Comment by PhilMH:
This could be quite complicated - checking out the online US Copyright Office registrations, I found a "Termination Of Grant" notice filed by Al Reed's daughters in May 2013, terminating Cape Ann Music, Inc.'s grant of rights to "Message From Maria" and another song "How Sweet It Is", both supposedly copyrighted in 1964. However, searching the 1964 registrations using the registration numbers shown on the termination notice brought up completely unrelated compositions; I did eventually find "Message From Maria" in the 1968 registrations, showing that it was copyrighted by Cape Ann Music, Inc. (publisher related to the Sound Stage 7 label, and I think it was owned by John Richbourg, who produced most, if not all, of the Sound Stage 7 recordings) on 30 August 1968, registration number EP251369; Joe Simon's recording of the song was released on a single by Sound Stage 7 that same month, showing the publisher as "Cape Ann Music BMI". (I had no luck with "How Sweet It Is", in either 1964 or 1968). I believe that Cape Ann was originally administered by Monument's publishing company Combine Music Corporation, and they contracted with their various overseas representatives, including Albert Music here in Australia, for international publication of "Message From Maria". Monument was purchased by CBS Records in the 1980s, and their successor Sony Music has reissued Joe Simon's Sound Stage 7 recordings, including "Message From Maria" digitally. John Richbourg died in the 1980s, and I think this is where Marshall Sehorn came in, licensing out Sound Stage 7 recordings, including Joe Simon, for issue on Charly Records and other labels. Sehorn was declared bankrupt at some later date, and it's my understanding that Gulf Coast Music was the company set up to handle his bankruptcy estate, and eventually his deceased estate after his death in 2006. Gulf Coast Music has licensed out Sound Stage 7 Recordings, including Joe Simon's, to other labels.
Now, it's entirely possible that Sehorn owned Cape Ann Music legitimately, if he bought it from John Richbourg's estate, and so the grant of Al Reed's rights to Cape Ann would then have been transferred to Sehorn, and thence to Gulf Coast. I'm less sure about his rights to the actual recordings, however, because Sound Stage 7 records always said "A Division of Monument Record Corporation" on the labels, but perhaps John Richbourg had actually bought at least some of the masters from CBS, with that company perhaps keeping Joe Simon, and also Ella Washington's album (also released digitally by Sony). Sehorn's issue of Joe Simon's tracks is troubling, but he also figured in Charly Records' unauthorized use of Chess Records' recordings and trademarks, so where there's smoke...
So, in 2005, when Marshall Sehorn was still alive, Al Reed's grant of rights to Cape Ann Music was likely still in effect one way or another, so Motown/Universal's use of "Message From Maria" on this collection was probably legitimate, notwithstanding Sehorn's history with Chess and Charly. More to the point, most or all other uses of "Message From Maria" prior to the 2013 termination, particularly those contemporaneous with the 1968 original (like David Ruffin's LP from 1969) would have been authorized via Cape Ann, Combine, or their overseas licensees, so I think that slapping infringement notices on every record to contain that song (which appears to have happened at Discogs) is questionable. However, there are gaps in my knowledge here, so I would be grateful to anyone who can provide more details.
And there's probably a similar story regarding Al Reed's other hit composition, "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" as recorded by Danny White, and covered by Ernie K-Doe, Johnny Winter, and others.
USA
