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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Fight Over Money From Johnny Cash Songs

NASHVILLE (CN) - Sun records claims Compadre Records owes it $66,000 for remixes of two Johnny Cash songs.

Sun Entertainment claims Music World Music dba Compadre Records owes it half the money Compadre made from selling remixes of two 50-year-old Cash songs, "Country Boy" and "Get Rhythm."

Sun owns the master recordings for "Johnny Cash - The Complete Sun Recordings - 1955-1958," it says in its federal complaint.

Compadre paid Sun a "one-time, lump sum, fully recoupable advance of $20,000 upon its receipt of the Sun master recordings and execution of the agreement," according to the complaint.

Under the agreement Compadre owns rights to the remixes while Sun keeps rights to the master recordings.

"With respect to revenues from the licensing of the album, Sun and Compadre shall equally split (i.e. 50%/50%) all net receipts therefrom," Sun says, citing the amended agreement.

But Sun says Compadre never paid it its share from the remix of "Country Boy," which was used in a movie trailer and ads for the CMA Music Festival and CMA Awards and raked in $63,250.

Compadre also stiffed it for its half share of the remix of "Get Rhythm," which Compadre sold to Columbia for $70,000, according to the complaint.

Sun demands its half of the profits, or $150,000 in damages for copyright infringement and breach of contract. Sun is represented by Donald Capparella with Dodson, Parker, Behm & Capparella

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