The Offspring have just sold their back catalogue to the New York City music rights firm Round Hill, including albums like the band's 1998 album Americana, for a whopping $35 million.
Since August of last year, according to Billboard, the iconic pop-punk band began shopping their Columbia catalog around for the same asking price, with Round Hill being named a potential buyer. While we're not sure if the deal had been in the works since then, it has now been reported as official. The deal was then rumored to also include a new album deal, which has not been confirmed.
In Billboard's latest story, just in case you were starting to think the band was crazy, the deal will only include the band's Columbia catalog, which does not have jurisdiction over two of their earliest and most-renowned albums, Smash and Ignition. Both will be retained by Epitaph Records. Epitaph also owns the European rights to Ixnay on the Hombre, however, Columbia can kiss that record goodbye in the United States.
Since the start of their career, The Offspring have sold over 17 million copies, nearly half of which were achieved with Americana, most known for its comical and quirky hit "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)." That album sold only about one million copies less than Smash worldwide, an album that the band recently celebrated a 20th anniversary for.
The band's frontman, Dexter Holland, has released a statement to fans regarding the deal. "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," he stated. "Round Hill understands that we are continuing to perform and record and that the visibility of our past is critical to our future."
