Warner Music Buys Indie Roadrunner

Warner Music
Group will acquire 73.5% of Roadrunner Music Group which
includes Roadrunner Records, one of the leading hard rock and heavy metal
labels for $73.5 million.

In the US, Roadrunner will become a freestanding label group
within WMG’s Atlantic Records.  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.

The company has enjoyed strong momentum over the past several years. The label’s multi-Platinum, Grammy-nominated
artist, Nickelback, has the No. 1 Hard Music album for 2005
and year-to-date 2006 in the U.S. Roadrunner’s roster also includes multi-Platinum
Slipknot, Stone Sour, Killswitch Engage,
Theory of a Deadman, Megadeth, Black Label Society and Trivium.