M. Shadows recently explained on X whether Avenged Sevenfold owns their older music.
A fan asked the singer, “Hey wdym a7x doesn’t have the rights to their old music anymore?” He replied, writing, “No, this came from a casual conversation in discord and people not understanding it. But to stop this right here… no. That is not the case at all.”
No, this came from a casual conversation in discord and people not understanding it. But to stop this right here… no. That is not the case at all.
— Shadows (@shadows_eth) February 2, 2025
The same fan asked again, “I read the conversation, and you said yourself that your work before the stage is ‘gone forever.’ If there’s something we/I’m not understanding, I’d love to learn more. This world is confusing to anyone on the outside of it.”
Shadows responded, “Owning the masters… they will always be under Warner Brothers records. 99% of artists don’t own their masters. In the past artists could possibly purchase from the label. That’s no longer possible with streaming deals.”
Owning the masters… they will always be under Warner Brothers records. 99% of artists don’t own their masters. In the past artists could possibly purchase from the label. That’s no longer possible with streaming deals.
— Shadows (@shadows_eth) February 2, 2025
Another fan wanted to learn about the difference between owning the rights and owning the masters. They also asked the singer how owning the rights affects Trax. The rocker clarified, “To the fan… nothing. To the artist… everything we make off those album we get a royalty between 20-25%. Label keeps the rest. They also claim things like TRAX where we pay for production but only make the money back at 25%. Owning masters gives you 100%.”
To the fan… nothing. To the artist… everything we make off those album we get a royalty between 20-25%. Label keeps the rest. They also claim things like TRAX where we pay for production but only make the money back at 25%. Owning masters gives you 100%.
— Shadows (@shadows_eth) February 2, 2025
One other fan commented, “Because of the streaming deals it’s hard for the artists to buy their masters, right? Is it almost impossible? Did you ever think about it?” Shadows said in his reply, “This exactly. And yes we have tried. It will never happen… so we move forward. No big deal. We signed the contract… that being said, labels used to be able to do stuff for you. These days it’s not the case. . Oh well, moving on.”
This exactly. And yes we have tried. It will never happen… so we move forward. No big deal. We signed the contract… that being said, labels used to be able to do stuff for you. These days it’s not the case. 🤷♂️. Oh well, moving on.
— Shadows (@shadows_eth) February 2, 2025
Avenged Sevenfold plans to work on their new album but not soon. Shadows shared last month that the band wasn’t focused on their next album yet. They’re still wrapping up their 2023 release and doing live shows in different countries. They need some time off to refresh the creative process.
