Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. was an American
music publishing
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
firm formed in 1942 by
Roy Acuff
Roy Claxton Acuff (September 15, 1903 – November 23, 1992) was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music", Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown ...
and
Fred Rose in
Nashville, Tennessee, United States.
Acuff-Rose's honest behavior towards their writers set them apart from other music publishing firms at the time and led them to fame throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Currently, the company's catalog is owned by
Sony Music Publishing (US), LLC (Delaware).
Early history
Acuff-Rose was formed by
country music performer
Roy Acuff
Roy Claxton Acuff (September 15, 1903 – November 23, 1992) was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music", Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown ...
and
Fred Rose, a major Nashville music-industry figure and songwriter, who had a respected ability as a talent scout.
Many country performers had been badly cheated in the past with regard to
copyright and other rights to their creations. Many were unsophisticated and naive and were taken advantage of by unscrupulous
agents,
attorneys, record promoters, record labels and others. When they started their publishing company, a condition to the gentleman's agreement between Acuff and Rose was that "our company would be honest. The writers would always be taken care of. No one would act in a shady way." Acuff-Rose Publications, Inc. was affiliated with
BMI, while Milene Music, Inc. handled music from
ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
member composers. Both firms initiated business in 1943 with Fred Rose compositions; Acuff-Rose Publications, Inc. copyrighted four songs (under Rose's pseudonym 'Floyd Jenkins') on January 28, while Milene Music, Inc., published "We Live In Two Different Worlds" in July.
Acuff-Rose had its headquarters on 8th Avenue South in the Melrose district of Nashville and was something of a landmark to those knowledgeable of the music industry. It was here that
Hank Williams
Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...
, to prove his ability to Rose, wrote what would become a major hit ("
A Mansion on the Hill") while Rose went out to a nearby restaurant for a cup of coffee. Williams proved to be a significant signing, by subsequently releasing a string of both country, and pop hits.
Catalog growth, 1954–1984
On Fred Rose's death in 1954, his son
Wesley Rose served as president of Acuff-Rose.
Wesley Rose led the publishing company for the next 30 years. He was instrumental not only in the success of Acuff-Rose but also in the growth of country music outside the U.S., being the first country music publisher to establish offices overseas. Acuff-Rose Music flourished throughout this period.
Lefty Frizzell,
Felice and Boudleaux Bryant,
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...
,
Don Gibson,
The Everly Brothers,
Mickey Newbury,
Dallas Frazier, and
Whitey Shafer were some of the significant songwriters signed exclusively to Acuff-Rose in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.
Acuff-Rose Music also operated a record label,
Hickory Records, Inc.,
until 1987. It still exists as an assumed name of the parent corporation (see below).
Sale to Gaylord Entertainment Group, Sony/ATV
Recognizing the frailty of their health and that the company he and Fred Rose had founded in 1942 was in steady decline, Roy Acuff approached Wesley Rose late in 1984 and suggested that it was time to sell the catalog. They did not have to look very far for a buyer. By May 1985,
Grand Ole Opry
The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...
parent company
Gaylord Entertainment Company purchased the catalogue for $15 million. The company returned to prominence during this time under the guidance of
Music Row veterans Jerry Bradley and
Troy Tomlinson
Troy Tomlinson (born January 18, 1964) is an American music executive and the Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville. Upon assuming the role on July 1, 2019, Tomlinson became the first Chairman and CEO to run a major music ...
and acquired
Tom Collins Music. However, finding itself in need of cash in order to complete construction of one of its trademark convention hotels in Texas, Gaylord sold the publishing company to
Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2002.
Sony/ATV Music Publishing had previously purchased Acuff-Rose's main Music Row rival,
Tree International. The combined catalogs continue to dominate the country music publishing industry. In 2007, Sony/ATV Music Nashville became the first publisher in history to capture BMI Country Music Publisher of the Year,
ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
Country Music Publisher of the Year,
SESAC
SESAC is a for-profit performance-rights organization in the United States. Founded in 1930 as the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, it is the second-oldest performance-rights organization in the United States. Country Music Publisher of the Year, and ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' Country Music Publisher of the Year.
''Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.''
Acuff-Rose Music was involved in a landmark copyright infringement case in the 1990s: ''
Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.'' (510 U.S. 569; 1994). In dispute was the use by
rap artist
Luther Campbell (then using the alias "Luke Skyywalker") and his band
2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew is an American hip hop music, hip hop group from Miami, Florida, which had its greatest commercial success from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The group's most well-known line up was composed of Luther Campbell, Luke Campbell, Fr ...
of a substantial amount of the
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...
hit song "
Oh, Pretty Woman" in a
parody. Claiming their version of the song fell under the
fair use doctrine of the Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. 107, Campbell prevailed in the
United States district court in
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
. However, this was reversed at the appellate level by the
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The case was argued before the
United States Supreme Court on November 9, 1993. Handing down its ruling on March 7, 1994, the court held that the appellate court placed too much emphasis on the commercial nature of the parody. The opinion of the appellate court was reversed and the case was remanded for further proceedings.
Subsequently, the parties agreed to settle the case to avoid further legal expense.
References
{{Authority control
Defunct companies based in Tennessee
Music publishing companies of the United States
Ryman Hospitality Properties
Sony Music Publishing
2002 mergers and acquisitions