

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depeche ...

(Brazil) * Detente (band) * DevilDriver * The Devil Wears Prada * Direwolve * Disincarnate * Divine Heresy ''(excluding US)'' * Dog Eat Dog * DoubleDrive * Doug Stanhope *

Dommin Dommin is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1999 by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Kristofer Dommin. The band is made up of Kristofer Dommin on vocals and guitar, Billy James on bass, Konstantine on keyboards, and Ca ...

*Downer * Downthesun *

* DragonForce *

* Dresden Dolls * Drugstore *

Dry Ivory Dry or dryness most often refers to: * Rain#Deserts, Lack of rainfall, which may refer to **Arid regions **Drought * Dry or dry area, relating to legal prohibition of selling, serving, or imbibing alcoholic beverages * Dry humor, deadpan * Drynes ...

Dry Kill Logic Dry Kill Logic is an American heavy metal band from Westchester County, New York. Formed in 1995 under the names Hinge and Hinge AD, they have released three albums. History Psychodrama Records (1997–1999) After being together as a ba ...

Electric Eel Shock Electric Eel Shock (EES) are a three-piece garage rock band, formed in Tokyo in 1994. They first toured the United States in 1999. History Background Akihito Morimoto, known as 'Aki' (guitar and vocals) and Kazuto Maekawa ( bass) first met i ...

''(Japan)'' *Empress AD *

Eric Stadler The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

* Exhorder * Faktion *

FC Five FC may refer to: Businesses, organisations, and schools * Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India * Finncomm Airlines (IATA code) * FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC * Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Pakist ...

''(Japan)'' * Fear Factory * Fiction Plane * Fish (Dick Bros./Roadrunner) * Five Pointe O * Floodgate * Front Line Assembly * Funeral for a Friend ''(excluding US and UK)'' *

Garrett Lewis Garrett Lewis (April 2, 1935 – January 29, 2013) was an American actor, dancer, and set decorator. He was nominated for four Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction. Selected filmography Lewis has been nominated for four Academy ...

* Garrett "Baby Hands" Metts * Glassjaw * Gorguts * Grand Magus * Gruntruck *

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...

* Hail the Villain ''(US)'' * Hamlet ''(Spain)'' * Harlot * Hatebreed (2006) *

Heartist Heartist is an American rock band that started in Orange County, California in 2011. They formed in early 2011 after guitarists Jonathan Gaytan and Tim Koch left their band, and found Bryce Beckley, who had also left his band, Evan Ranallo and Ma ...

Heathen __NOTOC__ Heathen or Heathens may refer to: Religion *Heathen, another name for a pagan *Heathen, an adherent of Heathenry Music *Band of Heathens, a North American rock and roll band *Heathen (band), a North American thrash metal band *The Hea ...

* Heaven and Hell ''(outside the US, Canada and Japan)'' * Hopesfall ''(excluding North America)'' * Horse the Band ''(Australia and Japan)'' * Ill Niño *

Immolation Immolation may refer to: *Death by burning *Self-immolation, the act of burning oneself *Immolation (band), a death metal band from Yonkers, New York *''The Immolation'', a 1977 novel by Goh Poh Seng *''Dance Dance Immolation'', an interactive per ...

* Inglorious ''(US and UK)'' * Jerry Cantrell *

Jonas Goldbaum Jonas may refer to: Geography * Jonas, Netherlands, Netherlands * Jonas, Pennsylvania, United States * Jonas Ridge, North Carolina, United States People with the name * Jonas (name), people with the given name or surname Jonas * Jonas, one of ...

''(Germany Only)'' * Junkie XL * Jupiter Coyote * Karma to Burn * The Karelia * Kenny Wayne Shepherd (via Loud & Proud) *

Khoma Khoma is a progressive and alternative metal musical group from Sweden (Umeå). Some of its members also play with Cult of Luna Cult of Luna is a Swedish heavy metal band from Umeå founded in 1998. They are known for post-metal music simil ...

Kids In Glass Houses Kids in Glass Houses are a Welsh rock band from Cardiff. The band's name was inspired by the lyrics "not throwing stones at you anymore" from the Glassjaw song "Tip Your Bartender". The band achieved success on the strength of the singles " Giv ...

* Killswitch Engage * King 810 * King Diamond * Kiss *

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream. Originally formed in 1993 ...

* Krypteria * Kvelertak *

Lamb of God Lamb of God ( el, Ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, Amnòs toû Theoû; la, Agnus Dei, ) is a title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God wh ...

''(excluding US and Canada)'' * Last Crack *

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk. Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Roc ...

(via Loud & Proud) *Liege Lord * Life of Agony * Lucidream *

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Ju ...

(via Loud & Proud) * Machine Head * Mad Max * Madball * Madina Lake * Make Them Suffer * Malevolent Creation * Marmozets * Mastodon ''(excluding US)'' *

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...

* Mercyful Fate *

Milk Teeth Deciduous teeth or primary teeth, also informally known as baby teeth, milk teeth, or temporary teeth,Illustrated Dental Embryology, Histology, and Anatomy, Bath-Balogh and Fehrenbach, Elsevier, 2011, page 255 are the first set of teeth in th ...

* The Misfits *

The Moon Seven Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

*More To Monroe * Murderdolls * Mutiny Within *

Non-Intentional Lifeform Non-Intentional Lifeform or simply N.I.L. were an Australian band formed in 1995 and signed to Roadrunner Records. They had a minor Australian hit with their single "Living or Existing?", which appeared in the popular Australian television serie ...

* Nailbomb *

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succe ...

* Nickelback ''(excluding Canada)'' * Negative ''(Europe)'' * Nights Like These *

Nightwish Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead singer Tarja Turunen. The band soon picked up drummer Jukka Neva ...

''(US)'' *

* Optimum Wound Profile *

Out Out may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 * ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander * ''Out'' (2002 film), a Japanese film ba ...

Out Came the Wolves Out may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 * ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander * ''Out'' (2002 film), a Japanese film ba ...

Outlaws An outlaw is a person living outside the law. Outlaws or The Outlaws may also refer to: Film and television Film * ''The Outlaws'' (1950 film), an Italian crime film * ''Outlaws'' (1985 film), a French film * ''The Outlaws'' (2017 film), a Sou ...

Pain Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, ...

''(Nordic Territories and Europe)'' *

Painting Over Picasso Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

* Paradox * The Parlor Mob * Patmos * Pestilence * Pe'z * Periphery * Porcupine Tree *Port Amoral * Possessed ''(Europe)'' * Powersurge * Queensrÿche (Loud & Proud) *Realm * Ratt (Loud & Proud) * Ratos de Porao * The Red Shore ''(Australia)'' *

Red Tape Red tape is an idiom referring to regulations or conformity to formal rules or standards which are claimed to be excessive, rigid or redundant, or to bureaucracy claimed to hinder or prevent action or decision-making. It is usually applied to g ...

Requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

''(UK)'' * Revoker *

Rob Zombie Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings; January 12, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and voice actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows have be ...

* Royal Republic * Royseven *

Rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...

(outside Canada) *

Sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exi ...

(Europe) * Sammy Hagar (via Loud & Proud) * Sanctity *

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

* Satyricon *

Scar the Martyr Scar the Martyr was an American heavy metal band, consisting of Joey Jordison, Kris Norris, Jed Simon, Kyle Konkiel, and Matthew Tarach. History The band was announced in April 2013 by drummer Joey Jordison, who was still playing with Slip ...

* Sepultura *

Seven Shades Bleeker, formerly known as Bleeker Ridge, are a Canadians, Canadian Rock music, rock band from Orillia, Ontario, consisting of Taylor Perkins, Cole Perkins, Mike Vandyk and Chris Dimas. History Bleeker Ridge was formed by two sets of brothers: T ...

Skin Chamber Skin Chamber was a short-lived industrial metal band formed by Controlled Bleeding members Paul Lemos and Chris Moriarty as a side project. The band issued two studio albums, ''Wound'' (1991) and ''Trial'' (1993), before disbanding after the re ...

* The Sheila Divine * Sinch * Shelter * Shihad * Shinedown *

Sons of Sadism A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...

* Soulfly *

Soziedad Alkoholika Soziedad Alkoholika (Alcoholic Society), commonly abbreviated to S.A., is a crossover thrash band from the Basque Country in Spain. They were founded in Vitoria-Gasteiz in 1988. Their lyrics tend to have a crude, direct and somewhat emotional a ...

''(Spain)'' *

Sparks Sparks may refer to: Places *Sparks, Georgia * Sparks, Kansas *Sparks, Kentucky *Sparks, Maryland * Sparks, Nebraska *Sparks, Nevada *Sparks, Oklahoma *Sparks, Texas * Sparks, Bell County, Texas * Sparks, West Virginia Books * ''Sparks'' (Raffi ...

* Spineshank *

Spoil Engine Spoil Engine is a four-piece metal band from Belgium, formed in 2004. The band plays a mix of melodic thrash metal and groove metal, influenced by bands such as Pantera, In Flames, Lamb of God and Soilwork. They have released one demo and three ...

Staind Staind ( ) is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, and dr ...

* Steadlür *The Step Kings * Stereoside * Steve Miller Band (via Loud & Proud) * Still Remains * The Stranglers ''(Germany)'' *

Storm Corrosion Storm Corrosion was a musical collaboration between Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metal band Opeth and Steven Wilson, an English solo artist and frontman of the progressive rock band Porcupine Tree. Åkerfeldt and Wilson began a long ...

* Streem (Floodmark) *

* Taking Dawn * Thor * Thornley * Throwdown ''(excluding US)'' * Times of Grace * Toxik * Treponem Pal * Twice The Sun * Type O Negative * VIMIC * Vision of Disorder * Vicious Rumors * Wednesday 13 *Westworld * We Are Harlot * Whiplash (band) *

The White Room ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

''(Australia)'' * Willard * Wild Throne * The Winery Dogs (via Loud & Proud; US) * Within Temptation * The Wombats ''(US)'' *

The Workhorse Movement The Workhorse Movement was an American alternative metal band from Mount Pleasant, Michigan. History The Workhorse Movement was formed in August 1994 by singer Myron (born Matt Kozuch-Rea), guitarist Freedom (Jeff Piper), bassist Jay Vondolos ...

Xentrix Xentrix () are an English thrash metal band from Preston, Lancashire. The band were formed in 1984 under the name Sweet Vengeance. They changed their name to Xentrix in 1988, and released four albums – '' Shattered Existence'' (1989), ''For ...

* Young the Giant

Criticism

Since the 1990s, Roadrunner Records has been criticised by several of its past alumni over its record contracts, business practices and management and promotion of its releases. Artists who have criticised Roadrunner include

, Slipknot,

, Chimaira, Vision of Disorder and Sepultura. Glassjaw members

Daryl Palumbo Daryl Palumbo (born February 10, 1979) is an American musician, originally from Bellmore, New York. He is the frontman of the bands Glassjaw, Head Automatica and Color Film. As a youth he was a member of the Long Island straight edge band ''Xbus ...

and

Justin Beck Justin Beck is an American musician and businessman. He is the guitarist and musical writer for Long Island, New York band Glassjaw. Beck, with a high school and college buddy, Lee Tepper, also co-founded a band merchandise company called MerchDi ...

continue to speak unfavourably of Roadrunner, years after the problems the band experienced with them. They openly advise people not to buy their first full-length so as not to give the label money, and have repeatedly told fans at shows to illegally download the record. Palumbo has said: "Roadrunner is a joke. Roadrunner's not even a real label. It has the power to be one of the superpowers in the heavy music industry. While labels like Victory Records, which is such a small hardcore label, is totally surpassing Roadrunner... It's like the scourge of the music industry. Beck has said: "Seriously, don't ever support anything from Roadrunner – they suck!" Palumbo has said that Roadrunner didn't put the band on enough tours: "We never toured half as much as we wanted to, I just wish we got to tour more in support of 'Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence''; and, "They are a miserable fuckin' corporation that does not bend for their bands, does not give their bands anything and they're just terrible businessmen....They had 2 cash cows, Slipknot and Nickelback, and every other project they had rode backseat to those bands, and then the second that the new Slipknot record came out and didn't go quadruple Platinum in the first few hours it was released they fuckin' turned their backs on Slipknot. That label just wants instant gratification where it sells its units and that's a joke. You can't run a major corporation with that as your business strategy"''.''

Soundtracks

* '' Faust: Love Of The Damned'' (2000–2001) * '' Ginger Snaps'' (2000–2001) * '' Resident Evil'' (2002) * ''

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...

'' (2002) * '' Freddy vs. Jason'' (2003) * '' Resident Evil: Apocalypse'' (2004)

References

External links

Main site gives you links to other international sites.

Official USA site

Official Canadian site

Official UK site

Roadrunner Records' official YouTube channel

Roadrunner Records' USA Twitter

Roadrunner US A&R team contact list
{{Authority control American record labels Heavy metal record labels Record labels established in 1980 Rock record labels Warner Music labels Atlantic Records IFPI members Labels distributed by Warner Music Group 1980 establishments in the Netherlands American companies established in 1980 1986 establishments in New York City