John Moreland is not one to hold his tongue or pull his punches (literally). It was announced yesterday that Zach Bryan had inked a deal with Warner Records, which puts him on the hook for at least two more albums despite his constant statements saying his next will be the last and that he’s done touring after whatever tour he happens to be on is finished. He also signed a deal, which may be connected or may be completely separate, to sell over his publishing catalog for a whopping $350 million. It’s unclear if the number is just for the catalog or part of the re-up with Warner. Either way, the man got PAID. It’s a little vague on specific details but this essentially means that he would no longer own the publishing rights to his songs. Since Zach is one of the largest acts on the planet, I assume he had some lawyers look it over and make sure that he’s comfortable with the terms, but we will probably never know exactly what they are since most of those agreements stay secret thanks to a bunch of NDA’s and the power of the industry. This comes on the heels of Morgan Wallen’s label selling a stake in his masters catalogue for $200 million, showing that country music really is one of the top genres on the planet right now… There’s been lots of talk about these recent financial developments but one former Zach Bryan collaborator voiced his displeasure with deal in a since deleted Instagram story. John Moreland On Zach Bryan’s Deal Whether you agree or disagree, John Moreland is always going to give his opinion. He recently announced he was cancelling his Canadian dates this year for fear that his wife, a legal resident and green card holder, would not be allowed back in the country due to the immigration crackdown imposed by the Trump administration. And before that, do you happen to remember what might be the weirdest event of 2024 when he got in a literal barfight with Turnpike Troubadours fiddle player (and solo artist) Kyle Nix? Afterwards he called him a “tiny fiddle player” and said he kicks “like a f****g third-grader”… Well, the former Zach Bryan collaborator, who joined him on “Memphis; The Blues” on The Great American Bar Scene, took to social media earlier today to make a statement about Zach’s new deal. It was short but very much to the point: “$350 M is a lot of money to pay for the f***** off-brand version of me. Y‘all have a great day” Well damn! Tell us how you really feel, John Moreland pic.twitter.com/rzZOQDWf71 — Prairie Playlist (@PrairiePlaylist) May 7, 2025 The post has since been deleted (or maybe just expired) but man, that’s quite the statement from one of Oklahoma’s finest songwriters and an artist that Zach has publicly and vocally supported many times in the past: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Zach Bryan (@zachlanebryan) I truly hate rivalries between two great artists and yes, both of them are great. There’s a million reasons people hate on Zach Bryan, some of them being completely valid, but denying what he’s done for songwriting and independent artists over the past few years would be an insane and dishonest view of the situation. And John Moreland doesn’t need me to defend his credibility as a songwriter; honestly he’s one of the all-time greats and has so many albums I continue to go back to time and time again. Is it possible there’s been a behind the scenes falling out that we don’t know about? Absolutely, that’s always a possibility, and both of these dudes have had public beef with others before. And there’s also the possibility that John is just messing around with him and they’re still good friends. John’s style of humor can be fairly blunt and sarcastic. But we also need to be honest and say that if John Moreland wasn’t a Zach Bryan fan than he shouldn’t have worked with him on “Memphis; The Blues,” which is Moreland’s most popular song, at least on Spotify. He’s definitely earned a fair amount of royalties from it at this point. He should continue to earn them… as he still owns his 50% of that song (at least according to BMI that’s how it appears to be structured). Hopefully the two can bury the hatchet and work this out, but if Moreland really views him as an “off-brand version” of himself, that’s going to be a hard hole to climb out of… The post John Moreland Seemingly Shades Duet Partner Zach Bryan On $350 Million Deal: “Off-Brand Version Of Me” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.