Miles Davis Catalog to Reservoir in Deal Worth $40 Million to $60 Million

FILE — From left, Tommy Potter, Charlie Parker, Max Roach (partially obscured), Miles Davis and Duke Jordan perform at the Three Deuces in New York. Reservoir Media says it has acquired Davis’ publishing catalog and will partner with the estate on recording-income and name-and-likeness rights ahead of his 2026 centennial. (William P. Gottlieb/Library of Congress)

Reservoir Media has acquired Miles Davis’publishing catalog and reached a deal to participate in income from his recordings, the company and the Davis estate said Tuesday. The agreement also includes a partnership on name and likeness ahead of the trumpet legend’s 100th birthday in 2026.

The estate — overseen by Davis’ daughter Cheryl Davis, his son Erin Davis and his nephew and longtime collaborator Vincent Wilburn Jr., with general manager Darryl Porter and attorney Jeff Biederman — said the partnership is designed to expand access to the music and present it with context on modern platforms. “We are so pleased to begin this new chapter of Miles’ legacy,” Erin Davis said. Wilburn added that Reservoir’s approach shows “real respect for Miles — his music, his style and his cultural impact.”

Financial terms were not disclosed. The New York Times reported the price was estimated in the $40 million to $60 million range.

Reservoir said it will help shape a yearlong centennial campaign featuring brand collaborations, special programming and live events. Projects in motion include “Miles & Juliette,” a feature film about Davis’ 1949 Paris romance with Juliette Gréco being developed with River Road Entertainment and Mick Jagger’s Jagged Films; a new international symphonic production that pairs archival footage with original orchestrations; and an M.E.B. (formerly Miles Electric Band) tour that includes a four-night Miles Davis Centennial Celebration at SFJAZZ in March 2026.

The company emphasized stewardship rather than reinvention. Reservoir founder and CEO Golnar Khosrowshahi called Davis “one of the most influential musicians of all time” and said the plan is to “showcase Miles’ brilliance to new audiences” during the centennial. David Hoffman, Reservoir’s vice president of A&R and marketing, described Davis as “a blueprint for musicians and creatives of all kinds.”

The deal arrives with an important clarification on recorded music: Sony Music retains ownership of the masters for Davis’ classic 1955-85 output. Reservoir’s agreement covers publishing and participation in the estate’s recording-related income, alongside the name and likeness collaboration. That structure will guide how reissues, syncs and new presentations unfold during the centennial push.

Davis’ catalog remains a living force. “Kind of Blue” is certified five times platinum and is preserved by the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, as is “Bitches Brew,” which was added to the registry in 2025. Recent estate projects — notably the Emmy-winning documentary “Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool” and the traveling exhibition “We Want Miles” — point to a centennial built around context as much as celebration.

At VMAs, Mariah Carey Earns Video Vanguard and First Competitive Moon Person

Mariah Carey finally got her MTV moment — twice. The singer accepted the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at Sunday’s 2025 MTV Video Music Awards and, earlier in the night, won her first competitive VMA, taking Best R&B for “Type Dangerous.”

Carey marked the honor with a career-spanning medley that doubled as a reminder of her video legacy. She opened with her new single “Sugar Sweet,” then flipped through “Fantasy,” “Honey,” “Heartbreaker,” “Obsessed” and “It’s Like That,” closing with a string-kissed “We Belong Together.” Ariana Grande presented the Vanguard; onstage, Carey joked about the long wait for her first Moon Person and nodded to the show’s role in her career.

The telecast — hosted by LL Cool J at UBS Arena — threaded legacy and spectacle. Ariana Grande took Video of the Year for “Brighter Days Ahead,” and Lady Gaga won Artist of the Year and Best Collaboration for “Die With a Smile” with Bruno Mars. ROSÉ and Bruno Mars earned Song of the Year for “APT.” New special honors expanded the frame: Busta Rhymes received the inaugural Rock the Bells Visionary Award, and Ricky Martin was named the first Latin Icon. The show aired on CBS and MTV with streaming on Paramount+.

Also notable: Doechii won Best Hip-Hop for “Anxiety,” Tyla took Best Afrobeats for “PUSH 2 START,” and LISA’s “Born Again” — featuring Doja Cat and RAYE — won Best K-pop. BLACKPINK claimed Best Group; Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet won Best Album.

What lingered was Carey’s set — precise, playful and pointed. The cuts that once defined TRL afternoons and late-night countdowns felt newly present, and the acknowledgment finally matched the scale of that history. With “Here for It All” due Sept. 26, the night functioned as both celebration and reset: a Hall-of-Fame résumé met with hardware, and a new chapter arriving on schedule.

Clipse Joins ‘Grace for the World’ Concert in St. Peter’s Square

St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, where “Grace for the World” will feature Clipse, Pharrell Williams with the Voices of Fire Gospel Choir and other artists. The concert streams globally Sept. 13.

After reuniting for “Let God Sort ’Em Out,” their first album in 16 years produced by longtime collaborator Pharrell Williams, Clipse may be finally giving one of the world's most popular deities the chance.

On Saturday, Sept. 13 the duo will take the stage in Vatican City for “Grace for the World,” a live concert set in St. Peter’s Square.

For fans with the means to join the locals, attendance is free, but those without — whom Malice often strikes at with his verbal venom, no worries. It will also be streamed globally on Disney+, Hulu and ABC News Live starting 3 p.m. ET / noon PT (with a replay on Disney+).

The placement fits the arc of the year. Pusha T and Malice spent 2025 rebuilding the Clipse voice — reflective, surgical, grown — while Pharrell kept his hands on the wheel, shaping the new set with the same instincts that defined their 2000s run. Tracks like “Ace Trumpets,” “So Be It” and “The Birds Don’t Sing” reintroduced the duo’s contrast: Malice’s spiritual gravity in counterpoint to Pusha’s cold precision. Vatican City extends that tension in the most unexpected of venues.

The lineup underscores the scale. Organizers list Williams with the Voices of Fire Gospel Choir, Maestro Andrea Bocelli, John Legend, Karol G, Clipse, Teddy Swims, Jelly Roll, Angélique Kidjo, and the Choir of the Diocese of Rome led by Maestro Marco Frisina, joined by an international choir under the musical direction of Adam Blackstone. Newly added performers include Jennifer Hudson and BamBam. Aerial drone and light work by Nova Sky Stories — with imagery inspired by the Sistine Chapel — is set to sweep the square overhead.

For a duo that once made stark minimalism feel like gospel, performing beside actual choirs is more than a stunt — it’s a clean through line. The same partnership that forged “Grindin’ ” matured into a record about memory, loss and resolve, and now it’s headed to a stage where the setting amplifies the message.