In December 2009, Show Dog Records and Universal South merged to form Show Dog-Universal Music. One month later Trace Adkins left Capitol Records Nashville (which later became part of UMG's Nashville unit after UMG bought EMI in 2012) to become the first post-merger signee to the label, and the label's roster was announced.
In December 2009, Show Dog Records and Universal South merged to create Show Dog-Universal Music. Shortly thereafter, Trace Adkins left Capitol Records Nashville (which later became part of UMG's Nashville operation after UMG purchased EMI in 2012) to become the first artist to join the label following the merger, and the label's lineup was publicly disclosed.