Billboard, citing unnamed sources familiar with the negotiations, reports that the package sold to Warner includes Deftones’ master‑recording royalties, co‑publishing interests and writers’ royalties, effectively transferring a significant share of the band’s future income from both recordings and songwriting. Warner Music Group already owns their master recordings and the band’s publishing has often been overseen by major music publisher Warner Chappell, making this an extension of an existing relationship rather than a new partnership.

One member is said to have retained his portion of publishing and master‑royalty income, while the remaining members opted to sell, though none of the musicians or their management have commented publicly on the arrangement.

Analysts quoted in the reporting suggest Warner paid a “mid‑ to high‑double‑digit multiple” of the catalogue’s annual net income, a ballpark that could place the deal’s value in the tens of millions of dollars depending on when it was signed. Such multiples have become increasingly common in high‑profile rock and pop catalogue transactions, reflecting confidence that classic albums will continue to generate steady revenue for decades.

Deftones royalties and publishing have become increasingly attractive. This is in part due to a recent listening surge that has been driven less by the band’s recent albums, such as 2020’s Ohms and 2025’s Private Music. There has also been renewed appetite for older releases like 1997’s Around the Fur, 2000’s White Pony and 2010’s Diamond Eyes, which have posted substantial year‑on‑year gains in both physical sales and streaming. Retailers and label executives point to a broader resurgence of heavy music among younger listeners, amplified by TikTok trends, festival slots and headline tours, as key factors in introducing Deftones’ catalogue to a new generation.

For fans, the sale is unlikely to change how they listen day‑to‑day, with Deftones’ songs expected to remain available across major streaming platforms and physical formats under the Warner umbrella. Behind the scenes, however, Warner will now exert greater control over licensing and administration of the band’s compositions, potentially opening the door to more prominent marketing campaigns, soundtrack placements and brand partnerships as the company looks to maximise its investment in one of heavy music’s most durable catalogues.

The management company is home to well-known names including Ellie Goulding, Lana Del Ray, Noah Cyrus and London Grammar. Since being managed by the company, the singer gave up ownership of her material, only gaining royalties from her music. This essentially meant the label owned the copyright to the artists’ music.

The English-Albanian artist was signed to TaP for just under 10 years, signing to the company in 2013 although the relationship ended suddenly, just nine days into Dua’s February 2022 tour.

It has been revealed the firm has now sold back the catalogue, one year after she left the company. Co-president of TaP Music, Anna Neville gave her best wishes to the singer saying “We wish Dua all the best for the future. This is an exciting time for our publishing company – we are expanding our services and teams globally and continue to add talented writers and artists to our already stellar roster.”

Brian Message, the manager for Radiohead is in favour of artists owning their copyrights and licensing them. He mentioned “A partnership between a financial investor/service provider with the creator shouldn’t mean that the creator has to sell their rights forever,” he continued “For me, that’s unbalanced.”Allegedly this issue continues as long as artists are releasing with labels and selling their songs to publishing.

Dua Lipa has a huge collection of hits including ‘Levitating’, ‘Don’t Start Now’ and ‘Dance The Night’ which featured in the most talked about film of 2023 – ‘Barbie’ and was overseen by producer Mark Ronson. She has also collaborated on songs with numerous big stars such as ‘Cold Heart’, which was released in 2022 with Elton John and remixed by PNAU. It became the 33rd Top 10 song of John’s career and his first No. 1 in 16 years. When asked about the song, Elton named Dua as the star of the show stating “A lot of it is, of course, due to Dua Lipa’s popularity and the brilliant PNAU remix, but I feel very, very content and happy that I’m relevant,”

Now managed by her father, Dukagjin Lipa, the artist is set to make waves with her first release since ‘Dance The Night’. The upcoming single ‘Houdini’ is out on November 9th. She also is set to star in the upcoming film ‘Argylle’ directed by Matthew Vaughan. Her next album will debut in 2024.

Speaking with The Wall Street Journal, President Bob Valentine spoke on Concord’s plans with their newly acquired rights. He states how they plan to distribute the music through avenues that capture the younger generation’s attention. Valentine continues, “In the world we live in today with Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, all these things that drive consumption of older music… there are definitely ways for us as a record company to bring some of this music back to life,”

Included within the deal are a collection of Genesis’ biggest tracks; music included in the agreement are “Follow You, Follow Me“, “Land Of Confusion“, “Invisible Touch“, “In Too Deep“, and “That’s All“. Those affected by the new deal are Genesis’s current bandmembers, Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks; incorporated within the agreement is music recorded by the band Genesis and work from the musicians’ solo careers.

Music from Collins’ highly successful solo career is also part of the deal, the deal incorporates such hits as “Against All Odds“, “You’ll Be In My Heart“, and the beloved song “In the Air Tonight“. Many of Collins’ hits include covers of previously released songs; the deal with Concorde includes covers like the drummer’s version of The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love” and the 1988 release of Diane & Annita’s “A Groovy Kind Of Love“.

Also included within the new acquisition is music from Rutherford’s music created with Mike And The Mechanics. The co-founder of Genesis formed Mike And The Mechanics in 1985 as a side project whilst on break from Genesis, the band’s biggest hits include “The Living Years” and “Over My Shoulder“. Those who the deal will not affect include former Genesis band members, most notably Peter Gabriel. Concorde has not acquired the rights to his music; this includes his work created as a solo artist and music created by Gabriel during his time in Genesis.

Based in California, Concord is a global music company that specialises within the music industry’s publishing and recording arm. The company itself had been running since its official formation in 2004; its predecessor was Concord Records which was formed in 1973 and found its origins within the Jazz music genre. The long-standing company distributes worldwide through conglobate Universal Music Group, a partnership which has proved profitable. Concord Music Group Inc is also known for its roster of record labels; those associated with the company include Fearless Records, Rounder Records, Sugar Hill Records, Stax Records, Fantasy Records, Kidz Bop and Victory Records.

The acquisition now covers all 26 of Bowie’s studio albums, including the posthumous album Toy (released only a few months ago), 2 Tin Machine albums, and whatever portion of royalties was agreed to go to Bowie on any collaborations; such as his 1981 outing with Queen; “Under Pressure”. Back in September, it was revealed that WMC had filed a deal to acquire the rights for all his music from 2000-2016. But now the deal has progressed to include everything from 1968-2000 as well. All in all, the deal covers hundreds of songs both labelled as David Bowie songs or any side projects he undertook from 1968 up to his death in 2016. This leaves a small cache of recordings that WMC don’t actually own the rights to, Bowie’s self-titled debut for example.

Chief executive of WMC, Guy Moot, had this to say about the deal, “These are not only extraordinary songs but milestones that have changed the course of modern music forever” adding, “We are looking forward to tending his unparalleled body of songs with passion and care as we strive to build on the legacy of this most extraordinary human being.”

While Bowie is the most recent to have his publishing rights handed away, it may not all be as bad as it immediately seems for the older artists that seem to have hopped on the idea. Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and various members of Fleetwood Mac have all handed over their rights for lump sums in the hundreds of millions. This may be down to the dwindling ability to tour, they’re hardly making the millions they did back in the day through streaming, so $300 Million to an 80-year-old Bob Dylan… I understand the appeal.

Maybe the acquisition of these timeless classics to cash-grabbing billion-dollar corporations might end up with your favourite old classic being used in ways that may not necessarily agree with an artist you love. But the good news is, your favourite artist clearly doesn’t care.