Are There Any Bands Left That Let Trump Use Their Music?
The Trump campaign just lost yet another song from their shrinking catalog.On Monday, musician Jack White announced that he was suing Donald Trump, his campaign, and Trump’s deputy director of communications, Margo Martin, for the unlicensed use of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” on a social media post of Trump boarding aircraft.“This machine sues fascists,” White captioned an Instagram post of the legal complaint, a reference to Woody Guthrie.The lawsuit, filed in New York, does not specify a specific amount of damages but does note that Jack and Meg White, who collectively comprise the band the White Stripes, “vehemently oppose the policies adopted and actions taken by Defendant Trump.”Jack White promised the lawsuit last month, sharing Trump’s campaign video to his Instagram account with the text, “Don’t even think about using my music.” The original video, shared by Martin, was taken down by the time of publication.Use of music in videos requires a separate and specific license from the one required for use at public, live events.“If you want to use music in a video, you need a synchronization license,” U.S. intellectual property lawyer Jason Rosenblum told The Washington Post, referring to a type of license that requires direct negotiation with the publisher or musician. “If Trump’s campaign or whoever posted the video didn’t get those rights, the White Stripes should have a strong case against them.”The roster of artists who have outright banned Trump from using their music is long and wide. Last month, Trump ticked off Swedish pop supergroup ABBA by using their music to advance his campaign without their permission. He also drew fury from the Isaac Hayes estate, Celine Dion, and Beyoncé for the unauthorized use of their music during campaign events and advertisements. Other artists who have condemned the MAGA leader’s unauthorized use of their art for his political gain include Sinéad O’Connor, The Beatles, Adele, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Guns N’ Roses, Leonard Cohen, Queen, Prince, Pharrell, The Rolling Stones, The Smiths’ Johnny Marr, Rihanna, Neil Young, Linkin Park, the late Tom Petty, the Village People, and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.
The Trump campaign just lost yet another song from their shrinking catalog.
On Monday, musician Jack White announced that he was suing Donald Trump, his campaign, and Trump’s deputy director of communications, Margo Martin, for the unlicensed use of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” on a social media post of Trump boarding aircraft.
“This machine sues fascists,” White captioned an Instagram post of the legal complaint, a reference to Woody Guthrie.
The lawsuit, filed in New York, does not specify a specific amount of damages but does note that Jack and Meg White, who collectively comprise the band the White Stripes, “vehemently oppose the policies adopted and actions taken by Defendant Trump.”
Jack White promised the lawsuit last month, sharing Trump’s campaign video to his Instagram account with the text, “Don’t even think about using my music.” The original video, shared by Martin, was taken down by the time of publication.
Use of music in videos requires a separate and specific license from the one required for use at public, live events.
“If you want to use music in a video, you need a synchronization license,” U.S. intellectual property lawyer Jason Rosenblum told The Washington Post, referring to a type of license that requires direct negotiation with the publisher or musician. “If Trump’s campaign or whoever posted the video didn’t get those rights, the White Stripes should have a strong case against them.”
The roster of artists who have outright banned Trump from using their music is long and wide. Last month, Trump ticked off Swedish pop supergroup ABBA by using their music to advance his campaign without their permission. He also drew fury from the Isaac Hayes estate, Celine Dion, and Beyoncé for the unauthorized use of their music during campaign events and advertisements.
Other artists who have condemned the MAGA leader’s unauthorized use of their art for his political gain include Sinéad O’Connor, The Beatles, Adele, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Guns N’ Roses, Leonard Cohen, Queen, Prince, Pharrell, The Rolling Stones, The Smiths’ Johnny Marr, Rihanna, Neil Young, Linkin Park, the late Tom Petty, the Village People, and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.
