Causing pain was never our hearts intention, but it doesnt change the fact that indeed, it did just that. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. In turn, no corner of American society is left untouched by the moment, as political leaders, celebrities, and sports figures must reckon with the ways their conduct has reinforced institutional racism. [Insert smiley face here.]. It doesnt make you too PC. Lady A chose the name after taking their original band photos in front of an antebellum-style house. But I do know that when somebody challenges your right to use a nameeven in a private letterit behooves you to go to court quickly to resolve the matter, lest they sue you first and allege that your breach was willful and that youve waived certain defenses. I do not know. Yeah Thomas, Im with you. Please sound off in the Comments section below. They should have changed their name to Lady Avacado. To Lady Antebellum, a 4-time Grammy nominee (1 time winner) with multiple platinum and gold record awards, Lady A was just another struggling black woman to be trounced. July 9, 2020 @ 9:48 pm, And the Grammy collaboration of the year goes to. Its part of the living in the Nash bubble that has plagued Music Row for years, Eduardo Vargas That meant the entire show was packed with good songs. 1:18 pm. So today, we speak up and make a change. 7:40 am, white privilege at its finestdoes not matter who is driving this lawsuitthe band members could shut it down, but again they are white, and from the south, which means not ready to let go of the racist art of stealing from black folks. Country trio Lady Antebellum . Priority goes to the first to use the mark in commerce. Sports leagues such as the NFL and NASCAR are addressing past policies that were seen to prejudice Black people, and even leading media publications have been forced to apologize for their past actions. But it just seems like they jumped the gun on this. culture is p.c. The popular country trio announced Thursday morning that it is dropping "Antebellum" a word widely understood to refer to the period before the Civil War from its name and will officially adopt "the nickname our fans gave us almost from the start.". Thanks for giving the cancel culture mob more ammo, Lady Antebellum. Why Is Country Music Putting on Concerts?. The Real Reason Lady Antebellum Is Changing Its Name. When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. Dont they have people who are supposed to do all this for them? (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images). You also must get the issue right. There was a perception out there in the public that Antebellum had racist connotations. We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused, Lady A say of the term Antebellum.. This whole situation is just all kinds of screwed up and this is what I think: Country Lady A didnt have to change their name in the first place. But according to Anita White, Lady As concessions were not satisfactory. ron_jeff Anything short of that, and they are equal to slave owners. Trigger, your comments on trademark law arent entirely accurate. July 10, 2020 @ Thats not to say what theyre doing is right or that theres any optical lens through which it would look acceptable in todays times. My point is this: Perception Is Reality. But we are regretful and embarrassed to say that we did not take into account the associations that weigh down this word referring to the period of history before The Civil War, which includes slavery. Also, when you apply for a trademark, there is an extended waiting period where it is put out in the public domain for anyone to dispute the claim to it. These were catastrophic, and irresponsible moves, both morally and from a publicity standpoint. Speaking on The Tamron Hall Show on Friday, the . Lady A. We hope Anita and the advisers she is now listening to will change their minds about their approach. Lady A??? Lady Antebellum just dropped Antebellum from their name. In this case it caused them a massive legal headache and much larger PR problem. pic.twitter.com/zQ7TrrL7VJ, Medium Historian At Large (@one0nine) June 11, 2020. They already had the name Lady A trademarked and it was in common parlance. 9:39 am. I find PC culture as irritating as you but I understand it.. Or what if shes not really a lady at all? Im OK with the former, but you cant make me do the latter. In an appearance on PEOPLE (the TV Show! At least thats what you and your ilk would profess. Also, this matter is much bigger than the music, with implications of how this current racial reconciliation will continue to unfold. July 9, 2020 @ Sign up for the Sleeve Notes email: music news, bold reviews and unexpected extras, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Now that action has resulted in them publicly suing a well-respected black member of the music community and receiving a massive backlash for it. 10:37 am, Lady America has a nice, patriotic vibe. Lets say the real Lady A loses this case in an all white setting in Nashville. July 9, 2020 @ Sidney Caesar The group is not seeking financial damages from White, nor that she change her stage name, but is instead suing her for recognition of a trademark it claims we have held for many years and to avoid further litigation. Too much like Southern Belle which offers up images from the same time period when slavery was prevalent. This lady has now aligned herself with BLM, so expect rioting and violence before their concerts or album signings. Love their music, hate their childish guilt over a term that is in no way associated with slavery. Lady A, formerly known as Lady Antebellum, jumped on social media on June 11, 2020 to explain why the country band changed its name . July 10, 2020 @ I just saw a new compass. I actually have seen them in concert (admittedly cause I was bored and tix to their Vegas residency were really cheap. Regardless, the band issued a letter to fans making known their regret for not fixing things sooner. The term wasnt under fire until the band decided to make an issue of it. 12:17 pm, Honestly Summers Eve is as good of a band name as Lady Antebellum, Goey agetter Not a fan of country A at all, and think they made some dumb moves and Im kind of laughing at them about this. Alysse GafkjenFrom left: Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum photographed on Oct. 18, 2019 at the Fairlane Hotel in Nashville.From now on, the country act will officially be known . If in fact Lady A was registered as a trademark by the former Lady Antebellum, and Lady A the artist didnt make any effort to secure or dispute the name, this gives all rights and protections to Lady Antebellum. July 11, 2020 @ So whats the lesson? Today, June 11, 2020, the country band took to their social medium platforms to announce the news. Because I saw the band Lady A at the Bluebird Cafe very early into their forming and have known them interchangeably as Lady Antebellum and Lady A pretty much ever since. But this apparent good deed towards the Black Lives Matter movement didnt go unpunished for long. After much personal reflection, band discussion, prayer and many honest conversations with some of our closest Black friends and colleagues, we have decided to drop the word 'antebellum' from our name and move forward as Lady A, the nickname our fans gave us almost from the start. ". Yeah, you can always find a red rose on Twitter with an anime avatar whos Internet Mad because the term wristwatch is ableist or some other 14-year-old Tumblr BS, but come on. 6:53 am. Further applications to register the name for musical recordings and merchandise were also granted with no opposition. $5m is nothing, and Im actually worth more than that, regardless of what they think. But a lot of the anger flowing towards the former Lady Antebellum over this issue is missing the forest for the trees, fueled once again by misleading headlines, and the mob not checking or reading the details. Related: Blues singer lambasts Lady Antebellum's name change, says she's been Lady A for 20 years. Although I think Lady A blues will win, it wont be anywhere near $10 million. 6:34 pm. Lady Antebellum says it will now go by the name "Lady A." Here is Merriam-Webster's definition antebellum: : existing before a war. Its not letting me reply further down in the thread, to your point: Its not just enough to be on the right side of an issue. The group could change their name to Lady Antifa. The trio wrote: "When we set out together almost 14 years ago, we named our band after the southern 'antebellum' style home where we took our first photos. Ill put it plain and simple Lady Antebellum was just a dopey name to begin with; there are more effective ways of conveying modern Southern sensibilities with deeply rooted music traditions. Or what used to be considered adult contemporary before Lizzo was considered adult contemporary. The concern was a murmur at best. With that, this mess seems to typify the knee jerk reactions being applied to real problems. Gonna need you to take lady out of your name too. Nobody was clamoring for them to change the name in the first place. As musicians, it reminded us of all the music born in the south that influenced ussouthern rock, blues, R&B, gospel and of course country, the band said. This is the height of politically correct absurdity. Now, before they sink any money or time into publicizing Lady A change it to Lady Abolition or whatever and get on with their lives. How are they selfish? July 9, 2020 @ This has to do with setting ultimatums demanding compliance, with your utter destruction as the consequence if those ultimatums are not met, enforced by the cancel mob. How was Lady A ever a solution of any kind? UPDATE: July 9, 2020 The band formerly known as Lady Antebellum is now suing Anita White, the 61-year-old Black blues singer who has been using their new name, Lady A, for many years, filing a . And I can say that because I lived in the suburbs. Lady Antebellum was trying to do the right thing with the name change. How about not being a pussy. Blues Lady A saw an opportunity and decided to take advantage of it. Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, Dave Haywood Shutterstock. Some criticized the decision, accusing the trioof "pandering" and "apologizing" unnecessarily. the pistolero Whats irritating about being expected to consider other peoples feelings and not be an insensitive asshole? Until the organization refutes its alliance with Antifa they have zero credibility in my book. The country band formerly known as Lady Antebellum which changed its name to Lady A over concerns that the old name was racist has reached a settlement to end a legal dispute with a black Seattle blues singer who said she had long used the shortened name. Yes, though the case in point is that there already was a band named The Chicks as well. 1:52 pm. Country group Lady A, which dropped the word "Antebellum" from its name because of the word's ties to slavery, has filed a lawsuit against a Black singer who has performed as Lady A for years. Its not a perfect solution, but its addressing the concern. As I have said, $10 million is a ludicrous number, but very well could have been floated out there simply as a negotiation platform, knowing they would never get it, hoping for half at best. February 15, 2021 @ Is it the band doing this or their management? It was a stirring in our hearts and reflection on our own blindspots that led us to announce a few weeks ago that we were dropping the word Antebellum from our name and moving forward using only the name so many of our fans already knew us by. Grammy-winning band Lady Antebellum has now changed their name to 'Lady A' to eliminate any reference to pre-Civil War slavery and racial injustice. All this name change has done has brought negative attention to Lady Antebellum, and country music. PAGOCK! In American history, the "antebellum" era (literally, "before the war") refers to the period of the 19th century before the Civil War. 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