Photo Credit: Spc. Robert Vicens / US Army
Morgan Wallen is re-recording his old music in an effort to thwart what he calls ‘the dark side of the music business.’
Fans of Morgan Wallen were thrilled to learn the country star dropped a surprise re-recordng of “Spin You Around” on Thursday, January 25. But Wallen explained his reasoning behind the re-release on social media, and that it was an effort to combat “the dark side of the music business.”
“Back in 2014, I went to Florida to try my hand at making original music and songwriting for the first time. This led to a recording deal with a local investor and an artist management deal that I deeply regret. Unfortunately, I signed both deals without any legal representation,” Wallen explained, noting that they made 13 songs under that deal.
“Some were ok, most were terrible as I was just learning how to write in general and figuring it all out. I was not the only collaborator, so many of these songs were not my idea nor met my standards.”
“We deemed five worthy enough to make the Stand Alone EP, which includes a fan favorite, ‘Spin You Around,’” Wallen says of the 2015 release under Panacea Records.
“Tonight, those colleagues I parted ways with almost 10 years ago plan to release a ‘10th Anniversary’ edition of Stand Alone against my wishes and include eight unreleased songs, distributing them with the assistance of my former managers. For months I’ve been exploring every avenue possible to acquire the rights to this old music and keep the quality of my catalog consistent with songs I choose to release and believe in.”
“(This is) an example of how the dark side of the music business can suck the soul out of artists,” Wallen concluded, emphasizing that this was not his new music, and that he didn’t want what he went through to happen to anyone else.
While in Nashville this week, Wallen recorded a new version of “Spin You Around” to combat the release of that tenth anniversary project releasing without his consent. This time around, he worked with producer Joey Moi, who has worked on all of Wallen’s albums under the Big Loud label, and instrumentalist Bryan Sutton, who has played on many of Wallen’s songs.
Morgan Wallen also noted his donation of $100,000 from the Morgan Wallen Foundation to the Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts (VLPA) program. The artist begins recording his new album at the end of February.
