Country singer-songwriter John Rich told Newsmax on Tuesday that major record companies won't let artists put out songs they want to put out.
When asked about the inspiration for his new album, "The Country Truth," Rich said on "American Agenda" that "we are constantly programmed to, and marketed to, and lied to, and manipulated by the music industry, the movie industry, entertainment industry in general."
Rich said: "I stepped away from the entire industry. I no longer have a record deal, publishing deal, or any other affiliation with any major company because I wanted to put out songs that I wanted to put out."
He went on to reference fellow country singer Oliver Anthony, whose controversial song "Rich Men North of Richmond" has reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"We've got Oliver Anthony out there right now that everybody's talking about. If Oliver Anthony would have had a record deal, and then he wrote 'Rich Men North of Richmond,' guess what? You would have never heard it. The world would have no idea [about] that song."
Rich said: "I've talked to him almost every single day, including last night since his single came out, and he wants to stay independent. And I'm like, 'Please do, man because if you ever get a record deal that will be the last time we hear you say anything like that.'"
He added that Anthony is "doing great," and added, "he's turning down multimillion-dollar deals from record labels. You go, 'Why are you turning down these big deals, Oliver?' And he goes, 'I don't want their dirty money in my account.'"
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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