After 30 years, De La Soul’s Clear Lake Audiotorium will finally be released digitally.
The legendary hip-hop group revealed that their mythical EP from 1994, which features A Tribe Called Quest and other dope emcees, will be available digitally on March 7. If you also want a CD or vinyl pressing, those will be available too.
“Originally pressed in 1994 as an exclusive promotional release for select DJs, Clear Lake Audiotorium has achieved near-mythical status among collectors,” wrote the group in a statement about the upcoming release. “The album includes four tracks from the ‘Buhloone Mindstate’ era, with two rare collaborations ‘sh.Fe.Mc’s’ featuring A Tribe Called Quest and ‘Stix & Stonz’ with contributions from Tito of The Fearless Four, Grandmaster Caz, LA Sunshine of the Treacherous Three and Prince Whipper Whip.”
De La Soul is fresh off a legal battle with their record label, Tommy Boy, about the compensation for the music. Back in 2019, the group shared a message about being unable to come to an agreement with the label about compensation for the music.
“Well friends, after 30 years of profiting from our music and hard work... and after 7 long months of stalled negotiations, we are sad to say that we’ve been unable to reach an agreement and earn Tommy Boy’s respect for our music/legacy,” they wrote on Instagram. “With some helpful consulting and long careful consideration, we’ve decided we will not do our 30+ years the disservice of settling on Tom Silverman’s terms”
“Tommy Boy says they are ‘not in the business of giving artists back their Masters.’ We realize, there is a process in reclaiming ownership but we do not trust Tommy Boy in this process after so many years of disappointment,” they continued. “Therefore, our catalog will not see the light of day by way of our involvement or consent. This means, if you see De La Soul music/albums available for streaming or purchase anywhere, BE AWARE, all parties involved WILL profit but De La Soul WILL NOT benefit or earn deservedly/fairly.”
In 2021 though, Talib Kweli announced that De La Soul came to an agreement with Tommy Boy and “now owns all the rights to their masters.” Soon after, news broke that Tommy Boy was acquired by Reservoir Media. A statement from Reservoir’s Executive Vice President of A&R and Catalog Development, Faith Newman, gave some context as to how the group’s music became available to stream.
“When Reservoir acquired Tommy Boy, the first call we made was to De La Soul,” said Newman. “We vowed to bring their music to streaming, and it means the world to our team to make good on that promise and expose a whole new generation of listeners to one of the most important catalogs in hip-hop history.”
