Convicted pedophile Gary Glitter won’t be receiving any royalties from the use of his music in the Joker film, while the track may even be removed from the movie altogether.
Last week, reports emerged that Gary Glitter was set to earn a tidy sum of money thanks to his music being used in the newly-released Joker film.
Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was convicted and sentenced to 16 years jail in 2015 for attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault, and one of having sex with a girl under the age of 13.
However, his music still does the rounds it seems, with his 1972 track ‘Rock And Roll Part 2’ frequently being used at sporting events, and on the soundtrack to TV and movies, such as the recently-released Todd Phillips film Joker.
This, it seems, is the main point of contention for many of Glitter’s critics, who noted that the film’s $247 million takings so far would result in a large number of royalties being sent to the disgraced musician.
In fact, in addition to the sizeable initial lump sum and future royalties that Glitter would receive, the song itself was given pride of place in the film, soundtracking a memorable scene in which Joaquin Phoenix dances down a staircase in Gotham City.
Check out the trailer for Joker:
As The Sun reported, executives at Warner Bros. were so incensed by the usage of the song in the film that there have reportedly been discussions about its future in the film.
“The furore shocked many at the studio and had some executives scrambling over what to do next,” the publication stated. “It is now in the hands of lawyers who are talking to Glitter’s publishers.”
These discussions have reportedly included the idea of removing the song from future versions of the film, as it is deemed too late to edit the theatrical version of the film.
However, as The Los Angeles Times reports, these fears of Gary Glitter profiting from the movie are ill-placed, with a spokesperson for Snapper Music – a London-based company that owns Glitter’s records – confirming the news.
“Gary Glitter does not get paid,” the anonymous spokesperson explained. “We’ve had no contact with him.”
As it turns out, Gary Glitter hasn’t actually owned the rights to these songs for some time, having sold them off more than a couple of decades ago.
While it remains to be seen if the song will be removed from the film still, Snapper Music have made it clear that you can freely go and view the film without worrying you’ll be lining the pockets of Gary Glitter.
Check out ‘Gary Glitter’ by The Methadones:
