Sun Studio Vs Sun Records

In 1960, Sam Phillips closed Sun Studio at 706 Union Ave in Memphis. 8 years later, he sold Sun Records to Shelby Singleton who now owns the label, logo and master recordings. Shelby runs Sun Entertainment out of Nashville.

At a meeting in Nashville a few days ago, the two companies signed a settlement agreement. "As soon as it gets completed, we'll probably put out a joint news release that tells everybody some of the details of the agreement," said Shelby.
Sun Studio owner John Schorr said the recent deal means the two entities can now pick up where they left off and continue a long and successful working relationship.

"My basic comment on the situation itself is I've always considered us friends, us and the guys in Nashville," Schorr said. "And basically, on Wednesday of (last) week, we agreed to continue that friendship for hopefully years into the future."

The history:

John Schorr operates the Sun Studio, museum and shop in it's former home at 706 Union. Sun is a Memphis land mark. Recording sessions still happen in that famous studio today. Tourists can even record a track or two when visiting the studio. In 2006, Singleton's Sun Entertainment filed a law suit against Sun Studio in Memphis. The reason behind the suit was the Memphis logo was too similar to Sun Entertainment's logo.

The following year, Sun Studio of Memphis shot back at Sun Entertainment with a lawsuit of their own. They said the Nashville based Sun was selling and marketing products with the words, "Memphis,Tennessee" appearing on them. Memphis based Sun Studio felt this was a clear violation of their license agreement.