Inside Out Music

Inside Out Music is a German record label focused on progressive rock, progressive metal, and related forms of technically ambitious, concept-driven, and experimental music. Founded in 1993 by Thomas Waber and Michael Schmitz, the label was originally based in Kleve, North Rhine-Westphalia. It developed during a period when progressive music was rebuilding a dedicated audience through specialist labels, international fan communities, touring networks, and the reissue of influential catalogue albums. The label established its early profile through releases by artists including Symphony X, Spock's Beard, and Enchant. Its roster subsequently expanded across several generations of progressive music, encompassing established groups, emerging bands, solo projects, and collaborations. Acts associated with the label have included The Flower Kings, Frost*, Fates Warning, Steve Hackett, Transatlantic, Ayreon, King's X, Neal Morse, Devin Townsend, Riverside, Leprous, Haken, Pain of Salvation, Caligula's Horse, Between the Buried and Me, Pure Reason Revolution, Dream Theater, Kansas, Yes, Trevor Rabin, and Jethro Tull. The catalogue also includes side projects connected with artists such as James LaBrie and Mike Portnoy, including Transatlantic, Liquid Tension Experiment, and Sons of Apollo. In its early years, Inside Out Music relied on a worldwide distribution agreement with the German music company SPV, signed in 1993. SPV's bankruptcy filing in 2009 prompted a change in the label's distribution and corporate relationships. Inside Out Music then partnered with Century Media Records, which had secured worldwide distribution through EMI. The partnership also involved a move of the label's operating base from Kleve to Dortmund. This arrangement placed Inside Out within a larger international infrastructure while preserving its specialist identity. In August 2016, Century Media Records and Inside Out Music were acquired by Sony Music Entertainment. Their operations were subsequently moved to Berlin. Under Sony ownership, Inside Out continued to function as a specialist imprint serving progressive and adjacent heavy-music audiences, with access to the resources of a major music company while maintaining a genre-led artist and catalogue strategy. The label has also operated related imprints and catalogue initiatives. SuperballMusic was established in 2007 as a second imprint and was associated with artists such as ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Oceansize, and Dredg. Revisited Records, associated with the Inside Out operation, specializes in reissues by Krautrock and electronic pioneers, including Amon Düül II, Klaus Schulze, and Kraan. These activities broaden the brand beyond contemporary progressive releases into archival, reissue, and historically significant experimental music. Inside Out Music's market position is built on depth of expertise rather than mass-market breadth. Its releases typically appeal to listeners interested in extended compositions, musicianship, concept albums, progressive arrangements, crossover between metal and rock, and the preservation of important genre catalogues. The label remains active as part of Sony Music's international recorded-music portfolio, although specific current executive assignments, financial data, and a current official website are not established by the supplied reference material.

Inside Out Music was established in 1993 by Thomas Waber and Michael Schmitz in Kleve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The label entered the market as a specialist home for progressive rock and adjacent styles at a time when such music was increasingly served by independent labels and international distribution partnerships rather than by a single dominant mainstream channel. Its founding concept was to provide a dedicated platform for complex, album-oriented music with strong musician and fan communities. The label's initial catalogue included releases by Symphony X, Spock's Beard, and Enchant. These early associations helped define its focus on progressive composition, virtuoso musicianship, and bands whose work often extended beyond conventional rock structures. Over time, Inside Out expanded its roster to include The Flower Kings, Frost*, Fates Warning, Steve Hackett, Transatlantic, Ayreon, King's X, Neal Morse, and Devin Townsend. The label also issued solo and side-project material connected to major progressive artists, including James LaBrie's solo recordings and projects involving Mike Portnoy such as Transatlantic, Liquid Tension Experiment, and Sons of Apollo. In 1993, Inside Out Music signed a worldwide distribution contract with SPV, a German music company. This arrangement supported the label's international reach during its formative years. SPV later filed for bankruptcy in 2009, creating a significant distribution and organizational transition. Inside Out responded by partnering with Century Media Records. Century Media had secured a worldwide distribution agreement with EMI, giving Inside Out access to a new international distribution structure. As part of this development, the label's base of operations moved from Kleve to Dortmund, also in North Rhine-Westphalia. Inside Out's roster subsequently covered both established figures and newer progressive acts. The label became associated with contemporary groups including Riverside, Leprous, Haken, Pain of Salvation, Caligula's Horse, Between the Buried and Me, and Pure Reason Revolution. It also released music by major names such as Dream Theater, Kansas, Yes, Trevor Rabin, and Jethro Tull. This combination of heritage artists, modern progressive bands, and artist-led side projects became central to the label's identity. The business broadened further through the creation of SuperballMusic in 2007. The imprint was used for artists that extended beyond a narrow traditional definition of progressive rock, including ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Oceansize, and Dredg. Inside Out's broader catalogue activities also included Revisited Records, an imprint or label operation dedicated to selected reissues by Krautrock and electronic pioneers. Its associated artists include Amon Düül II, Klaus Schulze, and Kraan, linking the company to historically important German and European experimental music. In 2013, founder Thomas Waber received the Guiding Light award at the Progressive Music Awards. The recognition reflected his role in developing a sustained commercial and cultural infrastructure for progressive music. A major ownership transition occurred in August 2016, when Sony Music Entertainment acquired Century Media Records and Inside Out Music. Following the acquisition, operations moved to Berlin. The transaction placed Inside Out within a global major-label group while retaining its specialist genre orientation. Later roster references include artists such as Devin Townsend, Riverside, Leprous, Haken, Pure Reason Revolution, Crown Lands, Royal Sorrow, Lunatic Soul, OU, Benthos, Asymmetric Universe, Avkrvst, Jakub Zytecki, Holosoil, Sometime In February, and the project BEAT. The supplied reference material does not establish a complete current roster or detailed present-day management structure, but it identifies the label as an active Sony Music-associated imprint dedicated to progressive and related music.

• 2016

  Sony Music acquisition

  [1]Inside Out Musicen.wikipedia.org

  Sony Music Entertainment acquires Century Media Records and Inside Out Music; operations later move to Berlin.

• 2013

  Founder receives Progressive Music Awards recognition

  [1]Inside Out Musicen.wikipedia.org

  Thomas Waber receives the Guiding Light award at the Progressive Music Awards.

• 2009

  Distribution transition and move to Dortmund

  [1]Inside Out Musicen.wikipedia.org

  After SPV files for bankruptcy, Inside Out partners with Century Media Records and moves its operating base to Dortmund.

• 2007

  SuperballMusic imprint is established

  [1]Inside Out Musicen.wikipedia.org

  Inside Out establishes SuperballMusic as a second imprint for artists including Trail of Dead, Oceansize, and Dredg.

• 1993

  Inside Out Music is founded

  [1]Inside Out Musicen.wikipedia.org

  Thomas Waber and Michael Schmitz establish the label in Kleve, North Rhine-Westphalia, with a focus on progressive rock and related music.

• 1993

  Worldwide distribution agreement with SPV

  [1]Inside Out Musicen.wikipedia.org

  The label enters a worldwide distribution arrangement with German music company SPV.

A specialist international label for progressive rock, progressive metal, experimental rock, and historically important related music, combining genre expertise with the distribution and corporate resources of Sony Music Entertainment.

• Recorded music · 1993

  Progressive rock releases

  Inside Out Music's core catalogue consists of album-oriented progressive rock, including music built around extended forms, changing meters, elaborate arrangements, concept narratives, and instrumental virtuosity. The label has worked with both foundational or established artists and newer acts, giving it a catalogue that spans multiple generations of progressive music.

• Recorded music · 1993

  Progressive metal releases

  The label releases progressive metal and heavy progressive music that combines metal instrumentation and intensity with complex structures, long-form songwriting, and technically demanding performances. Its associated artists include acts from the international progressive-metal and modern heavy-music scenes.

• Recorded music

  Artist side projects

  Inside Out has supported side projects and solo work connected with prominent progressive musicians. Examples identified in the reference material include James LaBrie's solo albums and Mike Portnoy-related projects such as Transatlantic, Liquid Tension Experiment, and Sons of Apollo. These releases extend the label's role beyond primary band catalogues.

• Imprint · 2007

  SuperballMusic

  Created in 2007, SuperballMusic is a related imprint associated with alternative, progressive, and experimental rock acts. Its identified artists include ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Oceansize, and Dredg.

• Catalogue reissues

  Revisited Records reissues

  Revisited Records specializes in selected reissues by Krautrock and electronic pioneers. The reference material identifies Amon Düül II, Klaus Schulze, and Kraan among the associated artists, connecting the operation with the preservation and renewed distribution of historically significant experimental recordings.

• 2016

  Join Sony Music Entertainment through acquisitionM&A

  Background

  Inside Out Music had operated in partnership with Century Media Records since 2009.

  Action taken

  Sony Music Entertainment acquired Century Media Records and Inside Out Music in August 2016, after which operations moved to Berlin.

  Aftermath

  Inside Out became part of a major international music group while continuing its specialist focus on progressive and related music.

  Source

• 2009

  Replace SPV distribution relationship with a Century Media partnershipStrategy

  Background

  SPV filed for bankruptcy, disrupting the distribution arrangement that Inside Out Music had used since 1993.

  Action taken

  Inside Out partnered with Century Media Records, which had secured worldwide distribution through EMI, and moved its base of operations to Dortmund.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement connected the specialist label to a broader international distribution network and preceded its later integration into Sony Music Entertainment.

  Source

1. 1Inside Out Musicen.wikipedia.org