The problems between Donald Trump and the Rolling Stones began five years ago. Already for those days, when the then candidate for the White House closed his campaign events with You can’t always get what you want, the British raised their voices to question the use that was given to one of the classics of their album Let it bleed (1969).
Mick Jagger’s argumentation appealed not only to the political use of his repertoire, but also to the common sense and background of that particular song. “It is a bit of a rare choice for a closing song; a somewhat sleepy ballad about drugs in Chelsea,” the vocalist told the BBC in 2016, after he and his representatives threatened legal action against the then-candidate’s team. At the same time, Jagger was clear that there was little they could do to stop him: “In the United States, if you are in a public place like Madison Square Garden or in a theater, you can play the music you want and you cannot be stopped” he lamented.
Five years later, the conflict between both parties is rekindled, amid the start of the Republican candidate’s reelection campaign for a second term in the United States presidency. This after his last conventions and campaign rallies, such as the one held on June 20 in Tulsa (Oklahoma), the president reverted to using the English anthem whose title translates literally as “You can’t always get what you want.” you want”. Although this time the Stones opted for a different strategy.
Although they once again filed a lawsuit against the Trump team – a “cease and desist” order, as it is known in US regulations -, now the British joined forces and have as allies the BMI and ASCAP, the largest United States organizations charged with safeguarding and protecting the copyright and broadcast rights of its affiliates.
The BMI itself notified the Trump campaign on behalf of the Stones that “the unauthorized use of their songs will constitute a violation of their license agreement. If Donald Trump ignores the exclusion and persists, he would face a lawsuit to break the embargo and play unauthorized music, “the institution explained in a statement released last Saturday.
Today, meanwhile, ASCAP also spoke about it, noting that Trump will not be able to continue using without authorization any song from the Rolling Stones in his catalog – which includes more than 11 million registered songs – without a prior agreement. While political campaigns may eventually come to an agreement to freely use songs from the ASCAP and BMI repertoire, if the owner of those songs opposes the use of certain themes for a specific campaign – as is the case with the Stones – that license is canceled.
It is the same strategy that other music stars have used before against the use of their songs by the US president. It was the case of Neil Young, for example, whose classic Rockin’ in the free world It rang in various political events of the former American businessman, such as when he announced his presidential candidacy at the Trump Tower in New York in June 2015.
Last week, meanwhile, the heirs of the late American singer-songwriter Tom Petty followed the same path and also announced a court order to demand that the current president stop musicalizing his “rallies” – like the one in Tulsa – with his song I won’t back down.
Other artists who in the past have opposed the unauthorized use of their themes in US political events are Queen by We are the champions -used at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland; Rihanna by Don’t stop the music at a Trump rally in Tallahassee, Florida in 2018, and also Pharrell Williams for his Oscar nominated success, Happy, which rang at a Trump convention just hours after eleven people were killed in a Pittsburgh synagogue in October 2018.
A week ago, meanwhile, the strongest response came from the vocalist of the American group Panic! at the Disco, Brendon Urie, after his song High hopes It will ring at the last Republican President rally in Phoenix. On his social networks, Urie posted: “Dear Trump campaign, you can go to hell. You are not invited. Stop playing my songs, no thanks. ”
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