A troupe of high-profile musicians spanning all genres have penned an open letter demanding that politicians get clearance on the music they play at campaign rallies and other events.
The letter, written in partnership with the Artist Rights Alliance, calls for major political parties in the U.S. to “establish clear policies requiring campaigns to seek consent of featured recording artists, songwriters and copyright owners before publicly using their music in a political or campaign setting.”
“As artists, activists and citizens, we ask you to pledge that all candidates you support will seek consent from featured recording artists and songwriters before using their music in campaign and political settings,” it reads. “This is the only way to effectively protect your candidates from legal risk, unnecessary public controversy and the moral quagmire that comes from falsely claiming or implying an artist’s support or distorting an artists’ expression in such a high stakes public way.
The open letter has ben co-signed by acts like Mick Jagger, Lorde, Pearl Jam, Courtney Love, Elvis Costello, Lykke Li, Blondie, Jason Isbell, Sheryl Crow, Green Day and more.
The Artist Rights Alliance has directed this open letter at six major political campaign organizations: the Republican and Democratic National, Congressional, and Senatorial committees. “Many of these artists have spent a lifetime making music that we all know and love,” the statement reads. “At the very least, it should be their choice as to whether or not it’s used in this way—especially in these hyper-partisan times.”
Campaign music has become a point of contention amid the 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns. Many artists have been vocal about their disapproval of President Trump using their music during campaigns. Neil Young, Mike Stipe of R.E.M., Mick Jagger and others have all threatened the Trump campaign with legal action for using their songs without permission.
You can read the letter here.
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Earlier this week, Neil Young penned an open letter, staring that he is reconsidering suing Donald Trump for using his music at his rallies over the past four years.
“I am changing my mind about suing President Trump,” he writes. “Reconsidering. I’m looking at it again. There is a long history to consider and I originally considered it, deciding not to pursue. But then President Trump ordered thugs in uniform onto our streets. His idea. He ordered it himself. This all DJT.”
