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Red Hot Chili Peppers Sell Masters to Warner Music Group in $300 Million-Plus Deal

The investor-backed purchase through WMG’s Bain Capital venture highlights how the band’s master rights now move separately from its publishing rights.

Overview

  • Warner Music Group bought the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ entire recorded catalog, spanning 13 studio albums, for more than $300 million.
  • The purchase was financed through WMG’s joint venture with Bain Capital, which WMG says has deployed about $650 million on acquisitions to date.
  • The catalog reportedly generates roughly $25–26 million a year from streaming, radio, sales, and licensing.
  • The band sold its publishing in 2021 to Hipgnosis, now Recognition, and multiple reports say Sony is pursuing an acquisition of that publisher.
  • Neither the band nor WMG has commented publicly, as outlets frame the move as part of a broader push by labels and investors to secure top-tier catalogs.