Roadrunner Names New GM, Lays Off Nine More Employees

Roadrunner has named Mike Easterlin as General Manager of the label in the wake of President Jonas Nachsin’s departure. The guy that is going to be overseeing Gojira’s records from now on was also recently named GM of Fueled by Ramen, the label that’s home to Paramore, fun., Panic! At the Disco, Cobra Starship and do I really need to continue listing these shitty bands because you get the point.

I mean, good for Easterlin… sweet gig! Not so good if you’re in a metal band signed to Roadrunner. Maybe he’ll decide to package “emerging talents” Stone Sour on a tour with “superstars” Slipknot: what a cool lineup that would be, great idea!

Easterlin has been a promotions guy at Roadrunner for the last five years, was at Lava/Atlantic prior, and before that worked in pop promotion at Virgin and Def Jam. What is a “promotions guy” you ask? These are the folks who call up radio stations and ask them to spin the latest Nickelsuck, Theory of a Deadsuck and Suckd tracks. Not “ask” so much as “grovel.” Supposedly payola doesn’t happen anymore, but it does… just in sneakier ways.

Numerous reports have also confirmed what we reported on Wednesday: nine more Roadrunner employees have been laid off, including one who has supported MetalSucks basically from day one.

So, yeah, that happened.