“THE TRUTH ABOUT TRAX RECORDS”
TRAX Records the original home of house can finally tell its REAL STORY! Known as the Motown of House it is one of the most valuable and recognized brands of the genre. Though it has recently been disgraced in the press, after 20 years of litigation its truth can be told.

Recently, there have been negative comments about Rachael Cain, Larry Sherman and TRAX regarding royalties due to various artists, including the Heard and Owens highly publicized case. Their angst is misdirected. TRAX have not received the revenues allegedly generated by the exploitation of the artists’ music. Instead, TRAX has been engaged in disputes for nearly two decades with Casablanca of Canada, over the rights and the obligation to pay.


The contentious history with Casablanca began in 2002 but turned south, cutting Cain and Sherman out of the venture, and exploiting the catalogue for years without paying royalties, or at the very least not keeping Cain or the artists informed if it did. “We had no real control of the company until January 1st 2022,” says Rachael.

Sherman, passed away in April 2020. On the heels of his passing, Larry Heard and Robert Owens filed suit for the return of music they had voluntarily signed over to TRAX. They amicably settled their disputes. No one “WON” the litigation as incorrectly reported. While they directed their lawsuit at the wrong parties, it provided an avenue for artists’ relief. If not for the initial work done pro-bono by Duane Morris Attorney Rick Darke, through Lawyers For the Creative Arts, all of the music would be gone. “We had no money to protect ourselves” Rachael explains. Recently Roselli with Rights Incorporated and Darke negotiated a settlement to end a Casablanca-era exclusive deal.

“I have waited for years to tell my story”, notes Cain until now I was bound to follow non-disclosure orders. “The classics were tied up but I never stopped releasing my music or artists music on the label including; Saytek, Late Nite Dub Addict, DJ ThadX, and Busy Bee. Rachael and Sherman’s widow have set up the systems to start paying royalties, and to continue to use The Orchard for distribution. As a TRAX artist herself and the owner of the TRAX trademark for decades, Cain is positioned to move proudly forward with TRAX in its home, Chicago.

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