New York, NY — For three and a half decades, Skateboard Marketing has operated at the heart of hard rock, heavy metal, and heavy music culture, working across commercial, satellite, syndicated, and college radio to break new artists and support legacy acts, all with passion and precision. It’s a legacy
built on relationships, experience, and an unwavering commitment to the bands that define the genre.
Ten years ago in 2016, Skateboard Marketing launched Metal Contraband, a reporting and information platform that provides labels, managers, and artists with accurate visibility into metal radio performance through commercial, college, and syndication metrics, along with charts, news, street dates, add dates, and more. When CMJ discontinued publishing in 2017 there was a empty void with out a chart or metal section for labels and artists to gauge weekly airplay.
It went a step further with a full radio editorial section run by Chelsea Nelson-Fernandez along with a
complete tour dates, upcoming adds section as well as Q&A. All was created in conjunction with Beatrix Danko & Steve Walker at Radio Contraband. As a necessary media outlet Metal Contraband grew to become one of the industry's mainstay press outlets for radio.
Before launching Skateboard Marketing, heavy music fanatic Munsey Ricci built and ran the first dedicated metal radio department at PolyGram Records and its affiliates (Mercury Records, Polydor Records, RooArt, and London Records), working releases from KISS, Rush, The Scorpions, Doro Pesch, Yngwie Malmsteen, Mortal Sin, Onslaught, Tony MacAlpine, Vinny Moore, Company Of Wolves & L.A Guns.Prior to that, Ricci worked at Combat/In-Effect Records and CMJ Media, giving him a rare perspective from both the promotion and programming sides of the industry.
That background helped shape Skateboard Marketing into what Loudwire described as a driving engine behind the scenes of heavy music discovery. “If you’ve heard new and heavy music on the radio, there’s a fair chance that Skateboard Marketing pulled the strings to get that airplay, ignite fan bases, and break new bands.” Spending four years in college radio gave him the inner workings of radio and how things were shaped and evolve something from nothing. It's a necessary asset that every label executive need to be rounded on the shape of things to come.
Since 1991, Skateboard Marketing’s campaigns have supported an enormous spectrum of heavy music — from underground breakouts to globally recognized icons — across major and independent labels alike. The company has contributed to national radio strategies for a roster that includes Motörhead, Testament, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Dio, Overkill, Soulfly, Sepultura, Parkway Drive, Exodus, Death Angel, Soilwork, Iron Maiden & Ozzy Osbourne. They continue with the new breed of artists as Lorna Shore, Signs Of The Swarm, Jinjer, Tailgunner, and Urne carrying the torch.
As Ghost Cult Magazine wrote during Skateboard’s 30th-anniversary celebration, the company has become a “legendary rock and metal radio promo brand” and “an unsung but crucial part of how bands are heard, even in the streaming age.” Skateboard’s milestone anniversaries have historically doubled as celebrations for the broader heavy music community. The 35th anniversary will follow that tradition with special events and industry activations to be announced later this year. Skateboard Marketing remains focused on its mission: supporting artists, growing new fans, serving the culture, and keeping heavy music loud.
ABOUT SKATEBOARD MARKETING LTD.
Founded in 1991 by Munsey Ricci, Skateboard Marketing Ltd. is a New York–based radio promotion and artist development company specializing in hard rock and heavy metal. The company has executed national radio campaigns across commercial, satellite, syndicated, and college formats, representing both emerging artists and global legends throughout its 35-year history.
ABOUT METAL CONTRABAND
Metal Contraband is a dedicated reporting and analytics platform for heavy music, offering accurate radio charts, news, add dates, release schedules, and performance metrics for labels, managers, artists, and media becoming the mainstay go to for chart positions and metal news.
SKATEBOARD MARKETING ONLINE
www.skateboard-marketing.com
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METAL CONTRABAND ONLINE
metalcontraband.com
facebook.com/metalcontraband
instagram.com/metalcontraband
x.com/metalcontraband
