Beloved metal and rock label Century Media might be undergoing a bit of a change in upper-management soon. According to a report by Blabbermouth, the home of acts such as At The Gates, Napalm Death and Arch Enemy might be getting bought out by one of the three major labels in the game: Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group or Universal.
The report states Sony is the potential frontrunner in the situation. When to Blabbermouth reached out to Century Media founder Robert Kampf to talk about the ordeal, they got this:
"Kampf did not want to comment on ongoing negotiations, but he did confirm his interest in a major-label acquisition in order to give Century Media a stronger footing at a time of diminishing worldwide sales of sound recordings.
According to Kampf, Century Media had its strongest year in 2014, which explains the major labels' interest in acquiring a part ownership or total ownership in his company."
I think we're all hoping that being bought out doesn't mean a total rejiggering for the company, though I don't think that would make very much sense. Why buy a brand and then gut it and completely redo it? Then again, that's basically exactly what happened to Roadrunner Records (see also here and here).
It'll be interesting to see what happens if Sony buys the label. Maybe all this will mean is a little less control in the hands of Kampf and a lot more money? Though he did point out that the label had their strongest year to date in 2014, which goes against that theory. I would assume Century Media will be making a statement shortly.
