Slipknot Sells Majority Catalog Stake to HarbourView Equity

Slipknot performing live. Photo Credit: Raph_PH

Looks like August’s rumblings of a Slipknot catalog deal were accurate after all: HarbourView Equity Partners has reportedly acquired a majority stake in the metal act’s song rights.

The Des Moines-based band and the Newark-headquartered IP investor confirmed their long-rumored agreement – but not the ownership or financial specifics thereof – today. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the transaction extends to “both publishing and recorded royalties.”

All told, Slipknot has released seven studio albums since forming in 1995, the first being a self-titled 1999 debut effort and the most recent being 2022’s The End, So Far. Billboard previously pointed to a possible $120 million price tag for the song rights – indicating also that HarbourView was exploring deals with some of but not all the group’s members.

On this front, Shawn “Clown” Crahan is the lone Slipknot co-founder who’s still in the band; the act has had a total of 17 different members, eight of whom are part of the current lineup, to date. Moreover, Crahan seems to be the sole member who provided a statement for the Hollywood Reporter’s brass-tacks summary.

“After 25 years of taking on the music business,” Crahan said, “we find ourselves with a partner that is willing to sign onto continuing what Slipknot started. Only they want to go even bigger. Get ready. Hail The Knot.”

Meanwhile, HarbourView founder and head Sherrese Clarke touted Slipknot’s metal impact and the band’s perceived role in igniting “a global cultural phenomenon.”

“Their catalog is a testament to their influence, passion, and enduring artistry within the genre,” proceeded Clarke. “We pride ourselves on having our finger on the pulse of culture and with thorough analysis of audience engagement, we clearly see the cultural impact of Slipknot from the 1990’s to present.

“The enduring and relevant proof points with Slipknot remain core to our investing thesis, and HarbourView is honored to help preserve and amplify the group’s work for decades and generations to come,” the exec concluded.

Ownership scope and pricing questions aside, the play is the latest in a (very long) line of catalog buyouts and underscores the massive amount of capital still flying around the competition-heavy space.

Of course, the sub-sector’s already-wrapped deals aren’t exactly a secret – nor are the hefty valuations associated with many of the sales. Even so, billions more have been earmarked for (but not yet deployed on) music IP purchases.

That includes 2025 funding announcements from HarbourView ($630 million), Warner Music and Bain ($1.2 billion), GoldState ($500 million), Intercept ($50 million), and most recently Circuit Capital ($500 million).

Additionally, this nearly $3 billion cumulative tranche doesn’t include (among other things) the billions generated via asset-backed securitizations.