Curb Shows Its Ass By Releasing Single After Court Loss
***UPDATE***UPDATE***UPDATE***
Curb Records has finally granted a release date to Tim McGraw’s album Emotional Traffic of January 17,2012.
***UPDATE***UPDATE***UPDATE***
On Wednesday, Tim McGraw won an initial court battle against Curb Records in his long bout to be absolved from his Curb contract and get his album Emotional Traffic released. The win means McGraw is now free to record new music and pursue a new label “outside of his contract” with Curb, but in no way means he’s out of the woods. A full trial is set for July, when the decision will be made if McGraw was in breach of his contract, and if so, what the penalty is. Curb wants McGraw to make another original album, beyond Emotional Traffic and his contractual obligations, because they say Emotional Traffic’s music was recorded too soon after his last album.
McGraw has said before that he wants to have new music out by March. Despite the win, McGraw may still be bound by certain elements of his Curb contract, and by court orders from the ongoing lawsuit. The full findings from the judge are expected in about a week. However less than 2 hours after the court ruling came down, Curb finally moved on releasing some of the Emotional Traffic music. The verdict came down at 2:30 PM, and by 4:30 PM, radio stations and media outlets had been informed that Tim McGraw’s latest single “Better Than I Used To Be” was being released to radio.
The release of “Better Than I Used To Be” is Curb Records showing its ass. It makes Curb look desperate, and is contradictory to Curb’s own statements. The crux of their argument for not releasing Emotional Traffic is that the content is not “topical” enough, though Curb has proven over the years, this has never stopped them before. They also asserted that there weren’t any good singles on Emotional Traffic, however their first action after the court ruling was to release one, and the other single they released from the album “Feel Good On My Lips” became a #1 hit.
Record labels are rarely bound to release singles from albums unless they see fit.
Emotional Traffic could make Curb Records millions of dollars, but if McGraw is able to move on from the project and release new music with another label, it could trump Emotional Traffic’s impact. So Curb may be rushing to release a single, and may finally give Emotional Traffic a release date soon instead of allowing the content to spoil. They also might be trying to trump Tim McGraw, similar to how they did with Hank3 when they released his album Hillbilly Joker they previously rejected. Curb released Hillbilly Joker right before Hank3’s first independent releases, diluting sales of Hank3’s new albums, and confusing consumers.
Whatever Curb’s motivations or plans, it looks like the tide has turned for Tim McGraw. However the battle is far from over, and fans should not be happy about the single release, they should be wary of its motivations. Mike Curb is shrewd if he is anything, and no doubt this move was pre-calculated to coincide with the court order.
cathy
November 30, 2011 @ 8:06 pm
he needs his own “Fuck Curb” shirt…
Sean
November 30, 2011 @ 8:08 pm
A minor correction/clarification, Trig….
“Felt Good on My Lips” was actually released/promoted as a new track from last Christmas’ Curb money-milker Number One Hits, although I believe it is also on Emotional Traffic.
The Triggerman
November 30, 2011 @ 8:35 pm
I see what you’re saying, but I’m not sure that the distinction matters. I guess the point I was trying to make, and other have made is that it came from the Emotional Traffic project and it performed well, disproving Curb’s assertion that the content is not “topical” and that there’s no good singles. I think in the end, if Emotional Traffic is ever released, it will be considered part of that project because it is an original work.
Sean
November 30, 2011 @ 8:37 pm
Yeah, I was kinda nit-picking a technicality, I guess.
The Triggerman
November 30, 2011 @ 8:53 pm
But it could be germane when you try to run down all of the different tentacles this story has. My head is on fire right now trying to digest the court order, and how this single release fits into everything. I honestly feel like this conflict is the big flash point right now in the struggle of the traditional music industry for it’s life. I think Mike Curb is acting desperate because losing Tim right now could mean the real or virtual implosion of Curb Records. Being independent, they have no parent company to get reorganized by, no subsidiaries to spin off. I think they have to fight to keep Tim McGraw, even if they know they have little chance of doing so, because without him, they have little chance for survival. That’s about the only thing that explains their actions.
Libby
December 1, 2011 @ 9:46 am
I don’t even pretend to understand Mike Curb, but with all I’ve read/seen that he has done over the years, I truly believe that this is all about power, not money. If he had treated all these artists “fair” over the years, I really think that he would have been ahead of the game, money wise.
bates
November 30, 2011 @ 8:11 pm
This is pathetic. I hate McGraw’s music, but I really feel for the man and all of his fans. The fact that a bunch of lawyers are playing around with an artists work in order to capitalize the most money out of it is sad. A move made like that should get the rest of Curb’s artists ready for their contract termination, and I’ll feel for them when the time comes too.
kayla
November 30, 2011 @ 8:15 pm
Tim’s new song is a cover. He sang it in concert a few times this summer and on one of the morning shows.
Tim’s song: http://tasteofcountry.com/tim-mcgraw-better-than-i-used-to-be/
Version by Sammy Kershaw: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZt_3Kgcoao
NLindsay
December 1, 2011 @ 2:42 am
“A full trial is set for July, when the decision will be made if McGraw was in breach of his contract, and if so, what the penalty is.”
The important thing is that a lot of folks who spent years racking up debts in law school get to finally prove their worth via arguing over something as important as this.
The Triggerman
December 1, 2011 @ 9:28 am
I agree it’s silly and sad courts and lawyers have to be involved in something like this, but at the same time, what if you were working with someone to help fund your video, and then all of a sudden they stopped releasing them, and then told you that you couldn’t make any more, and there was nothing you could do about it? My guess is, if you had the money, you’d get a lawyer.
Jack Williams
December 1, 2011 @ 4:38 am
Would guess that the Curb boycott is still in effect. I signed it, although when I did, there wasn’t much chance I would have bought a Curb album anyway. The only “hardship” I can think of is that I think Lyle Lovett’s next album will be released on Curb, which he’s said will be his last Curb album. I found that interesting, as I don’t think his last few albums were on Curb.
Enderwillsaveusall
December 1, 2011 @ 5:27 am
I can understand why Curb thinks they can get away with screwing over Hank and his fans as he is a niche artist and has a small set of fans (in their eyes) and they can justify the Hillbilly Joker thing, but to try to do it on such a grand scale of someone like Tim Mcgraw who doesnt rock the boat at all seems like such a bad business idea. It is going to be hard to spin this in any positive light whether they win or lose this case.
Jack Williams
December 1, 2011 @ 5:51 am
I agree with that completely.
John Hauge
December 1, 2011 @ 6:28 am
i don’t care for tim and his music. and that plastic cowboy hat he sports makes me want to scream. deal is record company’s have screwed over artists since the first day they started pressing 78’s. it’s pretty obvious mike curb is a crook and an ass hole. my question would be, why does anyone sign with him given his past and current history with artists? any record deal is better than no deal even if the deal is a train wreck?
The Triggerman
December 1, 2011 @ 9:27 am
Tim McGraw signed his deal with Curb, just about the same time Hank3 did, in the late 90’s. At that point, Curb was seen as one of the best labels to do business with in Nashville, because they were independently owned, and locally-based, unlike many of the other labels on Music Row, where the guts of the business was located in LA or New York.
2001 and LeAnn Rimes was the first serious misstep by Curb, and by that timedozens of artists were already locked into long-term contracts, that Curb made even longer by waiting as much as five years between albums.
It is easy to blame Tim or any of these artists and say they should have known better, but really, there was nothing for them to know, or even worse, Curb was considered the best alternative. And nobody foresaw the implosion of the music industry we’re in the midst of now.
John Hauge
December 1, 2011 @ 2:09 pm
that explains things. thanks. i wonder what changed? or did he plan on doing what he did or still does?
[links] Link salad would rather be sleeping in this morning « CJ Marsicano
December 1, 2011 @ 7:05 am
[…] Curb Shows Its Ass By Releasing Single After Court Loss – Seriously, how is this label still in business? The list of major artists that Mike Curb and his bizarro world approach to the music industry has pushed around and pissed off is staggering. If anyone needs to understand why Hank Williams III initialed a "Fuck Curb" campaign years ago, there's plenty more to read at this site. […]
RWP
December 1, 2011 @ 7:25 am
Isn’t McGraw pretty much the last big name Curb has? I don’t see how they can keep going.
Deadend Boy
December 1, 2011 @ 10:58 am
I don’t understand the LeAnn Rimes comment — her latest album, Lady and Gentlemen (which is pretty good, relative to most of the crap coming out of the Nashville Machine) is released on Curb. Which also means that Curb still has at least one major artist.
The Triggerman
December 1, 2011 @ 3:04 pm
I’m not sure which LeAnn Rimes comment you are talking about. Her brushup with Curb happened back in 2001, but from my understanding, she is one the same contract she was on back then. She is a pretty big name, but I think Tim McGraw is seen as one of those very top tier super country franchises and is a warhorse for Curb to lose. I don’t want to bag on LeAnn, but with her weird divorce, her weight issues and a few other things, I’m not sure she is the hot commodity she once was.
Deadend Boy
December 2, 2011 @ 9:43 am
Thanks, I was confused about the 2001 thing. I thought the implication was that she had split from Curb. I agree about the weirdness, I keep expecting something terrible is gonna happen to Rimes. It’s a shame. I really like her western swing and other traditional covers, though I don’t care for the pop crap.
Kayla
December 2, 2011 @ 3:17 pm
Posted on Tim’s Facebook page
A Message From Tim:
I fought very hard for the release of Emotional Traffic, it’s an album full of music of which I am very proud. It’s extremely unfortunate that it wasn’t released earlier this year in conjunction with the Emotional Traffic tour but all I want to do now is focus on the positive and look to the future. I’m really excited about the new music I’m recording. Next week I’m putting… out a holiday song I”™ve just recorded called “Christmas All Over The World.” After the first of the year I”™ll have a brand new single which I can hardly wait to share with everyone. I am so appreciative of the support I”™ve received over the years, and I”™m looking forward to this next chapter of my career.
-Tim
Article in the Tennessean http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111202/BUSINESS/312020085/Tim-McGraw-release-Christmas-song-next-week?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
He’s moving ahead in spite of Curb’s bullshit. I hope he recorded that Christmas song yesterday. Now if only radio will support him.
Tim McGraw’s ‘Emotional Traffic’ Finally Gets Release Date « Saving Country Music
December 2, 2011 @ 11:23 pm
[…] the 5 album deal he signed when he joined the label. Less than two hours after the court decision, Curb released a new single from the album called “Better Than I Used To Be.” In a statement, McGraw also iterated […]
kayla
December 3, 2011 @ 7:34 am
According to this article, during Curb’s early days in Nashville he didn’t have the money for full production so he entered into joint venture agreements with other labels – so you might have seen Curb/MCA on Lyle Lovett or the Judds cds, for example. Some of those old relationships could explain why you see Lovett record on other labels.
http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/can-mike-curb-be-as-clean-as-he-looks/Content?oid=1181622
Rimes has a bit of weirdness about her, but it’s mostly that she has no filter in her brain. She just says whatever is on her mind. When the ruling came out in the McGraw/Curb hearing, she sent this tweet:
leannrimes
Omg, I am doing the happy dance like its going out of style Congrats Tim McGraw!!!!!!
Gutsy, I think.
.
The Triggerman
December 3, 2011 @ 10:20 am
There’s a good chance Rimes and many other Curb artists, or possibly ALL Curb artists are going through the same problems Tim McGraw has just gone through, Tim just may be the one we know about, or the one that has reached critical mass. McGraw’s win may give these artists hope, just like Hank3’s wins against Curb probably helped McGraw. The legal precedence set, and the now undeniable pattern of behavior from Curb will be heavy baggage next time they want to go toe to toe with one of their artists.
kayla
December 7, 2011 @ 10:58 pm
Rodney Atkins just resigned with Curb. Big payday for Rodney, I bet.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/rodney-atkins-renews-contract-with-curb-records-2011-12-07
kayla
December 7, 2011 @ 10:59 pm
sorry – renewed, not resigned.
The Triggerman
December 7, 2011 @ 11:08 pm
Hmmm….
They might be trying to shore up the last of the talent they have left. My two favorite parts of that press release is that they still list Tim McGraw as one of their artists, which isn’t necessarily untrue as his contract will not be fully resolved until the July trial. And that . . .
“in 2010 he became a spokesperson for Kraft Velveeta Shells and Cheese, which sponsored his “Get Together” tour.”
kayla
December 8, 2011 @ 9:32 am
Wholesome – here’s is McGraw’s Christmas song – free download for fans on aol http://www.theboot.com/2011/12/08/tim-mcgraw-christmas-all-over-the-world/
kayla
December 9, 2011 @ 12:54 pm
Update on LeAnn – she’s about to release her last cd under Curb.
http://www.theboot.com/2011/12/09/leann-rimes-new-album-2012/