The fine people in the Roadrunner new media department unearthed some awesome label footage from about 20 years ago. Watching these two clips makes you realize what a difference 20 years makes. A&R rep Monte Conner is featured prominently in both clips, talking about all the death metal bands the label signed at the time, almost all of which are no longer with the label. Of course, the label has seen much success since this was taped, as this is way before Slipknot and Nickelback basically secured the finances of much of the label's top brass. These videos are a highly recommended viewing:
The first video is a local New York news report on the rise of the death metal scene, featuring interviews with fans at shows, the editor Metal Maniacs magazine, and Monte Connor, featuring some awesome old school footage of Suffocation, Sepultura, and Immolation. My favorite part is the fake conversation Connor has on the phone about Deicide.
Of note: Roadrunner started as a European label that would license US releases there, eventually branching out to signing and releasing material in the US. They initially had some copyright issues using the "Roadrunner" name, thanks to the cartoon character, so they went by Roadracer Records until that was squared away.
This second report was from a 1993 episode of the European edition of MTV's Headbangers Ball, featuring a nearly 15 minute report on the label, and many of it's acts. It's fascinating to see how Conner talks about the future of some of these bands in comparison to how it turned out for all of them.
Kudos to Roadrunner for posting these videos.
