News of August 20, 1997
Death Row Seeks New Distributor, Interscope Under Pressure
The boss in prison, a federal probe, a nervous parent company: in August 1997, it became known that Death Row and Interscope might part ways.
Death Row Records, the label on which Tupac’s last albums had been released, was looking for a new distribution partner in August 1997. The Los Angeles Times reported this on August 21, citing industry sources. Since Suge Knight had been sentenced to nine years, he was no longer permitted to run day-to-day operations; the future of the label hung in the balance.
Pressure from Seagram
Current partner Interscope Records was also under pressure. Edgar Bronfman Jr., head of parent company Seagram, had reportedly urged severing ties with Death Row after the label came under federal investigation for organized crime. Seagram’s Universal Music Group had purchased half of Interscope in February 1996; individual members of the board of directors took issue with the violent and sexually explicit lyrics.
An Interscope spokesperson said they had been wrestling with the question for months, but the distribution agreement remained in effect. A decision was expected before Seagram’s annual meeting in November.