Deftones recently sold most of their music rights to Warner Music Group in a deal that wrapped up in the last two years. This sale included master-recording royalties, co-publishing stakes, and writer royalties. Before this deal, Warner Music Group already owned the band’s master recordings, while Warner Chappell managed the co-publishing rights. One band member decided to keep his publishing stake and will continue to earn master-recording royalties.
While the exact price of the transaction hasn’t been revealed, estimates suggest it could be between $41 million and $75 million, depending on various factors. Sources say the band aimed for a “mid- to high-double-digit multiple” for their rights. Typically, music assets trade at a multiple of 12 to 18 times their earnings, with top artists sometimes getting over 20 times.
Deftones have seen a surge in popularity from 2023 to 2025, growing about three times faster than in the previous three years. Their albums from before 2016, especially “Around the Fur” (1997) and “White Pony” (2000), have gained significant attention. Billboard estimates that their catalog earned around $18 million per year during this period. With a 25% royalty rate split among the five members, that means about $3.6 million per year for the four selling members.
The band’s back catalog has also found new life on TikTok, attracting a younger audience and boosting their status to arena headliners. Last July, several of their albums received platinum and gold certifications in the U.S. In December, “Around The Fur” even climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart. Frontman Chino Moreno expressed excitement in August 2025, saying, “We literally are bigger than we’ve ever been in our almost 30-year existence.”
