Snoop Dogg and his Death Row Records label have inked publishing deals with Reservoir Media. Photo Credit: Dah Dah
Reservoir Media has officially inked publishing pacts with Snoop Dogg and his Death Row Records label.
New York City-based Reservoir reached out today with word of the tie-ups, which represent the latest in a line of hip-hop deals and investments for the company. As described by the involved parties, the union extends to Snoop Dogg’s domestic publishing (existing works as well as futures) and the entire Death Row catalog.
February of 2025 will mark the third anniversary of Snoop Dogg’s Death Row purchase – minus certain underlying song rights, it’s worth reiterating. Building on the included body of work, however, the 16-time Grammy nominee has since taken to releasing fresh projects like 2022’s BODR and more recent collaborations with Tha Dogg Pound.
Addressing the Reservoir union with a brief statement, the longtime Dr. Dre collaborator Snoop Dogg communicated: “I’m so honored to have them as a partner and excited for all the great things to come with the catalogue as well as new music.”
And in remarks of her own, Reservoir founder and head Golnar Khosrowshahi touted the varied career accomplishments of 52-year-old Snoop Dogg.
“Being in business with Snoop is an exciting opportunity to support his legendary catalog, leveraging his massive stardom to further embed his music across mainstream media,” indicated Khosrowshahi, whose company generates about 68% of its revenue from publishing and another 28% from recordings.
“This deal also marks a unique moment to help further the legacy of an important and valuable brand like Death Row. Snoop has come full circle with Death Row, showcasing his ongoing dedication to upholding its rich history – something Reservoir has proven as a core value and area of expertise across our business,” the exec concluded.
Earlier this month, Reservoir scored a catalog-acquisition agreement with the estate of Billy Strange, including interests in Elvis Presley’s “A Little Less Conversation,” “Memories,” and more. Meanwhile, after posting a calendar Q2 revenue increase to close out July, the publishing home of Joe Walsh in August delivered an investor presentation at its annual shareholder meeting.
Per that resource, The Isley Brothers’ “It’s Your Thing” topped Reservoir’s list of top-10 works by net publisher share during calendar 2023, followed by the same group’s “Shout,” Labelle’s “Lady Marmalade,” John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” and then Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” respectively.
And on the recording side, in keeping with the company’s previously mentioned hip-hop presence, first-ranked “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio, Naughty by Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray,” and J. Cole’s “Middle Child” found spots on Reservoir’s list of top-10 tracks by net label share.
