Century Media Records

Germany • DortmundFounded 1988

Century Media Records is a German-American heavy metal label founded in 1988 in Dortmund, Germany, now with offices in Dortmund, Berlin, and New York. It has been part of Sony Music since 2015, which provides worldwide distribution while allowing the label to retain creative control. Its roster includes Lorna Shore, Insomnium, Dark Funeral, The Pretty Reckless, Body Count, Arch Enemy, and Lacuna Coil.

Contact & HQ

Headquarters

Dortmund, Germany (offices in Berlin and New York)

Ownership & Distribution

Label Type

Major Imprint

Parent Company

Sony Music Entertainment

Distribution

Sony Music Entertainment

Additional Details

Genres

Death MetalBlack MetalGothic MetalHardcoreMetalcoreRock

Signing Process

Century Media runs its own A&R with Sony Music distribution. Unsolicited demos are not accepted. The label signs established and developing metal acts through A&R scouting and referrals. Since joining Sony in 2015, Century Media has retained its vision and creative control while gaining Sony's distribution muscle worldwide.

Demo Policy

No unsolicited demos. Submit through representation or build a strong touring and streaming profile first.

Notable Artists

Lorna Shore
Insomnium
Dark Funeral
The Pretty Reckless
Body Count
Arch Enemy

Sub-Labels / Imprints

Abacus RecordingsAnother CenturyInsideOut Music

Century Media Records is a German-American heavy metal label founded in 1988 in Dortmund, Germany, now with offices in Dortmund, Berlin, and New York. It has been part of Sony Music since 2015, which provides worldwide distribution while allowing the label to retain its vision and creative control. Century Media's roster includes Lorna Shore, Insomnium, Dark Funeral, The Pretty Reckless, Body Count, Arch Enemy, Lacuna Coil, Asphyx, Tiamat, and Moonspell. The label employs staff across its three offices.

Century Media built its reputation on death metal, black metal, gothic metal, and hardcore. Its 1990s signings (Asphyx, Tiamat, Moonspell, Arch Enemy, Nevermore) propelled the label in the extreme metal scene. The 2000s brought breakthrough stories with Lacuna Coil, In This Moment, and Shadows Fall. The modern roster includes Lorna Shore, whose viral success in the 2020s brought deathcore to new audiences, and The Pretty Reckless and Body Count, representing the label's expansion into rock and crossover metal. The label's slogan is "diversity in extremes."

How Century Media Operates

Century Media runs dedicated A&R from its Dortmund, Berlin, and New York offices. Since joining Sony Music in 2015, the label has gained Sony's worldwide distribution muscle while retaining creative control. This has been greatly beneficial to both parties, allowing the label and its artists to achieve record results. The label's strength is its long-standing ability to establish and break new artists on a global level while solidifying its base of established bands.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you make death metal, black metal, gothic metal, metalcore, or crossover metal, Century Media is one of the most established metal labels with major-label distribution. Its Sony partnership gives it global reach while its metal-specialist A&R maintains genre credibility. Its track record of breaking Lorna Shore in the 2020s shows it can develop new metal acts in the streaming era.

Drawbacks and Things to Consider

Master ownership: Century Media (via Sony) owns your masters under a standard deal.
Genre focus: Century Media signs extreme metal and its subgenres. Artists outside metal should look elsewhere.
No unsolicited demos: Century Media does not accept cold submissions.
Sony integration: While the label retains creative control, it is now part of Sony, which affects deal structures.