Sony have bought German hard rock and heavy metal label Century Media, it’s been reported.
Full terms of the deal have still to be made public, but Billboard say the industry giant paid in the region of $20million for the firm – home to artists including Paradise Lost, Periphery, Queensryche, At The Gates, Fozzy, EyeHateGod and Lacuna Coil.
Century Media owner Robert Kampf will become CEO of the Century group and their output will continue to be distributed by RED in the US. Sony will handle international distribution while the German firm will now become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment.
The company was formed by Kampf and Oliver Withoft, who died last year aged 49 following a long period of illness.
Kampf says in a statement: “The company I founded over 25 years ago is moving into its strongest chapter yet with the best music company in the world, Sony Music.” He adds that the deal would help the company grow as “a dominant force in rock, prog, alternative and metal.”
Metal Sucks reported in March that Kampf was in talks to sell the label to a major.