Reservoir announces new deal with rock and roll icon Dion

26 January 2023 - Press release

Reservoir Media, Inc. (NASDAQ: RSVR) (“Reservoir” or the “Company”), an award-winning independent music company, today announced a new deal with Rock and Roll and Grammy Hall of Fame inductee Dion Francis DiMucci, professionally known as Dion. The deal includes Dion’s entire publishing catalog and future works, as well as synchronization rights to his recording masters.

Born in the Bronx, Dion famously blended doo-wop, pop, rock, R&B, folk, and blues to help usher in the age of American rock and roll. From the 1950s to present day, the 2x-Grammy-nominated star has had a prolific career, releasing over 40 albums and earning 39 Top 40 hits, as well as 11 Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits. In recognition of his ongoing influence and impressive contributions to music, Dion was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.

Dion first earned renown as the lead singer of Dion and the Belmonts, before pursuing a solo career. His popularity soared in the 1950s and 1960s, with hit songs such as “Runaround Sue,” “The Wanderer,” “Ruby Baby,” “Dream Lover” and more. “Runaround Sue” reached #1 on the Hot 100 and helped Dion earn his spot in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Dion’s “The Wanderer” also climbed the Hot 100, peaking at #2. Additionally, Rolling Stone ranked both “Runaround Sue” and “The Wanderer” on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Dion’s music has frequently been featured in noteworthy synchronizations across film and TV, including Diner, Peggy Sue Got Married, Little Big League, The Sopranos, Behind Enemy Lines, The West Wing, The Wire, and Ozark, among many others.

Dion continues to release new music and tour today. His 2006 release, Bronx in Blue, earned him his second Grammy nomination. In 2021, he released his album, Stomping Ground, featuring an impressive list of collaborators including fellow rock and roll icons like Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, Bruce Springsteen, Mark Knopfler and others. Additionally, The Wanderer, a musical based on Dion’s life and the challenges he overcame, had a pre-Broadway run at the Paper Mill Playhouse in April 2022, with Broadway World proclaiming it is “destined to be a hit.”

On the new deal Dion said, “I am most pleased to enter into this great new relationship with Reservoir. I know how much the Reservoir team appreciates my work, and I am looking forward to some exciting times ahead with them.” He added, “I want to thank the entire Reservoir team for helping to make it happen, particularly Rell Lafargue, Jonathan Sturges and Faith Newman. I also want to thank Marvin Katz, my attorney, who introduced me to Reservoir and represented me in the transaction.” 

Reservoir’s Executive Vice President of A&R and Catalog Development Faith Newman also commented, “Dion is a pillar of early rock and roll music and wrote and recorded songs that are universally loved and recognized.” She added, “He continues to make music with and inspire the genre’s biggest names today. It’s an honor to support both his evergreen catalog and future hits.”