George Strait Plays Surprise Performance At UMG Nashville CRS Showcase — A Reminder of Copyright Perils
February 24th, 2012
After more than 10 years absence, George Strait shows up at CRS Nashville for a surprise performance and does 3 songs for the Country DJs and radio executives present. One of the songs he did surprised us. More on that following the account from Billboard.
“In what has become a recent highlight of Country Radio Seminar week in Nashville, Universal Music Group Nashville held its third annual artist showcase at the famed Ryman Auditorium with a mix of veteran, newly established and up-and-coming artists from their roster.
“The label made sure to tell attendees to be prompt so as to not miss a very special performance. That turned out to be a two-song set by the legendary and mostly reclusive George Strait, who was making his first appearance at CRS in more than a decade. The crooner, who holds a Billboard Country Songs record with 44 No. 1s, performed “Ill Always Remember You,” from his recent album “Here For a Good Time,” and his 2008 hit “Troubadour.”
The surprise for us was “Troubadour.” Songwriter Monty Holmes, staff writer in the mid-2000′s for our publishing partner ParMusic, co-wrote the song. It became a big hit, but was pulled by Universal because of a publisher copyright dispute. No fault of Universal, they just jumped out when the questions came up. The cost to ParMusic was around 5 grand in legal fees to protect its rights. Big lesson.
