The Offspring just got paid.
The California punk band have reportedly sold their major-label back catalogue for a staggering $35 million, according to Billboard. The buyer, Round Hill Music, has acquired the rights to the Offspring’s Columbia Records master recording catalog, which includes six studio albums and one greatest hits album.
It’s interesting to note that the band’s biggest album, 1994’s Smash, was retained by Epitaph Records, but, as Consequence of Sound notes, Round Hill Music “has reportedly acquired publishing rights to the songs on Smash and the band’s earlier Epitaph albums.” Songs on Smash include breakout hits like “Come Out And Play” and “Self Esteem”.
The Offspring have sold 17 million records in the United States alone, and this marks the first purchase of American punk rock by Round Hill. “We have some masters like the Bush catalog and records from developing artists like London Souls and Nigel Hall, but we wanted more exposure and you won’t get a more high-quality catalog than The Offspring,” said Round Hill chairman and CEO Josh Gruss in a statement.
Added a no-doubt giddy frontman Dexter Holland: “We felt that having the right caretaker for our catalogue, both the masters and the publishing, is incredibly important to the future of our career. Round Hill understands that we are continuing to perform and record and that the visibility of our past is critical to our future.”
Check out a short clip of the Offspring performing at Boston’s House of Blues back in 2014, part of the Summer Nationals Tour with Bad Religion, Pennywise, and the Vandals.