Century Media, one of the best-known independent heavy metal labels in the world, will be acquired for $17 million by Sony Music Entertainment, according to Music Business Worldwide. The company is apparently valued somewhere between $15 million and $20 million, and has more than 50 staff across the U.S. and Europe.

Founded by Robert Kampfi and Oliver Withöft in Dortmund, Germany in 1988, Century Media was instrumental in the careers of bands such as In This Moment, Lacuna Coil, Nevermore, Iced Earth, Moonspell, Shadows Fall, Suicide Silence and many more.

Oliver Withöft died last year aged 49 after a long period of illness.

Century's family also includes Magic Arts Publishing, Lonely Planet Publishing, Inside Out Music, Super Ball, Rock The Nation America and other merchandise and management subsidiaries. If Century is bought by Sony, it will be the biggest major label acquisition since UMG snapped up music movie and TV programme maker Eagle Rock in April last year.

The rumours of interest in Century emerge three months after BMG acquired its rival, fellow metal label Rise Records, in a multi-million dollar deal.

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Century Media Records began quite humbly when in 1988 the singer of German thrash/crossover band Despair opted to self-release his band's debut album. In hindsight the ironically titled History of Hate started a legacy that saw vocalist Robert Kampf give fellow scenesters and countrymen a vehicle to release their music to the then unsuspecting European population. While names like Liar, Crows, Poltergeist and Rumble Militia may have never become household these early efforts allowed the then fledgling Century Media to find its legs and begin working with other of the continent's leading underground acts. Most notably Holland's Asphyx, Germany's Morgoth and especially the Swedish triumvirate of Unleashed, Grave and Tiamat.

This success and identity went hand-in-hand with the label opening a US office and the signing of domestic acts like New York's Demolition Hammer and then Florida's Iced Earth. Century Media continued to staunchly support heavy music and diversified further but aside from the signing of the reformed Cro-Mags and the underrated Only Living Witness. Nonetheless, the label continued its firm belief and worked against the tides staunchly supporting metal and in its varied styles building the brand of "diversity in extremes" and securing relationships with cutting-edge acts like Nevermore, Eyehategod, Stuck Mojo, Strapping Young Lad alongside the development of Iced Earth on the US side while fostering a new sound and style overseas with the more gothic leaning metal signings of Moonspell and The Gathering. This European sound was already championed in large to the continuous progression of the aforementioned Tiamat, as well as Switzerland's Samael and Finland's Sentenced. These developing bands and new signings revolutionized the company and the metal scene overall. Century Media's insight also proved fortunate in making available burgeoning European bands to American audiences and CM was key in introducing and developing licensed acts like Mayhem, Emperor, Satyricon, Opeth, Marduk, Nightwish, Blind Guardian and Katatonia.

Source:

musicbusinessworldwide.com