Country music star Morgan Wallen slammed his former music label Panacea Records as “gross” and ”greedy” for releasing decade-old music against his wishes that Wallen says makes him cringes — and responded by releasing his own re-recording of his hit “Spin You Around.”
Wallen shared an Instagram post denouncing the Thursday release of the album “Stand Alone (10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition),” which was put out by Panacea, a label he said he parted ways with nearly 10 years ago.
The album is an extended version of his 2015 EP “Stand Alone” and includes eight previously unreleased songs — but Wallen said it was done so without his support and with assistance from his former managers.
“It’s gross, greedy & an example of how the dark side of the music business can suck the soul out of artists,” he wrote. “I cringe when I listen to these songs & I’m concerned my fans may mistakenly believe this is a new release by me.”
Wallen is one of country music’s biggest names and has made a meteoric comeback after he was briefly shunned in the music industry over a video that caught him using the N-word in February 2021. The video was met with fierce outrage that saw his music temporarily dropped from radio stations and his recording contract with the Big Loud label suspended.
Wallen explained that the music from Panacea Records came from 2014.
“I went to Florida to try my hand at making original music & songwriting for the first time. This led to a recording deal with a local investor & an artist management deal that I deeply regret,” he said. “Unfortunately, I signed both deals without any legal representation.”
“We made 13 songs. Some were ok, most were terrible as I was just learning how to write in general & figuring it all out. I was not the only collaborator, so many of these songs were not my idea nor to my standards. We deemed 5 worthy-enough to make the ‘Stand Alone’ EP,” he continued.
“For months I’ve been exploring every avenue possible to acquire the rights to this old music & keep the quality of my catalog consistent with songs I choose to release & believe in,” Wallen said, adding, “I don’t want to see this happen to anyone else.”
Wallen hit back at the former label’s move by releasing “Spin You Around (1/24)” on Thursday, a re-recorded version of the hit from his 2015 EP.
He also said that he’s donating $10,000 from the Morgan Wallen Foundation to the Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts (VLPA) program.
“I hope young aspiring musicians read this story & know they should never have to give up their creative freedoms for an opportunity in this business,” Wallen said.
NBC News has reached out to Panacea Records for comment.
William Ray, the head of Panacea Records, told Variety on Friday that he supports the release.
“We love the songs and believe some of his fans will love it too,” Ray said. “We are excited to finally get these songs out to the world.”
Wallen is not the first artist to spar with music labels over their music catalog.
Taylor Swift has famously released four re-recorded versions of her previous albums after Big Machine Records, which released all of her albums through 2017’s “Reputation,” was sold along with her back catalog to music manager Scooter Braun in 2019.
It’s been a long road back for Wallen. In response to the racial slur scandal, he issued a video apology, saying he used the word after a 72-hour bender.
“I was wrong. It’s on me to take ownership of this and I fully accept any penalties I’m facing,” he said. He noted that he met with unnamed Black leaders and members of the Black community and came away with “a deep appreciation for them and a clearer understanding of the weight of my words.”
Since then, he performed at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards and continued producing chart-topping hits.
