The Deftones have reportedly signed away a majority stake of their music catalog to Warner Music Group. This reportedly happened sometime in the past two years. Not all the members of the band are said to have been on board.
Metal Injection reports that a source told Billboard the Sacramento, California band sought a “mid- to high-double-digit multiple” for the rights to some of their biggest tracks. Ultimately, WMG closed the deal.
“That multiple refers to how many times net label share and net publisher’s share (a.k.a. gross profit) can be divided into the valuation price,” Billboard explained. “While publishing deals usually carry a higher multiple than master-recording royalties, that gap has been narrowing in recent years.”
One member of the Deftones is said to have retained their publishing and master-recording royalties
“Today, music assets generally trade—depending on the catalog’s heritage and the rights involved—in a 12- to 18-times-multiple range,” Billboard added, “though superstar artists and songwriters have been known to achieve above 20-times multiples.”
According to Billboard, the Deftones’ catalog sale includes master-recording royalties, co-publishing interests, and writers’ royalties. The band has had a long-time partnership with Warner, and the label already owns their master recordings. Additionally, the band’s publishing is held by Warner Chappell, an in-house department.
No specific timeframe was provided for the sale. It’s reported that, while the majority of the band opted to sell, one Deftones member chose not to sell their publishing or master-recording royalties.
Slipknot also sold a majority stake of their music catalog recently
The Deftones are far from the first band or artists to go this route. In fact, in November 2025, it was reported that fellow nu-metal pioneers Slipknot sold a majority stake in their music catalogue.
According to reports, the masked band finalized a deal with HarbourView Equity Partners over publishing and royalty rights. “After 25 years of taking on the music business, we find ourselves with a partner that is willing to sign onto continuing what Slipknot started,” Slipknot percussionist Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan said in a statement. “Only they want to go even bigger. Get ready. Hail The Knot.”
Neither Slipknot nor HarbourView Equity Partners has disclosed the amount of the deal. It was previously reported, though, that the band’s catalogue was worth about $120 million.
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