Slipknot might be on the verge of one of the biggest paydays in metal history. According to Billboard, the Iowa heavyweights are in talks to sell a significant chunk of their music assets, publishing and recorded masters royalties, to HarbourView Equity Partners in a deal rumoured to be worth around $120 million.
The reported package would see HarbourView take on royalty income from Slipknot’s master recordings and publishing rights, though not ownership of the actual recordings themselves. Those masters are still controlled by Warner Music Group, who scooped up Roadrunner Records back in 2007. The band currently owns its publishing, which makes it a key part of the deal.
The numbers behind this are staggering. Figures from Luminate show Slipknot’s recorded masters have pulled 14.6 million album consumption units in the U.S., including 6.8 billion streams. Globally, their total streams clock in at 15.73 billion. Over the past three years, their masters have averaged 740,000 album units a year stateside and 2.31 billion global streams, generating roughly $15.5 million annually. Publishing adds another estimated $5.2 million, bringing total yearly royalty income to about $8.9 million.
If all that sells for $120 million, you’re looking at a valuation of roughly 13.5 times annual earnings, but sources suggest not every member may be cashing out. If only a portion moves, the annual royalty stream could be closer to $6–$7 million, pushing the multiple even higher. Crucially, the deal wouldn’t cover any future music Slipknot releases.
Slipknot’s 25th Year Anniversary
It’s not hard to see why the band’s back catalogue is in hot demand. Slipknot’s 25th anniversary celebrations have only supercharged interest, from their U.S. Here Comes the Pain tour in late 2024 to this year’s European dates, all leading up to the September 5 reissue of their self-titled debut. Get ready for multiple vinyl variants and the kind of collectible frenzy that comes with a landmark anniversary.
HarbourView, led by founder Sherrese Clarke, has been buying up music and entertainment rights at speed, amassing nearly $3 billion in assets from artists like Kelly Clarkson, Fleetwood Mac, and Wiz Khalifa.
Neither HarbourView nor Slipknot’s camp have commented publicly on the talks, but if the deal closes, it could rewrite the rules for metal’s biggest earners.
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