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Red Hot Chili Peppers ink $300M deal with Warner Music to sell catalog
https://guitar.com/news/industry-news/red-hot-chili-peppers-sell-music-catalogue/ https://guitar.com/news/industry-news/red-hot-chili-peppers-...
- Forgeties79 6mo agoThat honestly sounds like a good deal for the buyer at first blush but can’t say I’m an expert here
- mxfh 6mo agoWith the trend of things, this seems like good timing for the RHCP estates with a not so unlikely collapse of licensing revenue happening in the near future.
- freejazz 6mo agoWhy would licensing revenue for hit songs collapse?
- windowsrookie 6mo agoMost of the Red Hot Chili Peppers hit songs are pushing 30 years old. Their songs have already hit their peak popularity and will only be declining from now on. This along with AI generated music flooding the market. An AI generated song has already been #1 on the iTunes Charts. AI generated music is only going to get better and more popular. Future TV shows/movies/etc. will likely just be generating their own music, rather than paying royalties for "hit songs".
- bsimpson 6mo agoI picked up Cyberpunk again recently. It's gotten me curious about how the music for the game was developed. They have something like a dozen in-universe radio stations, which each has a handful of original songs.
- freejazz 6mo ago> Most of the Red Hot Chili Peppers hit songs are pushing 30 years old. And? That hasn't been a problem for other artist catalogues >An AI generated song has already been #1 on the iTunes Charts. Yeah? It's a real big hit, huh? If you believe all of this, then I can see how it would make sense. It doesn't really pass the sniff test. >Future TV shows/movies/etc. will likely just be generating their own music, rather than paying royalties for "hit songs". Why would they? They can already have knock-off whatever song they want for a trivial cost
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- Forgeties79 6mo agoMixtape (game) clearly shows the power of and demand for familiar songs. See also: wedding receptions. People don’t want just want “song sound good enough.” They have connections to specific bands/artists. Music is like…50% about the song, 50% about the memories associated with the band/album/song. Random AI generated stuff…call me old fashioned, but I just don’t think it’ll make real music by real people go out of fashion. Plus there’s live shows.
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- petre 6mo ago> Most of the Red Hot Chili Peppers hit songs are pushing 30 years old. Their songs have already hit their peak popularity and will only be declining from now on. Bach is still hot some 300 years later. > An AI generated song has already been #1 on the iTunes Charts. That's a good resaon enough to cancel your subscription. I do get your point. They're taking the retirement package. The world officially sucks one bit more now. RHCP selling off, AI music. Hey, at least the Rolling Stones are on tour again. Jagger is 82 and still dope.
- NoboruWataya 6mo agoI wonder if you tend to see more artists selling their back catalogues at times like this when some technological disruption is casting doubt on their ability to continue to generate income from them. David Bowie was famously one of the first artists to securitise music royalties, in 1997, basically at the dawn of the digital copying era.
- thierrydamiba 6mo agoThis is as close as you get to a win win in life.
- afavour 6mo agoI'm surprised the number is this low! Queen sold their catalogue for $1.27bn and while RHCP are clearly not on their scale I thought they were pretty high up there, especially given how long they've been active.
- Waterluvian 6mo agoAll subjective and all that. But I feel like 300M vs. 1.27B is exactly where I would have personally pinned their ratio difference. To roughly frame it: if we made another golden record, I wouldn’t be surprised if it had 4 Queen songs and 1 RHCP song.
- vages 6mo agoIn terms of artistic quality, perhaps. In terms of expected future royalties, I think Queen would be an order of magnitude more valuable than most artists.
- vasco 6mo agoSo its all good since it sold for an order of magnitude more
- sho_hn 6mo agoSame, or worse. Having lived in Europe and Korea I can tell you numerous Queen songs have instant recognizability the world over, but I would say RHCP are a household name mostly in the US, except maybe some older people recognizing Californication as a distinctly 90s happening.
- amarant 6mo agoIn Europe it's cheating. Queen is from Europe. But yeah, Californication is pretty much my only rhcp reference. Also: what do you mean "older people"? I ain't that old yet! Shakes fist at cloud
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- shwaj 6mo agoRelatively small amount compared to the billions we see thrown around for AI startups a couple of years old.
- xnx 6mo agoTrue, but don't be fooled by imaginary "valuations" in the billions. RHCP is definitely getting paid real money.
- perarneng 6mo agoHard to tell what the value of music will be in 5 years
- nine_k 6mo agoThe value of guaranteed real stuff, with known provenance, still remains in the world of mass production; a "real Louis Vuitton bag" is still worth more than a very good copy, or a very good bag from an unknown designer. But most of the market, is, of course, lower end. Probably "good enough" machine-produced music is going to dominate casual playlists, but some bands still will have large followings, and live show still be valuable.
- sevenzero 6mo agoDigital music? Probably non-existent. Live music played by actual musicians? Just as much.
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- freejazz 6mo agoNot really, I don't want to listen to AI slop.
- AbstractH24 6mo ago> Hard to tell what the value of music will be in 5 years Which be exactly why it makes sense to sell Hard to see a world where the value goes up. Best case it stays stable, worst it decreases
- mxfh 6mo agoThis is one of the reasons we can't have proper soundtracks in video games or non AAA TV shows anymore or re-releases of old TV-shows anymore. I just feel bad for all the pension fonds backing this Bain Capital PE joint venture who will have an off chance of making back their investments with the current state of IP and AI trends.
- sparkling 6mo agoIn a world full of endless AI slop, wouldn't original recordings become more valuable over time?
- stavros 6mo agoYes, like in a world full of electronic music, original recordings of guitar players became more valuable over time.
- reactordev 6mo agoOnly if the talent pool was restricted or if they also hold the distribution keys. Unfortunately, anyone can buy a $300 guitar and become a master, given time and commitment. This can then be used to influence AI into cleaning up your sloppy playing and off-tempo. Possibly even creating entirely new sounds from it (midi?) and then anyone can create a signature sound and model a band or music group around that motif. The short version is no, not anymore.
- walrus01 6mo agoBased on the era when RHCP was the most popular, I would guess that PE people buying the RHCP catalog plan to license it to advertisers for just about everything as Gen-X people age into the 60+ demographic and retirement. You can expect to see RHCP music in adult diaper and "help I've fallen and I can't get up" commercials in the future.
- hulitu 6mo agoThey will remaster the recordings anyway.
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- fraywing 6mo agoMusic and streaming is severely under attack from an effort/commercial viability perspective given tools like Suno[1] Not exactly saying this is the reason for their sell, but I'd imagine a lot of professional musicians are feeling the desire to exit the industry. [1] https://www.npr.org/2026/05/02/nx-s1-5804489/music-listeners-dislike-ai-music-study https://www.npr.org/2026/05/02/nx-s1-5804489/music-listeners...
- Slow_Hand 6mo agoAs a record maker, I'd say record making is under attack from Suno about as much as novelists are under attack from Chat GPT. Both still require a crafts person to steer the tools, if they're to be used at all. Yes there will be slop, but neither Suno nor GPT are close to making coherent work with creators with taste and good judgement.
- ktallett 6mo agoWhilst I feel all creative passions should be appropriately rewarded, I would say musicians are the best rewarded out of all the ones that can be done in your bedroom. Authors and artists earn far less but still do it. Surely at the end of the day you play music whether you get paid or not.
- hmokiguess 6mo agoGive it away, give it away, give it away now Give it away, give it away, give it away now Give it away, give it away, give it away now I can't tell, if I'm a king pin or a pauper
- stephenhuey 6mo agoUnder the Bridge is still my favorite... Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner Sometimes I feel like my only friend Is the city I live in, The City of Angels Lonely as I am, together we cry
- slumberlust 6mo agoAgreed by far their best. Others still slap though. The intro to Snow is great too.
- snapplebobapple 6mo agoAlso pretty little ditty
- pcurve 6mo agoThe music video is great too... the slow build up of the song towards the 3:10 minute mark, with him running towards you. Love it. So thankful I was old enough to be around to watch it on MTV.
- dllthomas 6mo agoSometimes I sing under lights that are purple. Sometimes I'm shirtless and I tilt my head.
- rsync 6mo agoBehind the Sun.
- bix6 6mo agoUnimpressed by material excess
- liveoneggs 6mo agoEvery credit card rewards program will "give it away now" from now on
- nilamo 6mo ago> By the way, > I tried to say > CRAZY BIG BOB IS HAVING ANOTHER CRAZY SALE THIS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!!! > so don't wait for Dani, come on down and say "I love you" to a pre-owned Nissan!
- aidos 6mo agoThat does seem like less than I would expect! It always makes me a bit sad that everyone knows RHCP but less so their early stuff. Blood sugar sex magik is a funk masterpiece. Didn’t help that for years Spotify used the singles versions of the tracks so the levels were all over the place and it was basically unstreamable.
- ThomW 6mo agoFreaky Styley is their funk masterpiece. haha
- aidos 6mo agoFair. It did have George Clinton at the helm. I loved all the early stuff. Freaky Styley, Mothers Milk, The Uplift Mofo party plan. With Rick Rubin at the controls I just think Blood Sugar Sex Magik took their sound to another level.
- mlhpdx 6mo agoOut in L.A.
- dyauspitr 6mo ago$300M is a lot though.
- huflungdung 6mo ago[dead]
- throw0101c 6mo agoPSA: this article is re-reporting the original story at: > Rumours of the Chilis selling their catalogue first arose last year, with sources telling Billboard that the rockers were allegedly seeking around $350 million. Now, The Hollywood Reporter reports[1] that the band has finally made a deal with Warner Music Group, with the label paying over $300 million for all of the band’s master recordings. [1] https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/music/music-industry-news/wmg-acquired-red-hot-chili-peppers-catalog-for-350-million-1236589567/ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/music/music-industry-news/...
- tomhow 6mo agoThanks, we updated the link. Please submit the original source. If a post reports on something found on another site, submit the latter. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.htm https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.htm
- neom 6mo agoRe: the "low price", they'd already sold their publishing right in 2021 for $140MM, so this is the master rights they sold for 300. By comparison, Springsteen sold both his together to Sony in 2021 for $500MM.
- embedding-shape 6mo agoI don't think they're just selling the mastering rights here, it's the rights for the recordings that are being played that is being sold here. > The new deal with Warner Music Group hands over the rights to the official recordings, meaning the label will profit from any further streaming, radio play or album sales. Edit: I'm stupid, you mean "master rights", which is correct, they're getting the rights of the masters. Your typo made me think of the act of mastering music, not the "masters".
- neom 6mo agoFixed - thanks!
- gedy 6mo agoGood for them. I have a memory of first seeing them in their video True Men Don't Kill Coyotes† around 1984? and thinking "wow these guys are terrible". In hindsight, they were very 90s and pretty ahead of their time. † https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC3j1pNXhSU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC3j1pNXhSU
- baggachipz 6mo ago$300 million, all songs about California
- pavel_lishin 6mo agoPlease no more California songs.
- mtoner23 6mo agoCan't wait for the RHCP biopic in 2028!
- DwnVoteHoneyPot 6mo agoIt'll be a Broadway play first to test it out.
- thih9 6mo agoWith James Corden as Flea. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cfudXO_vzWk&t=10m50s https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cfudXO_vzWk&t=10m50s
- hnburnsy 6mo agoCan't wait for the pharmaceutical commercials with RHCP jingles
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- trgn 6mo agoFeels cheap
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- vondur 6mo agoWow, I just a saw a YouTube video of Flea's house for sale in the LA suburb of La Crescenta for sale. Super nice house. Strangely I also saw Steve Vai's house for sale in LA at the same time. Also super nice house.
- hnburnsy 6mo agoMaybe trying to escape the wealth tax?
- noitpmeder 6mo agoNot sure any of the band members are over 1b individually which is the current threshold. Maybe, though.
- telotortium 6mo agoThere have been arguments that the wealth tax proposal has loopholes that would allow it to be extended to much lower levels of wealth without a further amendment. More importantly, if that’s the way the state’s politics are trending, it might be worth it to leave and come back if the threat goes away. Who knows, maybe one of the band members invested in a successful startup, or is an LP for a VC that did. That’s not unheard of for the entertainment industry. Most people wouldn’t have pegged Ashton Kutcher as an investing genius, but he has been highly successful.
- vondur 6mo agoI think there is a "mansion" tax in Los Angeles proper, but La Crescenta is a separate city.
- acomjean 6mo agoWell Flea just released a jazz record where he plays trumpet. I admire him for it, but might need some financing now. https://youtu.be/1r0k2AW153g?si=-J6qNeyc3dHQJ6Gk https://youtu.be/1r0k2AW153g?si=-J6qNeyc3dHQJ6Gk
- 6mo ago
- bigbuppo 6mo agoI'd rather it be WMG than IP Venture Partners Acquisition Round 7 LLC like some bands have done.
- 0cf8612b2e1e 6mo agoIs there any write up about how these economics work? How much does the catalog generate in a year? The band must be past peak popularity, with listens continuing to decline year after year.
- reaperducer 6mo agolistens continuing to decline year after year. Streaming music is only the tip of the iceberg. Most TV commercials are using 30-year-old songs. Add to that streaming series (think Stranger Things), movies, public spaces, internet radio, actual radio, and hundreds of other licensing opportunities await.
- bix6 6mo agoSomeone writes an NPV and everyone says great! I looked into the math a bit when Bieber sold his. Didn’t seem worth it but what do I know.
- asdff 6mo agoNow I can pirate guilt free
- locusofself 6mo agoI have such a love/hate with this band. They have some great songs. Great musicians. John Frusciante is one of my favorite guitarists. But they are such cheeseballs, and in the case of Anthony Kiedes, pretty creepy.
- ryandrake 6mo agoAs someone not in the industry, what exactly does it mean? The band no longer can perform the music? They no longer get royalties? They no longer can profit at all from the music? They no longer have control over where/how it's sold? Or, something else? What exactly is Warner/Bain buying?
- reactordev 6mo agoAll of the above. They are probably required to still perform the songs on behalf of Warner Music but that's it. They are free to write more music... Old music is no longer theirs though.
- walrus01 6mo agoIf they've sold the name, they may not be able to perform new music as the RHCP either. New musical projects would possibly need an entirely unrelated name of a music group.
- telotortium 6mo agoThey just sold the rights to the recordings though, as the article states.
- wmf 6mo agoThey sold the future royalties. "The new deal with Warner Music Group hands over the rights to the official recordings, meaning the label will profit from any further streaming, radio play or album sales."
- walrus01 6mo agoIt's a bit like an individual person taking the option of receiving a lottery payment in one large lump sum (and nothing else, ever), vs. receiving ongoing monthly/annual payments for some period going into the future. The new owner pays them one big lump sum and then the new owner gets all rights to license the content for things like car commercials on TV, streaming, reissues of box sets, radio, etc. Also for derivative works of all forms and basically whatever the new owner wants to do with it.
- HDBaseT 6mo agoHopefully someone can remaster/re-release their albums with less awful mastering from the master recordings. Most copies, including the copies on Streaming Services for Califonication are genuinely unlistenable. [0]. [0] - https://web.archive.org/web/20221117074108/https://dr.loudness-war.info/album/view/181915 https://web.archive.org/web/20221117074108/https://dr.loudne... [1] - https://web.archive.org/web/20221117074109/https://dr.loudness-war.info/album/view/181914 https://web.archive.org/web/20221117074109/https://dr.loudne... [2] - https://web.archive.org/web/20221117074108/https://dr.loudness-war.info/album/view/176717 https://web.archive.org/web/20221117074108/https://dr.loudne...
- hulitu 6mo agoThis is true for a lot of bands. Guns n' Roses, Iron Maiden, Metallica.
- iou 6mo agoThat’s all they got?!
- TitaRusell 6mo agoJanis Joplin in a car commercial was the funniest thing ever and it oddly made sense. Most people are just not cool enough to die from alcohol or drugs and they become the boomers.
- Esophagus4 6mo agoBon Jovi selling insurance during the Super Bowl… Tough look.
- Traster 6mo agoI'm always weirded out by this process because it's such a squishy thing. How much are the rights worth? Well, take the revenue from the last 5 years and project it out. But they released a new album in 2022, so that year is going to look strange isn't it. Oh and they have a documentary this year so presumably that spiked some stream as well didn't it. Also, if they hadn't sold they would've benefitted by releasing new albums they would got an extra bump from people listening to the old stuff, they don't get that now. Oh and how do you model the revenue bump when Flea dies and everyone streams RHCP non-stop for a week. It's also a weird principal agent problem because RHCP primarily influence how much revenue these rights are worth, but once they sell the rights then the rightsholder's revenue stream is highly sensitive to what RHCP do in the future. What is RHCP sell the rights, then come out as Nazis, then buy the rights back and then recant? You know what I mean?
- episode404 6mo ago[flagged]