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Legendary ROADRUNNER RECORDS A&R Man MONTE CONNER Exits Label

August 2, 2012

Roadrunner Records Senior VP A&R Monte Conner, who signed countless bands to the label over the years — including ANNIHILATOR, BIOHAZARD, COAL CHAMBER, DEICIDE, DEVILDRIVER, FEAR FACTORY, GOJIRA, LIFE OF AGONY, MACHINE HEAD, OBITUARY, RUSH, SEPULTURA, SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR, TRIVIUM and TYPE O NEGATIVE — has left the company after 25 years.

The label couldn't let him just slip quietly out the door, so he was visited in his office on his last day (Wednesday, August 1) by a special guest — Troy Norr, vocalist for the KING DIAMOND tribute act THEM. Check out video footage below.

Roadrunner's recent "restructuring" under parent label Warner Music Group resulted in roughly 36 staff members worldwide being let go and several regional offices being closed (including the office in the U.K.).

In the U.S., Roadrunner is continuing to operate as a standalone frontline label, although 16 staffers in the States have lost their jobs, according to Billboard.biz. In addition, Roadrunner Records founder/CEO Cees Wessels left the label 17 months after the completion of its sale to the Warner Music Group.

Initially founded in the Netherlands in 1980, Roadrunner Records 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 TRIVIUM and MACHINE HEAD.

Video below: Monte Conner accepting Inspiration award and speaking on behalf of Roadrunner Records at Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards in June 2012:

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