Next year would have been a huge milestone for Miles Davis, as he was about to turn 100.
Before the big birthday arrives, Reservoir Media decided to buy most of the rights to Miles Davis’ music, grabbing 90% of his publishing and a big chunk of the estate’s earnings, as The New York Times mentioned, though nobody’s saying exactly how much cash changed hands (some folks guess it was $40–60 million). Now, both Reservoir and the Davis family will have a say in how his name and image get used, which is kind of wild if you think about it.
Reservoir isn’t stopping there—they’ve got a bunch of ideas to celebrate Miles’ 100th, like a movie about his romance with Juliette Gréco (Mick Jagger is actually helping produce it), a world tour from the band now called M.E.B. (used to be the Miles Electric Band), and a four-night party called the “Miles Davis Centennial Celebration” happening this March at SFJazz in San Francisco.
Right now, Reservoir also handles music from Snoop Dog, Joni Mitchell, Sheryl Crow, Offset, the Isley Brothers, and Sonny Rollins. A couple years ago, they bought Tommy Boy Music, which meant De La Soul’s albums finally showed up on streaming services. Even though Reservoir has all these publishing rights, Sony Music Entertainment still owns the rights to Miles’ albums from 1955 to 1985, according to Music Business Worldwide.
Fans think it’s cool when legendary artists get new chances to reach people.
Vince Willburn Jr., Miles’ nephew, said, “With Reservoir, there’s a real respect for Miles—his music, his style and his cultural impact. That means a lot to us. This partnership gives us the chance to elevate his legacy in new ways, and to ensure that his influence continues to inspire.”
Golnar Khosrowshahi, who started Reservoir, added, “Miles Davis is one of the most influential musicians of all time, and it is an incredible honor that his catalog has found a home at Reservoir. We are deeply grateful to the entire Miles Davis Estate–Cheryl, Erin, Vince, Darryl, and Jeff–for entrusting us with this responsibility. This moment is also a recognition of Reservoir’s proven commitment and capability to preserve legacies and reignite discovery of legendary artists on modern platforms, like streaming and social media. As we head into his centennial year, we look forward to showcasing Miles’ brilliance to new audiences, ensuring his music continues to be heard and celebrated worldwide.”
Sometimes, I wonder what Miles Davis would say about all this business stuff—maybe he’d just want to play his trumpet and not worry about it.
Read the Sunday Review of Miles Davis’ 1974 album Get Up With It.
A Guide to 1980s Miles Davis
