Trump Campaign Was Legally Allowed To Use Neil Young's Music At Rally, But Doing So Was Kind Of Dumb
from the yeh-fired dept
It seems like every presidential election cycle, which comes around far too often and lasts for far too long for my taste, there inevitably ends up being some kind of row between some musicians and some politicians over music used at campaign events. The targets of these disputes tend to be Republican candidates, due to the political demographics of musicians as a general thing, but Democrats have been targeted as well. And, as we've mentioned in the past, other than creating a stir in the media and hoping the target campaign relents, there's roughly shit-all these musicians can do about it. But that stir can often times be enough, especially if the musician uses the opportunity to pimp a rival candidate.
Like Bernie Sanders, for example. Apparently when walking ego Donald Trump decided that he was going to announce his candidacy for President of these United States, his campaign decided to use Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World" at the event. Neil not only wasn't pleased, but he used the opportunity to boost the candidate he does endorse.
"Donald Trump was not authorized to use 'Rockin' In The Free World' in his presidential candidacy announcement," said Young's manager in a statement. "Neil Young, a Canadian citizen, is a supporter of Bernie Sanders for President of the United States Of America."As it turned out, as it usually does, Trump was authorized to use Young's music through an ASCAP license. That said, maybe it's time politicians learned to take the extra step and clear things with musicians before using their music, if for no other reason than to protect against the backlash becoming an advertisement for a rival campaign. Campaigns are very much like brands, after all, and the last thing a brand wants to do is get a competitor's name in circulation. That's got to be doubly so when the rival "brand" is someone like Bernie Sanders who, think whatever you like of him, is starving for more name-recognition on the national level. A couple of simple phone calls from the campaign office would likely inoculate against this sort of thing happening, where now every quote from Young on this dust-up mentions Young's support of Sanders.
All that being said, Young has somehow managed to make Trump the sympathetic figure in this whole story.
A press secretary for the real estate mogul said Wednesday that Trump would respect the wishes of Neil Young and no longer use "Rockin' In the Free World," which Trump featured Tuesday during his announcement that he was seeking the Republican Party's nomination for president. Trump press secretary Hope Hicks said Wednesday that "despite Neil's differing political views, Mr. Trump likes Neil very much."It's a good way to spin the ending of this story for Trump's team, appearing so reasonable and agreeable to Young's antics, which come off looking petty. Still, no reason to let your campaign's music choice give the artist an opportunity to pimp Bernie Sanders. There are enough conservative musicians out there making music.
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Filed Under: bernie sanders, donald trump, endorsements, music, neil young, presidential campaigns, rockin' in the free world
Companies: ascap
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It's a sentient, alien looking to make a power grab.
I know this as Trump has never provided his hair's birth certificate.
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Has he made up his hair about this yet? Or did his campaign managers roll dice?
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So I support Trump for president. If he wins, the amount of comedy gold coming out of the White House will be unprecedented. Late night comedy shows will have to spill over into daytime. Just the need for more writers and on air comedians will be enough to keep Trump's promise of being the best jobs president ever.
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Actually...
Argued for democracy and people and against corporatism and the hijacking of the democratic process.
Spent VERY little time discussing the "permission" issue.
I thought it was pretty good as a tech dirty kind of awesome...
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I fail to see how Trumps spin-doctor saying he likes Neil Young has him looking like a "sympathetic figure". Sorry, a what?
Trump a sympathetic figure - are you serious?
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Teehee.
https://news.google.com/news/rtc?ncl=dswEjsR2mgFsNzMeqiAkTHE0cgatM&authuser=0&am p;ned=us&topic=n&siidp=475cf172a3166cb26911d90054d0cfe4e5fe
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At least a candidate fearing the intelligence of the average American citizen.
Romney did not pay actors to be cheering in the audience. And he did not have to.
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No wonder he lost!
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Still freakin' wrong.
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/sep/19/news/la-pn-romney-ad-miners-rally-20120919
http://www.p olitico.com/news/stories/0912/81421.html
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Right behind you, Napoleon.
- Donald Trump, on Obama's 2012 election win
He may have failed to overthrow the US government, but he CAN defeat a Canadian folk singer using ASCAP licensing. Look out, ISIS!
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This type of thinking is a large part of what's gone wrong with elections in the US.
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The tangled web
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Neil shouldn't have sold the rights of his songs to a publishing company if he didn't want Trump or anyone else to use it.
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It's funny because the song is about how we're all going to die and ends with the sounds of a car accident.
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Maybe?
Now if this doesn't get a few "funny" votes, I don't know what will!
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Which is the reason you don't make the "funniest posts of the week" lineup. If it's any consolation to you, neither do I.
Fart joke.
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What is supposed to do, do you think any artist would support Trump using their music?
Most people overthink these kind of things.
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If anything the studio selling rights to a song has caused them to lose more money from me than anything else. If only my boycotting wasn't so irrelevant to them. :P
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Those commercials are some of the best programming on the TV (except for the perfume commercials)
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Heil POTUS!!
With the addition of the final Clown Candidate for POTUS now dancing around the ring, all that is left is the introduction of the Ringer - the pre-selected corporate winner of the "contest".
It has to be someone nobody knows well, and who has no track record of past (dirty) deeds, like Barracks (Drones) O-bomber once had. Otherwise it will be impossible to convince the American public that it all "voted" for the same candidate once again.
Certainly, with the addition of the "Toupe", the list of people that nobody in their right mind would vote for, is now complete, leaving only the introduction of Mr., (or more likely) Mrs. Only Possible Choice.
Should be a fun circus performance as usual. Don't forget your popcorn.
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