More than 50 musicians have signed a letter to left and right-wing politicians implying that they ask for permission before using their work at public events.
Popular artists such as Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Lionel Richie, and Linkin Park signed a letter from the Artist’s Rights Alliance addressed to the National, Democratic, and Republican committees, Congress, and the Senate, asking them all to commit to stop using songs for political purposes without the express permission of the artist or copyright holder.
“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 artist’s expression in a high-risk public manner. “says the letter. read.
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The letter continues: “Being inadvertently drawn into politics in this way can compromise an artist’s personal values while disappointing and alienating fans, at great moral and financial cost. For artists who choose to engage politically in campaigns or other contexts, this type of unauthorized public use confuses their message and undermines their effectiveness. Music tells powerful stories and drives emotional connection and engagement, that’s why campaigns use it, after all! But doing it without permission diverts that value. ”
Mick Jagger, Lionel Richie, and Elton John signed a letter to Democratic and Republican politicians asking them to stop using their songs without permission at public events.
(AP / Getty Images)
The Artist Rights Alliance goes on to point out that, in addition to the clear legal issues that arise from an artist having to speak out about the misuse of their material, it can often confuse the voting public and distort the campaign process.
“It should be anathema to any honest candidate to play with this kind of uncertainty or falsely leave the impression of the support of an artist or composer.”
Other artists who attributed their name to the letter include Green Day, Elivs Costello, John Mellencamp, Lorde, Sia, Sheryl Crow, REM, and Cyndi Lauper. Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler also added their names separately from their respective bands.
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“It is (sic) a problem that has come up in previous election cycles,” Ted Kalo, executive director of the Artists Rights Alliance, told Variety. “But it has happened much more frequently in this cycle, and that caught our attention. At a time when Americans are coming together to defend their rights and demand more from politicians and big institutions, the energy to not endure it was overwhelming. Instead of just taking this a little at a time, we felt it was time to tackle this problem in numbers with a simple request: ask for and receive permission first. ”
Earlier this month, Neil Young wrote an open letter to Donald Trump after the president’s use of one of his songs at a July 4 event in South Dakota. Young, however, is not one of the artists who signed the letter.
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The full list of artists who signed the letter is below:
Aerosmith
Alanis Morissette
Amanda Shires
Ancient future
Andrew McMahon
Artists Rights Alliance
B-52s
Beth Nielsen Chapman
blond
Butch Walker
CAKE
Callie Khouri
Courtney Love
Cyndi Lauper
Dan Navarro
Daniel Martin Moore
Duke fakir
Elizabeth Cook
Elton John
Elvis Costello
Erin McKeown
fall out Boy
Grant-Lee Phillips
Green Day
Gretchen peters
Ivan Barias
Jason Isbell
Jewel
Joe Perry
John McCrea
John Mellencamp
Keith Richards
Kurt Cobain estate
Lera Lynn
Lionel richie
Linkin Park
Lorde
Lykke Li
Maggie Vail
Mary Gauthier
Matt Nathanson
Matthew Montfort
Michelle Branch
Mick jagger
Okkervil river
pearl jam
Panic! At the disco
Patrick Carney
rapid eye movement
Regina Spektor
Rosanne Cash
Sheryl Crow
Sia
Steven Tyler
T Bone Burnett
Tift Merritt
Thomas manzi
To train
