The rumors are false.

Supposedly, the Des Moines metal band SlipKnoT has signed with Roadrunner Records, but manager Sophia John adamantly suggests otherwise.

“It is true that they are negotiating with two major labels, but Roadrunner is not one of them,” John said.

John said signing with a major label is a long and involved process, which is why it is taking so long to find out SlipKnoT’s situation.

“The way it works is that they [the record company] send a ‘meat and potatoes’ contract to the band’s lawyer, who goes over it with the band, and then they submit it back to them,” John explained. “Then the next contract comes back. It’s usually anywhere from 30 to 300 pages.”

John said SlipKnoT is currently in the process of going over the longer contract with its lawyer.

“SlipKnoT is in good standing because its lawyer is also a consultant for bands like Pantera, Red Hot Chili Peppers and White Zombie,” John said.

John hopes everything will be in place by KKDM’s Dotfest 2 so the new label can be announced at the show.

She also commented that the band will be heading into the recording studio with producer Ross Robinson, who has worked with Korn, Limp Bizkit, the Deftones and Sepultura.

John’s role as SlipKnoT’s manager started because she believed in the music and the band needed someone to help.

“I saw a lot of pieces to the puzzle that make a band a good band,” John said. “They have good writing, solid shows, publicity in newspapers, and even now some airplay. What they’re doing is so unique, and there are a lot of signs that they’re ‘in.’

“I’m gonna do what’s best for the band,” she continued. “Our first goal was to make one million copies of its new album; now it’s three million. I want the whole thing for them; I want the dream.

“I want to see [SlipKnoT] on the cover of Rolling Stone, playing at Ozzfest and have its own record label,” John continued. “Then they can come back and grab the local bands that supported them.”

As for now, John believes the hardest factor SlipKnoT is up against is being a small band in Iowa.

“I think the local scene is going through what I hope is a phase,” she explained. “Here, if there is anybody trying to make it, it’s like someone else is holding them down. And that really prevents them from getting any better than they are.”

When John is not working to promote SlipKnoT, she has been on the promotional trail of other bands.

In her “spare time,” she has helped Sister Soleil sign a $1 million contract and get a top priority spot at Universal Records. She helped Swedish singer Louise Hoffston on her road to success and is also currently working with the Atomic Fireballs, another band slated for Dotfest 2.

But despite the imposing success she has had with SlipKnoT and these other bands, she doesn’t plan on promoting again.

“There are some details that people don’t realize. I’m learning along the way, and I never wanna do this again,” John said. “It’s really, really hard, and people don’t appreciate anything. Nobody understands how hard it is.”

One factor that makes John’s job difficult is that she is forced to watch talented bands that aren’t going anywhere. She is also disturbed by “piss poor” bands that think they are going to be signed easily.

Overall, John conveyed the music industry as hard to break into and make money in and offered advice to young bands.

“Getting signed is one thing, staying signed is the hard part,” she said. “What a band should try to do is give 100 percent to publicity. Where they get the money is through merchandise and publicity.”

Where new bands give the money is through paying back record deals.

“The only way they can pay back those labels is to tour on the road and sell those T-shirts,” John said. “The record companies will hold it against you if you don’t pay them back. Signing to a label is like owning a credit card. You have to pay it back.”

John also explained why CDs aren’t the moneymakers for a band.

“Let’s say I went out and bought the new Urge CD. They probably spent about $150,000 to $200,000 on it. I spend $15 for it, and the band only gets anywhere from 35 to 65 cents for it, if they’re lucky. It’s just crazy,” John said.

Currently, SlipKnoT is preparing to play at Emerging Artists and Talent in Music festival (EAT’M fest) soon. The festival features 150 emerging bands, chosen from over 700, playing on 15 stages lining the Las Vegas Strip.

“That show is the best thing for SlipKnoT because the producers for Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails will be there,” John said.