They Pissed! Donald Trump’s Unauthorized Music Use Attracts Artists’ Wrath

Trump at debate - via screenshot
Trump at debate with Joe Biden – via screenshot

*Donald Trump is not making any new friends in the music world as artists take a stand against the former president and his unauthorized use of their hits.

Referencing Trump’s latest musical spat, USA Today notes legal action threatened by the estate of Isaac Hayes as one of many the Republican presidential nominee has encountered in his political life as he campaigns to gain a renewed four years in office against his presumptive Democratic rival Kamala Harris.

The Hayes estate has called out Trump, with plans to sue him for using Sam & Dave’s classic song “Hold On, I’m Comin.” Hayes is credited as a co-writer on the tune.

In response, Hayes’ son, Isaac Hayes III, shared a copy of a copyright infringement notice. The notice, filed by attorney James Walker and issued to Trump, demands his campaign pay $3 million in licensing fees.

“Donald Trump epitomizes a lack of integrity and class, not only through his continuous use of my father’s music without permission but also through his history of sexual abuse against women and his racist rhetoric,” Hayes III recently wrote on Instagram. “This behavior will no longer be tolerated, and we will take swift action to put an end to it.”

SWITZERLAND – JULY 02: Isaac Hayes performs at the Montreux jazz festival in Montreux, Switzerland on July 02, 2005. (Photo by Lionel FLUSIN/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

News of the Hayes estate’s threatened lawsuit put it among a roster of musical acts that have their names attached to threatened or pursuing legal action against Trump. The former reality TV fixture has not discriminated in his unauthorized use of classic material as the offended artists represent multiple genres. Among those artists are Celine Dion, Guns N’ Roses, Rihanna, Elton John and Prince.

On the other side, count Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long” and Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” as tunes where the artists have seemingly allowed their music to be played by Trump.

The big question with all of this is whether #45 actually has the legal greenlight to play his choice selections or is violating copyright laws.

According to USAT Today, which cited the U.S. Copyright Office, three different ways exist where someone could use a musical work that is already in the public domain.

“Use a musical work that is already in the public domain. If a song is in the public domain, either it was never protected by copyright or its term of protection has expired. All copyright protection has a limited time, per the U.S. Constitution. If new contributions were made to a work in the public domain then it may be copyright protected,” USA Today mentioned.

The other two options lie in obtaining permission from the copyright holder directly or licensing the work according to the terms set by the licensing contract as well as relying on a statutory limitation or exception, such as fair use or the Section 115 license for musical works, which requires copyright owners to give exclusive rights to anyone who wants to make or distribute phonorecords of their works.”

The Copyright Office goes on to mention that if Trump or anyone else doesn’t secure the rights to use a song, “the copyright holder has the “right to pursue legal action.”

Per USA Today, here are some of the artists that have taken the former commander-in-chief to task for using their music without coming to them first:

Celine Dion at red carpet premiere
Celine Dion at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Beauty And The Beast’ held at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, USA on March 2, 2017.

Celine Dion

Song title: “My Heart Will Go On”

What happened: Trump got in hot water earlier this month with Celine Dion after he used her song “My Heart Will Go On” from the movie ‘Titanic.” Dion shared a statement on her Instagram, saying that her management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., “became aware of the unauthorized usage of the video, recording, musical performance, and likeness” of the song at the rally.

“In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use…And really, THAT song?” the statement continued.

Prince - Depositphotos
Prince – Depositphotos

Prince

Song title: “Purple Rain”

What happened: While campaigning for the 2020 presidential election, Trump got slammed by Prince’s estate for using the singer’s song “Purple Rain” during a campaign rally in Minneapolis in October 2019. His use of the song came a year after he promised to stop using the deceased singer’s works.

“President Trump played Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ tonight at a campaign event in Minneapolis despite confirming a year ago that the campaign would not use Prince’s music,” according to a post shared by Prince’s official X account at the time. “The Prince Estate will never permit President Trump to use Prince’s songs.”

Guns N’ Roses

Song title: “Sweet Child O’ Mine”

What happened: Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses requested in 2018 that Trump not use the rock band’s music anymore after “Sweet Child O’ Mine” was played during a political event.

“Unfortunately the Trump campaign is using loopholes in the various venues’ blanket performance licenses which were not intended for such craven political purposes, without the songwriters’ consent,” Rose wrote in an X post in November 2018.

Rihanna
Barbadian singer Rihanna (Robyn Rihanna Fenty NH) wearing The Attico arrives at the Fenty Beauty And Fenty Skin Celebration Hosted By Rihanna held at Goya Studios on February 11, 2022, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency)

Rihanna

Song title: “Don’t Stop the Music”

What happened: Rihanna sent out a cease-and-desist notice to Trump after learning he played her song “Don’t Stop the Music” during a rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee in November 2018, Rolling Stone reported.

“Me nor my people would ever be at or around one of those tragic rallies,” Rihanna wrote in an X post in November 2018.

Elton John / Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Elton John / Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Elton John

Song titles: “Rocket Man” and “Tiny Dancer”

What happened: Elton John said in 2016 that he did not want his songs played at political events, including at Trump’s rallies, the Guardian reported. Trump played “Rocket Man” and “Tiny Dancer” as warm-up music in 2016 for his rallies.

“I don’t really want my music to be involved in anything to do with an American election campaign. I’m British. I’ve met Donald Trump, he was very nice to me, it’s nothing personal, his political views are his own, mine are very different, I’m not a Republican in a million years,” John told the Guardian.

For more artists who have not allowed Trump to use their music, click here.

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