Reservoir Media has expanded its relationship with Hans Zimmer, signing the film composer to a worldwide publishing administration deal.
The company noted on Tuesday (March 10) that since 2015, its portfolio of film music has included rights to numerous scores created by Zimmer.
Under the new deal, Reservoir will administer Zimmer’s catalog through his company, Remote Control Publishing.
Reservoir notes that the German-born composer has scored more than 200 projects “across all mediums”, which combined have grossed more than USD $30 billion at the worldwide box office.
Zimmer has penned music for films such as The Dark Knight trilogy, Gladiator, Inception, The Lion King, several of The Pirates of the Caribbean films, Dune, Dunkirk, and Interstellar, as well as taking his scores on the road with large-scale live orchestral tours around the world.
“I’m thrilled that this expanded partnership with Reservoir opens the door to more ambitious and creative possibilities with an even larger reach.”
HANS ZIMMER
His most recent works include Dune: Part Two (2024) and F1 (2025), while his accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, five Grammy Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
On the new deal, Zimmer said, “Music connects us across cultures, generations and disciplines. I’m thrilled that this expanded partnership with Reservoir opens the door to more ambitious and creative possibilities with an even larger reach.”
“Hans is a master storyteller, and his groundbreaking compositions have redefined what film music can achieve.”
Golnar Khosrowshahi, Reservoir
Reservoir Founder and Chief Executive Officer Golnar Khosrowshahi added: “Hans is a master storyteller, and his groundbreaking compositions have redefined what film music can achieve.
“After working together for nearly a decade, we are thrilled to be expanding our relationship to now publish his prolific portfolio.
“Our partnership with Hans’ business partner at Remote Control, Steve Kofsky, has been instrumental in paving the way for this expansion. We look forward to working together to continue supporting Hans and his extraordinary body of work.”
Founded in 2007, Reservoir’s portfolio includes over 150,000 copyrights and approximately 36,000 master recordings, with titles spanning the catalogs of Joni Mitchell, John Denver, Sheryl Crow, and others.
Early in the 1980s, Zimmer began working as a film composer alongside Stanley Myers before his first solo score Terminal Exposure in 1987.
Reservoir noted that one year later, Zimmer’s career “reached a turning point” when he was asked to score Rain Man. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and earned Zimmer his first nomination for Best Original Score.
Reservoir added that the composer “has earned a reputation as a true innovator in composing, from utilizing unconventional instrumentation to pioneering new technologies and sound production techniques”.
In October 2024, Zimmer joined Reservoir Founder and Chief Executive Officer Golnar Khosrowshahi for a keynote conversation at The Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live conference, discussing AI’s impact on music, Zimmer’s creative process for various projects, and more.
The Zimmer deal comes at a notable moment for Reservoir, which went public on the Nasdaq in July 2021 via a SPAC merger with Roth CH Acquisition II Co.
Reservoir confirmed last Wednesday (March 4) that two of its existing shareholders, Wesbild Inc. and Richmond Hill Investments, have submitted an unsolicited, non-binding proposal to acquire all outstanding shares of the company that they don’t already own at $10.50 per share in cash.
The bid arrived just a day after Reservoir disclosed a separate proposal from activist investor Irenic Capital Management, LP — one of its existing shareholders — which had offered between $10.00 and $11.00 per share.
Bloomberg had earlier reported that Irenic had submitted the bid in February, valuing Reservoir at between $1.1 billion and $1.2 billion, including debt.
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