- Century Media Records
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Century Media Records 
Founded 1988 Distributor(s) Caroline Distribution (US) Genre Rock, punk rock, heavy metal, extreme metal Country of origin 
GermanyLocation Dortmund (Germany) (Headquarter), Hawthorne, California Official Website www.centurymedia.com Century Media Records is an Independent record label with offices in the United States, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom.
Contents
Background
Century Media was founded by Robert Kampf in Dortmund, Germany in 1988 and has gone on to launch the careers of bands such as Divine Heresy, Eyehategod, Nevermore, Moonspell, Diecast, Suicide Silence, Winds of Plague, Iced Earth, God Forbid, Lacuna Coil, In This Moment, Warbringer, and Shadows Fall. The label specializes in many different styles of heavy metal music.[1] A number of artists listed are licensed to Century Media for the American market from labels mostly based in Europe. Century Media is also home to legendary acts such as Napalm Death, Celtic Frost, and Trouble. From 1995 to 2007, Marco Barbieri was the label's president.
The label’s most popular band is Lacuna Coil. Shadows Fall experienced its greatest success during its time with the label. Iconic hardcore punk band Sick of It All also resides in the Century Media family. Lacuna Coil’s 2002 album, Comalies, became Century Media’s first act to crack the Billboard 200 album chart, peaking at #178 two years after its release. Their fourth album, Karmacode, improved on that achievement, having sold over 490,000 copies since its release, and peaking at #28 on the US Billboard Album Chart. It hit number one on the Top Independent Albums Chart. Shadows Fall’s 2004 album, The War Within, set a new milestone for the label with a Top 20 debut on the Billboard 200 and also debuted at number one on the Independent Albums chart, having sold over 300,000 copies since its release. Other notable artists on the label that have also made appearances on the Billboard 200 include In This Moment, Arch Enemy, Stuck Mojo, Nightrage, Behemoth, Strapping Young Lad, Suicide Silence and God Forbid. The Finnish band Sentenced were awarded on August 14, 2008 for their platinum Buried Alive DVD labelled by Century Media. In April 2009, the label announced that they were extending their existing distribution deal with EMI, who had been distributing their releases in the United States since 1997, and in Europe since 2005, to include Australasia.[2]
Century Black
During the mid to late 1990s, Century Media had a label off-shoot called Century Black, which served to be the "Miramax Films" of black metal, releasing or re-releasing hard-to-find black metal albums that normally would be near impossible to find in America (usually released under smaller labels such as Malicious Records or Candlelight Records). By 2000, the plug was pulled on Century Black, seeing as more than a few bands under that label either moved on to other labels, changed their musical direction, or became part of the actual "Century Family".
Abacus Records
Abacus Records was an imprint of Century Media created in 2002, signing mostly metalcore bands. On July 24, 2007, it was reported that Abacus Records had shut down.[3]
See also
- List of record labels
- Century Media Records artists
- Abacus Recording artists
- List of Century Black Albums
References
- ^ CMR Statement (Accessed July 15, 2007)
- ^ "CENTURY MEDIA Extends EMI Deal Down Under". idiomag. 2009-04-23. http://www.idiomag.com/peek/77702/europe. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
- ^ Abacus Records Shots Down: News @ lambgoat.com
External links
Categories:- American independent record labels
- Heavy metal record labels
- Rock record labels
- Record labels established in 1988
- Black metal record labels
- Death metal record labels
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