Warner Music Group Makes $25 Million Bid for Death Row Catalog

 •  XXL Magazine  •  by XXL Staff  •  21 Comments

Warner Music Group has made a $25 million bid for the music catalog of former industry powerhouse Death Row Records. According to the New York Post, a February 1 filing in US Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California reveals that Warner is the leading bidder out of a group of 18 interested parties that includes Koch Records and Evergreen Copyrights. While the catalog has been on the market since former Death Row head Suge Knight filed for bankruptcy in 2006, a sale has been delayed because of outstanding claims by both Dr. Dre and Afeni Shakur. Dre is still in the process of collecting royalty payments owed to him for his 1992 album The Chronic, while Afeni—mother of slain rapper Tupac Shakur—wants to determine who owns the rights to unreleased material recorded by her son. This uncertainty over what assets Death Row still controls has turned off prospective buyers. Warner will only go through with the purchase if these assets are included in the catalog. A non-bidding agreement between Warner and Death Row, that would pay the major $500,000 if the deal falls through, is still subject to court approval. The company’s Warner Chappell publishing arm currently manages a number of Death Row’s songs, making the purchase even more attractive. Opposing bidders have until April to top Warner’s offer, at which time the assets will be sold through a court auction.

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  • Yo

    LMAO. No Charlton Heston protest?

  • http://www.scritchandscratch.com/blog Vee

    This is where the real business of music comes into play. That catalog will provide untold fortunes in the future.

    Berry Gordy held onto Motown for so long and cashed out to the tune of $61 million. That catalog will increase in value every year.

    Deathrow’s catalog who knows, but be sure that it is probably worth more than $25 million.

    Producers HGH and James Brown earned some where around $300 million for future potential royalties.

    • Mac Sleepy

      I wish I had $30 mill, I would buy it! I agree wit Vee, I just hope somebody like J.Prince, Ice Cube or maybe even Dr. Dre! Ya Feel Me?!

      http://www.myspace.com/macsleepy66

  • Richard

    Ohio’s finest check me out and if you like what you hear add me thanks

    http://www.myspace.com/rimestrike1

    http://www.myspace.com/rimestrike1

    • Ohio ty

      You are not ohios finest Richard! You probably ain’t even Parma oh finest. I’m from the cincinnati oh. Where the fuck is Parma oh anyway?

  • ALopez

    Damn!

    I remember when they were talking about Death Row being the 1st Billion dollar Black business back in the day. I remember 2Pac and Suge on MTV tossing fist full of $100s at the camera during the “California Love” video shoot.

    This is proof that no matter what, anything Niggas get a hold of they destroy!

    The Rap Reccession continues!

  • http://xxlmag.com THE NOTORIOUS C.O.R.E.Y

    SUGE KNIGHT KILLED BIGGIE & TUPAC!!

    EVERYHING BAD THAT IS HAPPENING,HE DESERVES IT!!

    FAT BASTARD!!!!!! I HATE THAT MUTHAFUCKA!!

  • http://BRONXRAP.COM str8gutta1

    Tune in to BRONXRAP.COM for all the latest in Hip-Hop!!

    • O.G. HATER

      TUNE IN TO THESE NUTTS, SPAMMIN FAGGOT!

  • Aftamaf

    It would be great if Dre dropped 26 mil or any number higher than Warner’s 25 mil!! Dre owning the Death Row catalog, that would be a good look.

  • fireforreal

    All the fuckin niggas who was on suge’s dick sayin he still got mad doe huh ? where the fuck is he at than.Why would you let go of a piece of hip hop history and it’s value is up to 25 million,and that’s just now so in time the value will go up,so the only reason he ain’t bid because that big ass bully ain’t got no doe.I think Dre’s gonna jump on it or atleast em so it would stay in the fam.

    • Jonny HIghsocks

      I feel u about Suge but think about this. Harris and his wife won a settlement of about 100 mil. Suge and this nigga hate each other I mean for real. I know yall seen that movie about death row about how grimey Suge, his lawyer and Harry O got. So if i’m that nigga, instead of paying these fools, I would delclare bankrupcy just like Suge did.

      He can’t bid on the catalog cause he told the Gov. he was broke. And yes the catlog is vaulable but alot of the songs are samples from the p funk era like George Clinton. The catlog doesn’t grow like u think cause if someone does sample, not only do u have to pay Dre but who he sampled from. Ya dig?

      “Fucc u, fucc u, your cool, I’m out”
      - Halfbaked -

  • lee

    let dre have the rights keep it in the family.

  • Vicious Seiger

    If so, prepare for the onslaught of Death Row Music being sampled for everything from commercials to movies. Imagine a Burger commercial with the creepy king riding in a 64 Impala playing “Nuthin’ but A G Thang” with a tag line saying “Nothing but A BK Thing”… Scary… Very Scary isn’t it. Squander Opportunites and Talent ruined by Mafioso Kingpin Fantasies.

  • Pierzy

    Think back to June 1996…if back then someone had told me that the Death Row catalog was worth only $25 million, that would’ve been crazy. The Chronic, Doggystyle, Dogg Food, Murder Was The Case, All Eyez On Me, Makaveli…. Damn

  • ka520

    I think they just re-start Death Row. Bring back Dr. Dre, Snoop, DPG (Daz, Kurupt, Soopafly, Bad Azz, Nate Dogg, etc.), Warren G, & DJ Quik. Then add a few, like The Game, Ice Cube, Xzibit, Strong Arm Steady (Mitchy Slick, Krondon, & Phil the Agony). Like Xzibit said on Mitchy Slick’s “Urban Survival Syndrome”: “The west could take over if niggaz would just get together.”

    It will never happen, but why not?

  • NIG

    RUMOR HAS IT THAT DR.DRE IS IN THE INVESTORS GROUP THAT IS TRYING 2 BUY THE CATALOG…….STAY TUNED……..HE DESERVE IT SNOOP DESERVES A PEICE ALSO….AND TUPAC… SUGE HAD A PERCENTAGE OF ALL THEIR PUBLISHING(LOOK IN ALL DEATHROW CREDITS ON SONGS U WILL SE SUGE PUPLISHING)……ALERT 2 U WANNA BE RAPPERS…..LEARN THE BUSINESS……THEN RAP!!

  • some one

    If they do buy out death row records i hope they put some of the old gangsters on there then maybe death row has a chance because that fat fuck suge knight fucked it all up that idiot but yeah thats what i hope to expect who’s down with that

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  • http://plusgigs.com/ google plus hangouts

    um0QB3 Muchos Gracias for your article.Much thanks again. Fantastic.