We’re sad to report that there has been no magic number (be it three or anything else) in the long-running talks between rap trio De La Soul and label Tommy Boy Records over making the band’s back catalogue available digitally. In fact, the negotiations appear to have broken down entirely, judging by an Instagram post from the band yesterday.
“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,” wrote De La Soul. “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.” The band went on to encourage fans not to stream or buy their old albums if and when they are re-released.
Tommy Boy had yet to give its side of this latest development when we were writing the Music Ally bulletin this morning, but we’ll be contacting the label today to see if it has a response.
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