Acuff-Rose Music

Acuff-Rose Music was an American music publishing firm formed in 1942 by Roy Acuff and Fred Rose in Nashville, Tennessee. 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 50's, 60's, and 70's. Currently the company's catalog is owned by Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

Early history

Acuff-Rose was formed by country music performer Roy Acuff and Fred Rose, a major Nashville music-industry figure 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 was affiliated with BMI and had a subsidiary firm, Milene Music, which handled music from ASCAP member composers.