BlogMarch 20, 2014 10:52 AM ET

Fear Factory frontman calls out Roadrunner Records

In a new interview with Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles, Fear Factory frontman Burton C. Bell had some harsh words for the band's former label, Roadrunner Records. You can read the relevant excerpts below.

"I still get royalties. It comes in, but it depends how much we work, how much we tour. If we tour a lot I see better royalties, if we don't then I don't. I have no idea when we'll get the rights back, because that Roadrunner contract is bullshit. I literally signed a deal with a Dutch devil [presumbly Roadrunner founder Cees Wessels]. But when you're young, you don't care. You're 23 years-old and 'we're going to give you an advance to make your first record, we're gonna put you on tour, sell your shirts in all the stores. You are gonna to be famous!''Alright, make it happen!' My fucking lawyer too … he gets paid to be a fucking asshole, and I know his name. Fuck him. He's still around to, but I want to kick him in his nuts."

...

"I can't even imagine being a brand-new band starting off these days. I'm very fortunate in that respect. We have a resume, and we started when there was a music industry. It was right before the decline of the industry, we were there. They were still putting money in records, they were still putting money into videos, tours. We were right there before the end. And we saw that decline. We asked Roadrunner 'what's going on?''You're not selling any records.' 'That's not my fault, that's your fault.' 'How is that my fault?' 'You didn't put out the right record.' 'Did everybody not put out the right record?' It was so easy for the label to blame the artist, when it really was the label's fault. It was every label. I just say Roadrunner because that was what label we were on."


[thanks, ThePRP]

10 comments

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anonymous 3/20/2014 8:21:48 AM

I guess its kind of refreshing to hear an artist blame someone other than the fans for the decline in their career. ??

anonymous 3/20/2014 10:31:54 AM

I don't really understand the thrust of his arguement. Surely if he read the contract before he signed it he'd have realised he was getting a shitty deal. He can'tblame the label for his own stupidity. And is his gripe with Roadrunner or the music industry as a whole? Maybe if his band didn't suck he wouldn't be broke

Rob_Fusco 3/20/2014 10:44:17 AM

Sounds like he needs new legal representation.

anonymous 3/20/2014 11:42:29 AM

TL;DR I was too naive to read through my contract, therefore my lawyer is an jerk. I don't make any money unless I work hard This is Roadrunner's fault

anonymous 3/20/2014 1:00:59 PM

Soul of A New Contact

chicken_gang_bang 3/20/2014 4:01:07 PM

Which terrible roadrunner band will cry about the music industry next? To be continued...

carveyournamein 3/21/2014 4:57:14 AM

Who?

anonymous 3/21/2014 5:42:47 AM

Hey Burton C. Bellend, your band stop being relevant about 20 years ago bra!

anonymous 3/21/2014 6:57:44 AM

You spelled brah wrong you fcking sow. Apparently literature was so 20 years ago for you.

anonymous 3/22/2014 7:43:03 PM

Another washed up homosexual, who blames everyone but himself on his career going to shit. FF and Machine Head should die in a massive van flip together.