in Just 4 years Credence Clearwater Revival created nine top 10 hits and made Fantasy Records tens of millions of dollars then in 1980 their leader John Fogerty made a shocking decision he signed away his rights to every penny from those songs but while fantasies celebrated their Victory they didn't realize one thing John Fogerty was about to spend the next 43 years plotting the ultimate revenge against the music industry the rise of credence Clearwater Revival in 1968 four high school friends from ELO California were about to shake up the rock music scene John Fogerty his brother
Tom Stu cook and Doug Clifford transformed from a struggling local band into Credence Clearwater Revival setting the stage for one of Rock's most remarkable runs in a music scene dominated by psychedelic rock and flower power CCR stood out John Fogerty's distinctive voice and songwriting created a unique sound a powerful mix of rock country and blues that painted vivid pictures of the American South despite being from the San Francisco Bay Area Fogerty's lyrics transported listeners to a world of bayus riverboats and small town life their breakthrough came with their debut album's extended version of Suzie Q
reaching the top 40 and earning them a gold record what followed was extraordinary between 1968 and 1972 Credence Clearwater Revival embarked on a hit making spree that few bands have matched releasing seven albums and nine top 10 singles the numbers tell the story Fantasy Records Was earning $100,000 a month just from Proud Mary Alone songs like Bad Moon Rising fortunate sun and have you ever seen the rain Dominic ated radio stations and became Anthems for a generation grappling with social and political upheaval ccr's appeal crossed all boundaries Rock Fans country lovers and blues enthusiasts all
claimed them as their own John Fogerty's prolific songwriting drove this success Fortunate Son captured the anger of the Vietnam era while who will stop the rain spoke to the disillusionment of the late 1960s his ability to write both radio hits and protest songs set CCR apart in an increasingly divided America but success came with a price by 1971 tensions were Rising Tom Fogerty left the band and the remaining members struggled with Jon's leadership style behind their chart success lurked a darker reality the contract they had signed in their early days was about to cast a
long Shadow over their future the music industry's biggest success story was about to become its most notorious cautionary Tale the band that Rose from humble beginnings to conquer the charts was heading toward a legal battle that would change music history forever the devil's bargain while Credence Clearwater Revival's music was topping charts John Fogerty was about to learn a tough lesson about the music industry in 1968 he signed a contract with Fantasy Records that would cause him headaches for decades the deal with fantasy a small independent label seemed normal for a new band in the late
1960s but the fine print had some nasty surprises fantasy got ownership of the master recordings and Publishing rights to all of ccr's music this meant the label not the band would control how their songs were used and make money from them the Bad Blood began with fantasy's owner Saul zence a former jazz record salesman zence had bought Fantasy Records for $1 million in 1967 despite CCR generating nearly 90% of fantasy's Revenue Zen consistently undermind foger's creative control he even tried forcing the band to raise their concert ticket prices against foger's wishes leading to Bitter confrontations
using just $1 million of borrowed money zents had gained control of a ban that would soon generate over $100 million in Revenue one of the most lopsided deals in rock history the contract's specifics were brutal CCR would receive just half the standard royalty rate about 9 cents per album instead of the industry standard 18 to 25 cents even worse they were required to deliver 180 songs over 5 years a punishing schedule that would strain any band as the years went by Fogerty got more desperate to break free from fantasy things came to a head in
1980 when he made a choice that would affect the next 25 years of his career Fogerty was free but Freedom came at an enormous cost he wouldn't see a penny from his own songs for the next 25 years while Fantasy Records continued making millions from his work it was a desperate move that would lead to years of bitter lawsuits but Fogerty saw no other way out as he faced an uncertain future his battle with the music industry was far from Over the silent years Fogerty's musical Exile imagine walking away from your life's work the songs
that defined a generation that's exactly what John foggerty did but why would a rock legend choose to stop performing his biggest hits potentially leaving Millions on the table the answer shows just how far Fogerty was willing to go in his fight against the music industry in 1985 John Fogerty released his comeback album Centerfield it was a big hit but something was missing during the tour Fogerty made the Bold choice not to play any Credence clear water revival songs this was his way of standing up to Fantasy Records and its owner Saul zence foger's decision had
big consequences fans at his shows were often let down when they didn't hear the old hits radio stations were less eager to play his new songs without the draw of CCR Classics Fogerty had to start from scratch building his career on just his new work the money side of things took a big hit too live shows are where musicians make a lot of their money especially those with a bunch of hit songs by not playing CCR songs Fogerty missed out on ticket sales merchandise money and sponsorship deals he also couldn't cash in on using his
old songs in movies commercials and other stuff industry experts estimated Fogerty lost upwards of $50 million during his Exile years $30 million in touring Revenue alone plus another $20 million in licensing and Commercial uses Fantasy Records meanwhile earned over $100 million from ccr's catalog during the same period foger's stand earned him respect throughout the music industry he became a symbol of Artistic integrity and this reputation would Pro valuable in the legal battles ahead the battle begins Fogerty versus Fantasy Records the stakes were enormous Fantasy Records Was now earning over $40 million annually from ccr's catalog
while Fogerty had to watch every song he wrote generate money for the people trying to destroy him even more insulting zence had used ccr's royalties to finance the Oscar winning film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest investing Fogerty's money without giving him a scent of the profits in 1985 Fantasy Records launched a lawsuit that left the music industry stunned they accused Fogerty of copying himself the label claimed his new solo hit the old man down the road was too similar to run through the jungle a song he had written for CCR years earlier since fantasy
owned the rights to run through the jungle they argued Fogerty was infringing on their copyright by creating a song that sounded too much like his earlier work in a move that would go down in music legal history Fogerty brought his guitar to the courtroom his defense strategy was simple but effective he would play both songs for the jury demonstrating that while they shared his trademark sound they were distinct compositions he broke down the musical structures of both songs highlighting their differences in Melodies chord progressions and lyrics the jury cited with Fogerty ruling that the old
man down the road did not infringe upon run through the jungle this Victory set a significant precedent in copyright law affirming that artists couldn't be punished for having a recognizable style but the win came at a steep price over $1 million in legal fees defending himself against the accusation this Injustice would fuel the next phase of Fogerty's legal battle taking his fight all the way to the Supreme Court the Supreme Court Showdown after spending $1 million defending his right to sound like himself John Fogerty wasn't done fighting he was about to take on the entire
music industry in front of the Supreme Court the case centered on a simple question with huge implications should successful defendants in copyright cases get their legal fees paid this battle was bigger than Fogerty it would determine whether record companies could use expensive lawsuits to bully artists into submission fantasy's lawyers argued that making them pay Fogerty's legal fees would encourage more artists to fight back against labels ironically that's exactly what Fogerty wanted he saw how major labels used their Deep Pockets to intimidate musicians often forcing them to settle rather than risk Financial ruin in court in
a unanimous decision that shook the music industry all nine Supreme Court Justices sided with Fogerty the ruling meant that artists who successfully defended themselves against false copyright claims could recover their legal fees leveling the playing field between musicians and record companies for the first time David had a real shot against Goliath but Fantasy Records wasn't finished with John Fogerty yet despite his legal victories they still controlled his most valuable asset the rights to his CCR songs as the 1990s began Fogerty would need more than legal wins to reclaim his legacy A New Hope by 2004
things looked Bleak for John Fogerty he'd won in court but lost 25 years of royalties giving up an estimated $40 million in earnings to escape Fantasy Records then came a phone call that would change everything Norman Lear the legendary TV producer had just LED conquered music group's purchase of Fantasy Records he made Fogerty an unprecedented offer full artist royalties restored creative control over his music's use and to say and how ccr's Legacy would be preserved Zen's relationship with Fogerty had become legendarily toxic he had personally sued Fogerty for $142 million over various disputes and Fogerty
had retaliated by writing xans Kant Dan a thinly veiled attack song he was later forced to rename now with zence out of the picture healing could begin for the first time in my adult life Fogerty said I can play my own songs without feeling sick to my stomach he celebrated by releasing The Long Road Home in 2005 mixing CCR Classics with his solo work the album went gold proving his audience had never forgotten him yet despite this Victory Fogerty wasn't done he had one final move to make one that would complete his decades long quest
for Independence the final victory in January 2023 John Fogerty made a big move that surprised the music industry he bought most of Credence Clearwater revivals publishing rights from conquered music group this was a huge step in foger's Long fight to get back control of his music Fogerty and his team were smart about timing they used the upcoming US copyright reversion law as leverage this law would have given Fogerty some rights back when his songs turned 56 years old this clever approach helped them get a good deal the deal was risky ccr's catalog is worth millions
so Fogerty was betting big but for him owning his songs again was worth the gamble Fogerty paid an estimated $120 million for the publishing rights a figure that shocked the industry but made sense given ccr's catalog generates about $25 million annually in publishing Revenue even approaching age 80 Fogerty was willing to bet big on his song's future value now Fogerty controls much of his catalog he can decide how songs like Proud Mary and Fortunate Son are used in movies ads and other media he'll also get more money from royalties but it's not a total win
conquered still owns the original recordings for Fogerty this wasn't just a business deal it was personal Vindication after 43 years years of fighting the man who wrote Proud Mary finally owned his musical Legacy while conquered still holds the original recordings Fogerty had achieved what once seemed impossible he won back control of his songs the boy who once dreamed up Tales of riverboats and bayu had finally outmaneuvered the industry that tried to own his voice in 2023 a 77-year-old John Fogerty did what seemed impossible in 1980 he beat the music industry at its own game his
$120 million gamble to buyb his publishing rights wasn't just about money it was about proving that even the biggest corporations couldn't own an artist soul forever the numbers tell the true story of his victory from Fantasy Records making $100,000 a month off Proud Mary while paying the band pennies to ccr's catalog now generating $25 million annually money that finally goes goes to its creator after losing $50 million during his Exile years and surviving a $142 million lawsuit from Zen Fogerty emerged not just with his music but with his Integrity intact I've always felt that the
songs belonged to me ogury said after regaining his rights but he had done more than just reclaim his music he had written a new chapter in music history showing artists everywhere that it's never too late to fight back
