The Meadows 2017 - Saturday
photo by P Squared

De La Soul unable to reach agreement with Tommy Boy, ask fans not to stream their catalog

De La Soul have been negotiating with their former label, Tommy Boy Records, to bring their catalog to streaming services for months. The group protested that they were getting an unfair deal with the digital release of their music, saying that 90% of revenue would go to the label, leaving them with only 10%. Tommy Boy ultimately postponed the release. In a new update on Instagram, De La Soul say that they still haven’t been able to come to an agreement with Tommy Boy, and that “if you see De La Soul music/albums available for streaming or purchase anywhere, BE AWARE, all parties involved WILL profit but De La Soul WILL NOT benefit or earn deservedly/fairly”:

Well friends, after 30 years of profiting from our music and hard work… and after 7 long months of stalled negotiations, we are sad to say that we’ve been unable to reach an agreement and earn Tommy Boy’s respect for our music/legacy.
With some helpful consulting and long careful consideration, we’ve decided we will not do our 30+ years the disservice of settling on Tom Silverman’s terms.
Tommy Boy says they are “not in the business of giving artists back their Masters.” We realize, there is a process in reclaiming ownership but we do not trust Tommy Boy in this process after so many years of disappointment. Therefore, our catalog will not see the light of day by way of our involvement or consent. This means, if you see De La Soul music/albums available for streaming or purchase anywhere, BE AWARE, all parties involved WILL profit but De La Soul WILL NOT benefit or earn deservedly/fairly. We really tried. More details to come.

Nevertheless, our fans have/will keep our legacy alive!
We appreciate and ask for your continued support.
Onto new things, new music and more amazing respectful business relationships.
#dontpressplay
#respectourlegacy
#respecttheculture
#tommyboycottcontinues
#4080

De La Soul released six albums on Tommy Boy, including classics like 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul Is Dead, and Buhloone Mindstate.