Roots, Toots n' Hoots Blog

Does Tim McGraw have faith?

Jeffrey Remz  |  December 20, 2011

The future of Tim McGraw could rest with a major label. At least that's what the Tennessean is indicating.

McGraw, of course, won a court victory in November against his one-and-only label, Curb, freeing him to sign with another label. Interestingly, his long delayed CD, "Emotional Traffic," will finally see the light of day from Curb in January. McGraw, on the other hand, already released a holiday single and plans for more releases on his own very soon.

The Tennessean reported that McGraw's reps have met with Warner, Universal, Sony, Capitol and Big Machine. In other words, he has made contact with all the big boys. The newspaper referred to testimony given by Coran Capshaw, McGraw's manager, in out-of-court depositions about the singer's post-Curb business actions.

The talks also come at a time of expected upheaval in the industry as Universal owns Capitol Nashville. Typically, when a label is sold and changes hand, so do the execs. Of course, that could determine where McGraw winds up since an artist has to have confidence in the folks holding the reins.

While McGraw may be looking at future deals, McGraw and Curb are still involved in court action.

One wonders if McGraw in fact will go the major label route or work out some sort of deal where he releases discs on his own, but relies on a major label to handle some of the chores. McGraw has a proven track record, even during the simmering dispute with Curb, to reach the top of the charts (his recent number one Felt Good on My Lips)

McGraw may well be in the driver's seat. He's been around long enough, and is of sufficient conviction, to call his own shots. It will be interesting to see whether McGraw has faith in the major labels to again.