De La Soul Halt Negotiations with Tommy Boy, Urge Fans Not to Stream Catalogue

Their music "will not see the light of day by way of our involvement or consent"

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Aug 8, 2019

Earlier this year, plans were revealed to bring De La Soul's first six albums to streaming services for the first time, resulting in the trio voicing their displeasure with the terms outlined by Tommy Boy Records. Now, the group have now dropped negotiations with their former label home entirely.

"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," the group wrote in a statement shared on social media.

"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," they continued. "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."

De La Soul explained that any future physical reissues or streaming service issues of their Tommy Boy catalogue "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."

"Nevertheless, our fans have/will keep our legacy alive!" they concluded. "We appreciate and ask for your continued support," adding hashtags, #dontpressplay, #respectourlegacy and #tommyboycottcontinues in closing. You can read their full statement below.

In February, the group confirmed that their Tommy Boy catalogue would see release digitally, though "your purchases will roughly go 90% to Tommy Boy, 10% to De La." At the time, they urged fans, "Don't feed the Vultures, support and respect the culture #30years If you wanna support De La Soul, cop the #grinddate and #anonymousnobody albums."

De La Soul's Tommy Boy catalogue includes 1989's 3 Feet High and Rising, 1991's De La Soul Is Dead, 1993's Buhloone Mindstate, 1996's Stakes Is High, 2000's Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump and 2001's AOI: Bionix.

While a release date for digital editions has yet to be determined by the label, De La Soul fans continue to throw their support behind the group in the comments of Tommy Boy's social media pages.

Last month, De La Soul linked up with DJ Shadow on the producer's new single "Rocket Fuel."
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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

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