The iconic rock band Deftones reportedly sold their catalog to Warner Music Group. The amount their catalog has been sold for was not disclosed, but Billboard claims that they were seeking a “mid- to high-double-digit multiple” in exchange for the rights to a portion of their catalog. The sale reportedly includes master-recording royalties, co-publishing interests and writer’s royalties. Interestingly, due to Defones’ existing relationship with Warner, the label actually already owned the band’s masters, along with their publishing, which also remained in-house with Warner Chappell.
Billboard elaborated on the deal by explaining “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. While publishing deals usually carry a higher multiple than master-recording royalties, that gap has been narrowing in recent years. Today, music assets generally trade — depending on the catalog’s heritage and the rights involved — in a 12- to 18-times-multiple range, though superstar artists and songwriters have been known to achieve above 20-times multiples.”
According to Metal Injection, the deal was closed within the last two years, but the exact timing was not revealed. Although it’s not specified who, Billboard explains that one member of the band decided to keep their share of both publishing and master-recording royalties.
The sales follow Deftones’ resurgence from their virality with younger generations on social media apps, such as TikTok. Their revival amongst the newer generations of music lovers has led the band to be able to headline arenas and have their back catalog chart. For example, Around The Fur climbed to number 3 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Album chart in December of 2025. Metal Injection goes on to report that they recently had multiple songs become certified gold and platinum with the RIAA. The band is also set to headline Sick New World, along with sets at Lollapalooza Argentina, Brazil and Chile this year, which has drummed up a lot of excitement and anticipation.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
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