Reservoir Media
Reservoir Media is an independent music company focused on music publishing, recorded music, artist management, and related intellectual-property rights.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Reservoir Media is an independent music company headquartered in New York City, with additional offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, Toronto, London, and Abu Dhabi. Founded in 2007 by Iranian-Canadian entrepreneur Golnar Khosrowshahi, the company began as a music-publishing business and developed into a broader rights-management group spanning music publishing, recorded music, artist management, and international music operations. The company’s central business is the acquisition, administration, licensing, and commercial exploitation of musical copyrights. Its catalog includes works associated with historic songwriters and composers such as Billy Strayhorn, Hoagy Carmichael, and John Denver, as well as contemporary artists and writers including Sheryl Crow, Lady Gaga, Camila Cabello, Bruno Mars, Cardi B, and members of Phantogram. Reservoir also represents or works with active writers and producers including Levi Hummon, James Fauntleroy, Ali Tamposi, and Jamie Hartman. Its catalog strategy combines durable standards with current pop, hip-hop, country, and other commercially active repertoires. Reservoir expanded through a sequence of acquisitions and partnerships. It acquired TVT Music Enterprises in 2010, Reverb Music in 2012, P&P Songs in 2013, and First State Media Group from BMG Rights Management in 2014. The company later added the songwriters of Century Media in 2017, Chrysalis Records in 2019, and Shapiro Bernstein and Atlantic Screen Music in 2020. These transactions broadened its publishing assets and strengthened its position in recorded music, production music, and screen-music rights. The company’s film-music interests include rights associated with scores from major motion pictures such as The Lion King, the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Gladiator, and The Dark Knight trilogy, with the referenced scores created by composer-producer Hans Zimmer. In March 2022, Reservoir acquired rights to the catalog of film-score composer Henry Jackman. The company has also expanded its recorded-music and artist-services activities through labels and management businesses including Chrysalis Records, Tommy Boy Records, Philly Groove Records, Blue Raincoat Music, and Big Life Management. A partnership with PopArabia, founded by Spek, supports activity in international and emerging markets. Reservoir became a publicly traded company in 2021 through a business combination with special-purpose acquisition company Roth CH Acquisition Co. II, and its shares began trading on Nasdaq under the symbol RSVR. Public-company status provided a capital-markets structure for continued catalog acquisitions and expansion. The company has appeared in Billboard’s Publisher’s Quarterly Top 10 Market Share each year from 2017 through 2021 and received industry recognition including Music Business Worldwide’s A&R Awards Publisher of the Year in 2017 and 2019 and Music Week’s Independent Publisher of the Year in 2020 and 2022. Reservoir’s current leadership includes founder and chief executive Golnar Khosrowshahi and president and chief operating officer Rell Lafargue. Its business model is built around owning and managing intellectual property over long periods, combining catalog investment with administration, synchronization, licensing, label operations, artist services, and international partnerships.
History
Reservoir Media was established in 2007 by Golnar Khosrowshahi as a music-publishing company. Its initial strategy centered on building and administering a catalog of copyrights while supporting songwriters and producers. Under Khosrowshahi’s leadership, Reservoir developed from a publishing specialist into a diversified independent music company with activities in publishing, recorded music, artist management, film music, and international rights markets. The company’s expansion was driven substantially by acquisitions. In 2010 it acquired TVT Music Enterprises, bringing in a catalog and roster associated with artists and producers including Scott Storch and Lil Jon. Reverb Music followed in 2012, and P&P Songs was added in 2013. In 2014 Reservoir acquired First State Media Group from BMG Rights Management. The company continued to enlarge its songwriter and publishing interests through the acquisition of Century Media’s songwriters in 2017. Reservoir’s publishing holdings include works connected with both historic and contemporary repertoires. The catalog encompasses material written or performed by Billy Strayhorn, Hoagy Carmichael, John Denver, Sheryl Crow, Phantogram, Lady Gaga, Camila Cabello, Bruno Mars, Cardi B, and Thomas McClary of The Commodores. Its active writer and producer roster has included Levi Hummon, James Fauntleroy, Ali Tamposi, and Jamie Hartman. The company has also developed a significant screen-music position, holding rights connected with scores for films including The Lion King, the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Gladiator, and The Dark Knight trilogy, associated with composer-producer Hans Zimmer. A further stage of diversification began with the acquisition of Chrysalis Records in 2019. In 2020 Reservoir acquired Shapiro Bernstein and Atlantic Screen Music, strengthening its historic publishing, production-music, and audiovisual rights operations. The company also represented recorded music through Chrysalis Records, Tommy Boy Records, and Philly Groove Records, while management interests included Blue Raincoat Music and Big Life Management. A partnership with PopArabia, founded by Spek, added an international and emerging-market dimension to the business. Reservoir’s growing market position was reflected in industry rankings and awards. Billboard included the company in its Publisher’s Quarterly Top 10 Market Share every year from 2017 through 2021. Reservoir was named Publisher of the Year at Music Business Worldwide’s A&R Awards in 2017 and 2019, and Music Week recognized it as Independent Publisher of the Year in 2020 and 2022. In 2021, Reservoir entered the public markets through a business combination with Roth CH Acquisition Co. II, a special-purpose acquisition company. The resulting public company traded on Nasdaq under the ticker RSVR. The transaction gave Reservoir a listed corporate structure supporting its continuing catalog-investment strategy. In March 2022, it acquired rights to the catalog of film-score composer Henry Jackman. The company later added rights to the Miles Davis publishing catalog in September 2025, further extending its holdings into major twentieth-century jazz repertoire. Reservoir is based in New York City and maintains offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, Toronto, London, and Abu Dhabi. Its operating model combines ownership and administration of copyrights with licensing, synchronization, label operations, management, and international partnerships. Founder Golnar Khosrowshahi remains chief executive, while Rell Lafargue serves as president and chief operating officer.
- 2025
Miles Davis publishing catalog acquisition
[1]Reservoir acquires rights to the Miles Davis publishing catalog.
- 2022
Henry Jackman catalog acquisition
[1]Reservoir acquires rights to the film-score catalog of composer Henry Jackman.
- 2021
Nasdaq listing
[1]Reservoir becomes publicly traded following a business combination with Roth CH Acquisition Co. II and begins trading under RSVR.
- 2020
Acquisitions of Shapiro Bernstein and Atlantic Screen Music
[1]Reservoir broadens its publishing and screen-music activities through acquisitions of Shapiro Bernstein and Atlantic Screen Music.
- 2019
Acquisition of Chrysalis Records
[1]Reservoir acquires Chrysalis Records, expanding into recorded music and adding a major catalog-oriented label operation.
- 2017
Century Media songwriter acquisition
[1]Reservoir acquires the rights associated with Century Media’s songwriters and is named Publisher of the Year at the Music Business Worldwide A&R Awards.
- 2014
Acquisition of First State Media Group
[1]Reservoir acquires First State Media Group from BMG Rights Management.
- 2013
Acquisition of P&P Songs
[1]Reservoir adds P&P Songs to its music-publishing holdings.
- 2012
Acquisition of Reverb Music
[1]Reservoir acquires Reverb Music as part of its catalog-expansion strategy.
- 2010
Acquisition of TVT Music Enterprises
[1]Reservoir expands its publishing portfolio through the acquisition of TVT Music Enterprises.
Products and positioning
An independent, acquisition-led music-rights company that combines a large publishing and audiovisual catalog with recorded-music, artist-management, and international-market capabilities.
Music publishing · 2007
Music publishing catalog
Reservoir’s core offering is the ownership, administration, licensing, and exploitation of musical copyrights. Its catalog combines historic standards with contemporary pop, hip-hop, country, and other commercially active repertoires. The company represents works associated with songwriters, performers, producers, and composers, earning value through uses such as mechanical licensing, performance royalties, synchronization, and other authorized exploitation.
Film and television music
Screen-music rights
Reservoir manages rights connected with music created for film and other screen productions. Its referenced holdings include rights associated with scores for The Lion King, the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Gladiator, and The Dark Knight trilogy, as well as the catalog of film-score composer Henry Jackman. This business supports licensing and long-term administration of audiovisual music intellectual property.
Recorded music · 2019
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records is one of the recorded-music operations associated with Reservoir. Through the label, Reservoir participates in the release, representation, and exploitation of recorded music alongside its publishing activities. The acquisition of Chrysalis in 2019 helped extend the company beyond copyright administration into a broader independent-label model.
Artist management
Artist management services
Reservoir’s broader group includes artist-management activities associated with Blue Raincoat Music and Big Life Management. These operations complement publishing and recorded music by supporting artist representation and career-related services, although the available reference material does not specify the complete client roster or detailed service structure.
Brand decisions
2025
Acquisition of Miles Davis publishing catalog rightsM&ABackground
Reservoir continued its strategy of adding culturally significant music catalogs to its rights portfolio.
Action taken
The company acquired rights to the Miles Davis publishing catalog.
Aftermath
The acquisition broadened Reservoir’s holdings in major jazz repertoire.
2022
Acquisition of Henry Jackman catalog rightsM&ABackground
Reservoir was expanding its film and television music rights portfolio alongside its core publishing catalog.
Action taken
The company acquired rights to the catalog of film-score composer Henry Jackman.
Aftermath
The transaction increased Reservoir’s exposure to composer and screen-music intellectual property.
2021
Business combination with Roth CH Acquisition Co. IIM&ABackground
Reservoir sought a public-market structure to support its independent music-rights business and continuing expansion.
Action taken
The company completed a business combination with special-purpose acquisition company Roth CH Acquisition Co. II and became listed on Nasdaq under the ticker RSVR.
Aftermath
Reservoir operated as a publicly traded music company and retained a platform for catalog acquisitions and related growth initiatives.
Recent events
Reservoir and Outdustry expand partnership with investment and joint venture[2]
Reported:
Reservoir announced an expanded relationship with Outdustry, becoming a minority investing partner and forming a joint venture to sign and develop Chinese artists and songwriters and acquire local music catalogs.
Sources2 sources
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