The public disagreement began in May 2025, after John Moreland mocked reports that valued Zach Bryan’s Warner Records and publishing deals at a combined $350 million. Bryan said he would replace Moreland on their collaboration “Memphis; The Blues.” The song was temporarily removed from streaming and returned in June with J.R. Carroll replacing Moreland’s feature. Moreland later described additional personal grievances, making allegations that the reviewed reports do not independently verify.
What sparked the public disagreement?
On May 5, 2025, TheWrap summarized Variety’s reporting that Bryan had re-signed with Warner and sold, or was selling, his publishing catalog to Merrit Group. The combined deals were reported at $350 million. That was a reported valuation, not a confirmed cash payment to Bryan. TheWrap’s account also reported that Moreland posted an Instagram Story mocking the deal coverage: “$350M is a lot of money to pay for the fu–in off-brand version of me. Y’all have a great day.” The post was later deleted.
The post was the immediate public trigger. The available reporting does not establish that it was the full extent of Moreland’s objections.
How did Bryan respond?
Bryan shared a screenshot of Moreland’s post and said he would remove Moreland from “Memphis; The Blues,” a collaboration on Bryan’s album The Great American Bar Scene. As reproduced by TheWrap, Bryan wrote: “Not trying to be dramatic but refuse to have anyone with a problem with me on my records.” He also said the song might go down temporarily while he made the change. TheWrap reported the track was removed from streaming.
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These statements were reproduced in TheWrap’s report; the original social posts were not independently reviewed for this account.
What happened to “Memphis; The Blues”?
On June 11, 2025, Stereogum reported that the song had returned to streaming with J.R. Carroll replacing Moreland’s feature. The change followed Bryan’s public announcement that he intended to replace Moreland. Stereogum’s June follow-up documents the revised version. The reviewed reporting does not establish whether the track’s availability changed after that report.
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What reasons did Moreland give later?
In a later video message discussed by Stereogum, Moreland said he had not known Bryan well when he recorded his part. Moreland said his reasons for not wanting to appear on Bryan’s album went beyond the deal-related post. He described Bryan as having been a “dickhead” to his wife and friends, alleged that Bryan had told “borderline racist jokes,” and recounted an incident in which Bryan brought a 19-year-old woman to a bar and expected Moreland to support him after she was told she could not be there. Moreland also said, “I don’t like this motherfucker.”
These are Moreland’s allegations and account of events, as reported by Stereogum—not independently verified findings. The reviewed reports do not include Bryan responding to those specific allegations.
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What is established—and what remains unclear?
- The public exchange followed Moreland’s Instagram Story criticizing the reported deal valuation and calling Bryan an “off-brand version” of him.
- Bryan said he would replace Moreland on “Memphis; The Blues”; the track was temporarily removed and later returned with J.R. Carroll’s feature, according to the June 2025 reports.
- Moreland later described personal grievances and made allegations about Bryan. Those claims should be attributed to Moreland, not stated as established fact.
- The reviewed reporting covers events through June 2025. It does not establish whether the two artists later reconciled or whether the song’s availability changed afterward.
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