We get that most politicians are also music lovers. However, regardless of which side of the aisle they're on, they tend to forget that if you want to play your favorite songs at a campaign event or in a commercial to promote yourself, you still have to go through certain, specific protocols with the artists and/or their reps.
This comes back into focus after rapper Dr. Dre (Andre Young) had his attorney, Howard King, issue a cease & desist letter to Empty-G (Marjorie Taylor Greene, of course) to stop using Dre's 1999 hit "Still D. R.E." in her ads. She deleted a tweet that included a snippet of the song after getting the letter, but that may only be a temporary deterrent.
How many times did we see this happen during Donald Trump's campaigns and administration? While it's been mostly Republicans who've been flagged for copyright infringement (Trump, the Bushes, John McCain), Democrats Al Gore & Barack Obama have also been cited.
Former Alaska Governor and failed Senate candidate Sarah Palin was issued a cease & desist by reps for the band, Heart, over the use of their song, "Barracuda", which was a high school nickname of Palin's. Governor Grizzly ignored the order, and maybe that's why she ended up losing back in November. Karma, you know?
Trump, in particular, has been cited for using music by Queen, Survivor, and Adele, among others. Adele eventually endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016.
You know what the likely excuse is from these politicos. They don't have time to go through all the paperwork. Yes, you do. All it takes in this era is doing a quick Google search to find out who holds the rights and/or licenses, and go from there. In Trump's case, it reinforces the notion that he thinks he's above such rules and protocols. Plus the fact that he's cheap. Jack Benny is likely turning over in his grave 10 times a day the way Trump co-opts his act. Empty-G can't be bothered with it, either, and will likely stick her ex-husband with the bill once their divorce is finalized.
Do yourselves a favor, folks. Look for something in the public domain. It's not that hard.
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