The GHB Jazz Foundation, Third Man Records, and Revenant Records have announced a new licensing agreement regarding master recordings originally released on the Paramount Records label.

Photo by Elsa Hahne

The dispute occurred earlier this year when Lars Edegran informed Jack White and Third Man Records that the George H. Buck, Jr. (GHB) Jazz Foundation owns rights to nearly 800 tracks on the set’s $400 first edition, The Rise and Fall of Paramount Records 1917–1932, and Third Man neglected to obtain licences prior to their box-set release.

The recordings in question were released on Third Man Records, “The Rise & Fall of Paramount Records” Volumes One and Two, and the LP-only releases of Charlie Patton’s and the Mississippi Sheiks’ early recordings.

In the 1920s and ’30s, Paramount released 78 rpm records featuring iconic American artists like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Jelly Roll Morton, Charley Patton, Ma Rainey and King Oliver.

The Third Man Records reissues have been hugely successful, helping to ensure that the classic songs will continue to be passed down through the generations.

The new licensing arrangement does not include sales in CD format or digital downloads, rights to which are retained by the GHB Jazz Foundation.