Red Hot Chili Peppers sell recorded catalog to Warner Music Group for over $300 million
Red Hot Chili Peppers have sold the rights to their entire recorded music catalog to Warner Music Group for more than $300 million. The deal was first reported by Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter, citing sources familiar with the transaction. Warner acquired the catalog through its joint venture with investment firm Bain Capital, a catalog-buying vehicle launched in July 2025 with up to $1.2 billion in combined capital. The RHCP deal accounts for roughly half of the $650 million the joint venture has deployed so far.
The acquisition covers all 13 studio albums in the band’s discography, from their 1984 self-titled debut through Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen, both released in 2022. According to Billboard estimates, the catalog generates approximately $26 million in annual revenue from streaming, radio, and licensing. Warner was a natural buyer: the label has been the band’s home since 1991's Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Sources had told Billboard the group began shopping the catalog in early 2025, initially seeking up to $350 million.
The sale of the recorded masters follows a separate 2021 transaction in which the band sold its publishing rights to Hipgnosis Songs Fund — now Recognition Music Group — for between $140 and $150 million. Those publishing rights could also change hands in the near future: Sony Music is currently in negotiations to acquire Recognition Music Group’s entire portfolio in a multibillion-dollar deal with Blackstone. Combined, the total value of the band’s music assets exceeds $450 million. Neither the group nor Warner has issued an official comment.
