Jason Aldean's 'Try That In A Small Town' music video edited due to copyright issues
Jason Aldean's "Try That In A Small Town" music video, which has faced controversy since its release last week, has been edited due to third party copyright clearance issues.
A representative for BBR Music Group confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday that the music video was altered.
Last week, CMT told "Good Morning America" that it has pulled the music video from its rotation as Aldean faced backlash for the song from social media critics.
In an Instagram post, the country singer defended his song and the music video -- which contains often violent news footage and provocative lyrics -- in a statement he shared on his Instagram stories, saying the references people have made are "not only meritless, but dangerous."
"There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it -- and there isn't a single video clip that isn't real news footage -- and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music, this one goes too far," Aldean said.
While Aldean said "Try That In A Small Town" is about the "feeling of a community I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief," some online have pointed out why they feel the song and its accompanying music video are problematic.
Some also pointed out that the the site where the music video was filmed was at the town square in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, where the Columbia Race Riot began in 1946 after a struggle between a Black World War II veteran and a white shopkeeper.
Aldean gave a glimpse of the music video from behind-the-scenes last week. In it, he points out that he was getting ready to film the music video at the Maury County Courthouse with his band and "really try to encapsulate what the song's about and what it means to me and what I hope to convey to you guys."
But many online including fellow country artist Sheryl Crow condemned Aldean's song and called the singer out on Twitter saying, "@JasonAldean I'm from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence. There's nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting. This is not American or small town-like. It's just lame."
