Reservoir Media has acquired the rights to the catalog of South African composer, arranger, co-producer, and performer Lebohang Morake, professionally known as Lebo M.
Lebo is best known for his work on The Lion King franchise and first broke through in Hollywood for his collaboration with Hans Zimmer, whose film compositions Reservoir also has an interest in, on the soundtrack for the 1992 film The Power of One.
Following this success, Zimmer recruited Lebo for the soundtrack of Disney’s 1994 animated film The Lion King.
Lebo wrote and performed the opening of the legendary song Circle of Life, among others. That song earned Lebo a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement with Accompanying Vocals, with The Lion King soundtrack also taking home an Academy Award for Best Original Score.
Building on the original film soundtrack’s success, Lebo contributed to an additional one-off soundtrack, Rhythm of the Pride Lands, as well as the soundtrack for the film’s sequel, The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, and the 2019 photorealistic remake of The Lion King.
Furthermore, in April of this year, it was announced Lebo will be joining Lin-Manuel Miranda in composing music for Mufasa: The Lion King, releasing this month.
The Lion King musical has become the highest-grossing Broadway production ever, as well as one of the longest-running Broadway productions, running for over 21 years and having reached over 100 million people.
In addition to The Lion King franchise, Lebo has also contributed to various other films, such as Dinosaur, Back on the Block, The Life of Quincy Jones, Congo, Long Night’s Journey into Day, Tears of the Sun, The Legend of Tarzan, and The Woman King. Lebo is also renowned across South Africa as one of the country’s biggest stars.
He notably co-produced The Lion King South Africa in 2007, served as the composer and co-executive producer for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and founded organizations including the Lebo M Foundation and Till Dawn Entertainment in South Africa.
“I’m proud to join forces with Reservoir, a company that recognizes the power of music to unite and inspire.”
Lebohang Morake
On the deal with Reservoir, Lebo said: “I’m proud to join forces with Reservoir, a company that recognizes the power of music to unite and inspire.
“This partnership will enable me to continue pushing the boundaries of creativity and sharing my music with new generations.”
“We are so proud to bring in rights to his influential catalog, reinforcing Reservoir’s interest in successful and culturally defining film scores, and we look forward to working with Lebo in the next phase of his career.”
Reservoir Founder and Chief Executive Officer Golnar Khosrowshahi added: “Lebo’s music has moved generations of film lovers, with his contributions to The Lion King, in particular, shaping some of film’s most beloved music.
“We are so proud to bring in rights to his influential catalog, reinforcing Reservoir’s interest in successful and culturally defining film scores, and we look forward to working with Lebo in the next phase of his career.”
Reservoir’s deal with Lebohang Morake marks the latest in a string of recent deals for the music rights company. In August, Reservoir acquired the publishing rights to the catalog of the late songwriter and guitarist Billy Strange.
Other acquisitions over the past year include the producer rights and publishing catalog of 2Pac producer Big D Evans, the works of Latin music hitmaker Rudy Perez, and the catalog of Grammy-nominated hip-hop producer Mannie Fresh.
Other notable acquisitions include the catalogs of rock artist Greg Kihn, members of the R&B group The Spinners, saxophonist Sonny Rollins, and songwriter Louis Prima.
Reservoir’s continued investment in music catalogs has contributed to its strong financial performance. In the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the company reported an 8% year-over-year increase in revenue to $34.3 million. Publishing revenue, which accounted for $24 million of the total, saw a 15% year-over-year rise, driven by catalog acquisitions and increased streaming revenue.
In an investor factsheet released earlier this calendar year, Reservoir said it had spent nearly $1 billion on catalog acquisitions and signings since it launched in 2007.
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