De La Soul’s entire catalog will be available on all streaming platforms and digital retailers for the first time beginning March 3rd, 2023.
Due to sample clearance issues and label disputes with Warner Bros. Records and Tommy Boy Records, none of De La Soul’s music before 2004 had ever made it to streaming services.
In February 2019, Tommy Boy acquired the group’s master recordings from Warner, but plans to bring their first six albums to streaming services were scrapped when De La Soul pushed back on the move and revealed they would only be receiving 10% of the profits. Subsequent negotiations with Tommy Boy broke down, and no further progress was made until music rights company Reservoir acquired the label for $100 million in June 2021.
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At the time, a representative for the company promised Reservoir would work with De La Soul “to bring the catalog and the music back to the fans.” True to their word, by August of 2021 De La Soul regained control of their master recordings.
De La Soul initially sought to upload their complete catalog to streaming services by the end of 2021. However, as there was “a lot of back work that need[ed] to be done,” that timeline was bumped by more than a year.
Finally, come March 3rd De La Soul’s albums 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), De La Soul Is Dead (1991), Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000), and AOI: Bionix (2001) will hit all major streaming platforms.
Additionally, the group will issue vinyl, CD, and cassette reissues via their label AOI and distributed by Chrysalis Records. The reissue of 3 Feet High and Rising is now available for pre-order ahead of its March 3rd release. Details on the other reissues are forthcoming.