Linkin & Warner Make Up

Linkin Park has re-signed with the Warner Music Group for an estimated $15 million for its next album plus a royalty rate of about 20 percent despite the band’s previous criticism of the record label’s lack of focus on artist development.

WMG will keep rights to Linkin Park’s next four albums and has an option for a fifth, sources told the Los Angeles Times.

The quiet period going into WMG’s $750 million Initial Public Offering was disrupted in May by a Linkin Park press release where the band and its management, The Firm, claimed to be fed up with the company’s corporate raider tactics and wanted out of its contract.

Linkin Park said it was frustrated because of the $1.4 billion the IPO was planning to take in, only $7 million was earmarked for WMG operations.

On the other side, insiders claimed the multiplatinum group was asking for an unrealistic $60 million advance and a 50/50 split. WMG dismissed the press release at the time as a ploy to manipulate the ongoing contract negotiations.