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Snoop Dogg Returns Death Row Records Catalog to DSPs
After being removed from all digital platforms in 2022, Snoop Dogg has returned the Death Row Records catalog to streaming services.
The classic Death Row Records catalog is back on streaming services. On Thursday (March 9), DRR owner and rap legend Snoop Dogg that after removing the catalog last year, albums from himself (Doggystyle, The Doggfather) 2Pac (All Eyez on Me, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory), The Lady of Rage (Necessary Roughness) and other former DRR artists would return to Apple Music. Dr. Dre's The Chronic returned to DSPs in February after a $200 million sale of his musical assets to UMG and Shamrock Holdings.
The deal was co-initiated by former Apple Music's former Global Creative Director, Larry Jackson. On Wednesday (March 8), Billboard reported that Jackson established Gamma, a venture described as a “one-stop-shop media company that creates, distributes, and markets content, from music to podcasts to films, offering resources and guidance to artists who want to build their brands and expand beyond music.”
\u201cWe heard you. The time has come. Death Row Records catalog is back streaming everywhere tonight 9pm pst.\u201d— Death Row Records (@Death Row Records) 1678403306
\u201cWe are live @deathrowmusic on @AppleMusic\u201d— Snoop Dogg (@Snoop Dogg) 1678426011
In addition to support from Gamma, DRR has $1 billion in capital, with backers including Apple and media company A24. Snoop's next two studio albums will be included in the first slate of confirmed DRR releases. Last December, the Long Beach native released LP SNOOP CUBE 40 $HORT as part of West Coast supergroup Mount Westmore. That same month, Snoop and Jackson – although their deal was announced – released the DRR catalog exclusively to TikTok via distribution and marking service SoundOn. In February 2022, Snoop acquired the DRR catalog and brand, along with its trademark, name and logo, from MNRK Music Group.
While on Drink Champs last year, Snoop revealed that he pulled the DRR catalog from DSPs "because those platforms don’t pay," also planning to launch a "Death Row app" to host the label's music.
“Those platforms get millions and millions and millions of streams and nobody gets paid other than the record labels,” said Snoop. “So what I wanted to do is snatch my music off, create a platform, which is something sort of similar to Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, there’ll be a Death Row app.”
