Miles Davis’ music rights have a new home following an agreement between the late jazz great’s estate and the independent music rights company Reservoir Media.
As The New York Times reports, Reservoir has acquired 90 percent of Davis’ publishing rights and the estate’s income from his sound recordings. The deal also includes an agreement between Reservoir and the estate to share control of Davis’ name, image, and likeness. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The agreement was struck ahead of what will be a big 2026 for the Davis estate as it prepares to mark the late trumpeter’s centennial (he was born May 26, 1926, and died Sept. 28, 1991). To mark the occasion, the estate and Reservoir will collaborate on a variety of special events and programs, including a new live show that will pair new orchestrations of Davis songs with fresh visuals. The M.E.B. (formerly known as the Miles Electric Band), which features several musicians who used to play with Davis, will embark on a world tour, too.
There’s also a biopic already in the works called Miles & Juliette, which will center around Davis’ romance with the French singer and actress Juliette Gréco. The film will star Damson Idris and Anamaria Vartolomei in the title roles, and Mick Jagger’s Jagged Films is one of the production companies backing the film. (No release date has been announced yet.)
Reservoir has amassed an impressive catalog in the nearly 20 years since it was founded by Golnar Khosrowshahi in 2007. The company has struck deals with artists like Joni Mitchell, Snoop Dogg, Sheryl Crow, the Isley Brothers, Sonny Rollins, and Offset. It’s perhaps most well-known for acquiring the storied hip-hop label Tommy Boy Records in 2021, which paved the way for De La Soul to finally release their music on streaming services a few years later.
From Rolling Stone US
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