De La Soul has been in a sad and lengthy battle with Tommy Boy Records surrounding their catalog being on streaming services. The record label announced earlier this year that albums from De La Soul would be available for streaming on all platforms. The group launched a boycott against Tommy Boy after revealing that they'd only receive 10% of the revenue that came in from streams. Over the last seven months, they've tried to negotiate a deal with Tommy Boy but as of today, the battle has come to an end.
De La Soul shared a post on Instagram revealing that the negotiations with Tommy Boy were unsuccessful. "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 post reads. They explained that they've received consulting and taken time to think about the agreement and decided that they wouldn't agree with 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."
Peep the full post below.