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Artery Recordings Sold to Warner Music Group

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Readers of MetalSucks will probably give a collective shrug to the news that Artery Recordings — the label that launched the careers of Attila, Chelsea Grin and countless other swoopy-haired bands with good cop / bad cop vocals 10 years after that style was cool — has been sold to Warner Music Group.

Still, I find it newsworthy. The label only launched in 2010 and was able to turn itself into a dominant force in a certain segment of the heavy music world in a very short amount of time. That one of the three biggest record labels in the world saw enough value in heavy music to acquire a label flat out must say something about our scene. What, exactly, I’m not sure.

Alt Press confirmed the report after Jonny Craig of Slaves, a band currently on the label, hinted at it in an Instagram post. The entire staff of Artery has been let go, which calls into question what Warner’s plans are for the label (my guess: sit and earn passive revenue on the catalog while upstreaming its biggest current artists to Warner). Former president Shan Dan Horan explained:

“To address the rumors, yes, Artery has sold to Warner. I can’t disclose too much about the deal, but building up this company to a million record sales in just five years is a tremendous accomplishment for the fans, our artists and the team. I’m humbled and appreciate each and every band I’ve ever had the honor of developing at Artery Recordings. As we hand over the keys to Warner, I’m not quite sure their plans for the label or catalog, but I hope they keep the legacy alive. With new Slaves and Capture albums on the horizon, I’m sure the fans will be ecstatic. “

Jacob Harmond of Chelsea Grin, who released three albums on the label but have since moved on to Rise Records, was none too stoked about the news:

We’ll keep you updated.

[via The PRP]

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