While the dispute between Tim McGraw and his record label, Curb Records, won't be settled until next summer at the earliest, a November hearing will decide if the singer can record new music in the interim.

The November 29 hearing will "first make a final determination on whether or not Curb is entitled to prevent Mr. McGraw, by injunction or otherwise, from recording for other entities other than Curb,” court records state. The Tennessean reports that the hearing is expected to last two days.

The big battle between Curb and McGraw won't be fought until July 9, 2012. The record label filed suit in May, claiming McGraw breached his contract by turning in a new album too soon after the release of his previous one. McGraw counter-sued in hopes of being released from his contract with Curb entirely.

If McGraw wins the November proceedings, the soonest fans can expect to hear new music from the superstar would be early 2012, and that's assuming he's sitting on a dozen new tracks in preparation for such a victory. He and wife Faith Hill plan to tour Australia during the last two weeks of March.

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