Death Row Records Catalogue Back On Streaming Services

The Death Row Records catalogue is back on streaming services after a year away. Snoop Dogg acquired the record label early last year and promised to build his own streaming service as well as an NFT record label, but clearly, neither of those options worked out.

The rap superstar brought the Death Row Records catalogue - which includes a current roster of Snoop, Mount Westmore and Merkules, as well as former artists including 2Pac, Dr Dre, Nate Dogg, and more - exclusively to TikTok in mid-February via the video-sharing platform's independent music distribution program, SoundOn. It was promised that the catalogue would also return to streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, and now it's back.

The collaboration "marks the label’s first official online release since its removal from streaming services in early 2022, and the first-ever catalog reissue to release exclusively through SoundOn," a representative for Death Row Records said, per Music Business Worldwide.

Snoop Dogg commented, "Since I took Death Row off streaming almost a year ago, not a day goes by without people asking me to put it back up. 

"As the Super Bowl rolled around, I knew fans would be looking for the music from our iconic performance in 2022, so I wanted to reintroduce the most historic catalog to the people. I reached out to the folks at TikTok to make more history…enjoy ya’ll."

Yessir. Heard you. Death Row Records catalog is back streaming everywhere tonight 9pm pst. 💨 pic.twitter.com/oqnP4rDdT2

— Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) March 9, 2023

Back and we’re just getting started. Death Row catalog is back streaming everywhere today. pic.twitter.com/mMYsH7OSWH

— Death Row Records (@deathrowmusic) March 10, 2023

We are live @deathrowmusic on @AppleMusic pic.twitter.com/IOJc9TYS23

— Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) March 10, 2023

Another one of the label’s huge releases, Dr Dre's debut album, The Chronic, which features the hit singles Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang and Let Me Ride, recently returned to streaming services after a year away, just in time for its 30th anniversary.

In April 2020, the record was distributed to all streaming services after being an Apple Music exclusive since 2015. In March 2022, The Chronic - as well as other albums released on Death Row Records, of which Dr Dre was a co-founder before departing - was removed from streaming services. 

In January, Universal Music Group and Shamrock Holdings confirmed a deal with Dr Dre to transfer the masters (from Death Row) to Dr Dre. Now, the album has returned to Dre and his original distributor, Interscope Records.

"I am thrilled to bring The Chronic home to its original distribution partner, Interscope Records," Dr Dre commented about the news (via The Line Of Best Fit). "Working alongside my long-time colleagues, Steve Berman and John Janick, to re-release the album and make it available to fans all over the world is a full circle moment for me."