Today (Nov. 1), the investment platform Tempo Music announced it has acquired majority stakes in the master and publishing rights for Korn’s albums See You On The Other Side and Untitled. Along with the two-album deal, Tempo Music has also purchased the right to license the master recordings for the nu-metal group’s MTV Unplugged record in perpetuity.
Tempo aims to acquire and exploit what their founder and CEO Josh Empson calls “modern masters” from talent who have amassed strong followings in recent decades. This strategy is what made Korn, known for having a tight-knit fanbase since its formation in 1994, such an appetizing opportunity for Tempo Music as it expands its roster of acquisitions on both the master and publishing sides of the business. “[Korn is] still creatively ambitious and hardworking after almost 30 years together, which is hugely inspiring,” adds Empson.
Tempo is an affiliate of Providence Equity Partners, an asset management company with nearly $50 billion in aggregate capital commitments. The music investment platform administers its master recording and publishing acquisitions through Warner Music Group.
The Korn albums involved in the deal are some of the band’s later releases. See You On The Other Side is their platinum-selling seventh studio album, while Untitled is its gold-selling eighth album. Some of the most prominent songs featured on the two releases are “Twisted Transistor,” “Evolution,” “Coming Undone” and “Hold On.”