Morgan Wallen’s Label Announces That His Contract Is “Suspended”

Josh Brasted/Getty Images

Morgan Wallen’s Label Announces That His Contract Is “Suspended”

Josh Brasted/Getty Images

This past weekend, returning home late from a night out, Morgan Wallen yelled the N-word at one of his friends, and one of his neighbors caught it on video. TMZ posted that video this morning, and Wallen immediately issued an apology. Since then, the radio conglomerates iHeartRadio and Cumulus Media have already removed Wallen’s records from the air, and his songs have also been removed from Spotify and Apple Music playlists. This afternoon, Big Loud Records, Wallen’s label, has announced that it has indefinitely “suspended” his contract.

In a Twitter statement today, a Big Loud rep wrote, “In the wake of recent events, Big Loud Records has made the decision to suspend Morgan Wallen’s recording contract indefinitely.” It’s not entirely clear what it means to “suspend” a contract, but Big Loud also notes that Republic Records, their partner, supports their decision.

Big Loud launched in 2015, and its roster includes Wallen’s peers like Jake Owen, Chris Lane, and Mason Ramsey. (Florida Georgia Line, previously Big Loud’s biggest act, left the label last year.) Big Loud also has publishing and management arms, and Wallen is signed to both of them.

The specifics of Wallen’s suspension aren’t entirely clear, but it’s still striking how quickly the industry has distanced itself from him. Wallen is arguably the biggest new country star in years. Wallen released his sophomore effort Dangerous: The Double Album last month, and it’s currently the #1 album in America, a position it’s held for the past three weeks.

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