Writer for cleveland.com, part of Ohio's largest media outlet. Bachelor's degree in journalism from Ohio State University. Juris Doctorate from University of Akron School of Law, Admitted to the Ohio bar in 1993.
Posted on 03/04/2024 2:02:15 PM PST by nickcarraway
Legendary singer’s estate orders Trump to halt ‘outrageous’ use of her music at rallies Updated: Mar. 04, 2024, 11:50 a.m.|Published: Mar. 04, 2024, 11:35 a.m. Irish singer Sinead O'Connor is seen at the Grammy Awards at New York's Radio City Music Hall, Feb. 22, 1989. (AP Photo) The estate of Irish singer Sinead O'Connor, who died in July 2023, issued a joint statement with her label, Chrysallis Records, ordering Donald Trump's campaign to stop playing O'Connor's music at his rallies. By Robert Higgs, cleveland.com LONDON – Donald Trump’s selection of music for his political rallies has again sparked discord.
The estate of Sinead O’Connor, in a joint statement with her longtime label Chrysalis Records, said Trump’s use of the late singer’s best-known song, “Nothing Compares 2 U,” at a campaign event in January was outrageous.
“Throughout her life, it is well known that Sinéad O’Connor lived by a fierce moral code defined by honesty, kindness, fairness, and decency towards her fellow human beings,” the statement said, according to the BBC.
“It was with outrage therefore that we learned that Donald Trump has been using her iconic performance of Nothing Compares 2 U at his political rallies,” the statement continued. “It is no exaggeration to say that Sinéad would have been disgusted, hurt, and insulted to have her work misrepresented in this way by someone who she herself referred to as a ‘biblical devil’.”
The statement concluded with a demand that the Trump campaign cease and desist from using the song at his rallies.
O’Connor, 56, died in July 2023 in her flat in London. In January the Coroner Court ruled the Irish singer’s death a result of natural causes.
At the rally in Maryland in February, Abba’s “Dancing Queen,” Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” and Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” as well as “Nothing Compares 2 U” were among the songs played before Trump took the stage, The Guardian said.
But a host of artists have told Trump and his campaign to keep his hands off their music, and in many cases threatened legal action if he keeps playing it at his rallies.
Among those artists are Adele, Aerosmith, the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Guns n’ Roses, Leonard Cohen, Linkin Park, Neil Young, Nickelback, Ozzy Osbourne, Panic! at the Disco, Pharrell Williams, Phil Collins, Prince, Queen, R.E.M., Rihanna, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Village People and the White Stripes, Variety reported.
Johnny Marr, the guitarist for The Smiths, joined the list in January after spotting a video ABC presidential campaign reporter Soo Rin Kim posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, in which the band’s song “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” can be clearly heard playing for a pre-rally crowd in South Dakota.
“Ahh…right…OK. I never in a million years would’ve thought this could come to pass,” Marr posted on X. “Consider this s--- shut right down right now.”
The SNL bit on FR yesterday had the Frank Sinatra impersonator say to her “When I see your head I think ball number 14 in the side pocket.”
RE: Don’t know where they get “legendary”.
Maybe it was legendary like Bigfoot, Paul Bunyan and the Dutch one about gnomes in the place over the clouds bowling so we hear the sound we call thunder. All untrue. A legend.
I remember when this crap was pulled on Rush. It went to court and Rush won.
No, I’m pretty sure the one about the bowling is true.
If she were still alive she would probably just kill herself over the use of her, I mean Princes song.
Gosh I just can’t keep up with science since Carl Sagan has passed away.
The takeaway of this article…no one knew the freak died until reading this article. Fine by me.
That’s not true, I remember it was in the media, including here.
Is there a legal difference between using the music for commercial purposes (concert, bar...) and using it for non-profit charitable purposes? In the non-profit scenario, there are no profits for the artist to share in. All the comments here assume there is no difference but I am not sure that is the case.
Why would music be any different than any other product?
Don’t use something that doesn’t belong to you without permission or payment.
Kind of simple.
That's the "shut up and bake the cake standard" - put the money on the counter and the baker must do as you say. With the new USSA two tier JUSTUS system, conservatives have no such right.
Alt headline: "Performer Refuses To Sing For Orange People"
That’s a question for the MPAA. Maybe a web search will reveal the answer but if I had to guess they probably have a special event and charity license that may even be free or heavily discounted depending on how much overhead is consumed by the charity (a true charity where everything is donated, vs a charity that rents a hall and hires catering that takes 50% of the revenues). I would also guess that for most truly charitable causes, maybe even religious events, they simply don’t bother to enforce it. You could get away with it for a day without anyone finding out if it was relatively small scale. But any type of commercial use, they will want you to pay.
“Throughout her life, it is well known that Sinéad O’Connor lived by a fierce moral code defined by honesty, kindness, fairness, and decency towards her fellow human beings,” the statement said, according to the BBC.
I didn’t see any of those attributes when she tore up a photograph of the Pope on SNL.
Not so simple. Politicians have argued that using parts of songs for political rather than entertainment purposes is “fair use”, and fair use is an accepted exception to the protections. Obviously, when these disputes arise, opinions vary about what is and is not fair use. But I am not aware of any court settling the issue.
That's the sort of thing publicists like to say, but real people don't always (or often) live up to. The poor woman was so troubled in her last years, that I'm willing to bet that she wasn't always following that "fierce moral code."
But a host of artists have told Trump and his campaign to keep his hands off their music, and in many cases threatened legal action if he keeps playing it at his rallies.
Is it just Trump, or are they opposed to any politician using their music?
Panic! at the Disco
I have no idea what they recorded, but with a name like that, you don't want to mess with them.
So how long are the copyrights good and when does such material pass into public use?
Chris Cornell and Anna of the North covered it better, anyway:
Chris Cornell: https://youtu.be/IuUDRU9-HRk?feature=shared
Anna of the North: https://youtu.be/0zLeLA8e2L0?feature=shared
Skinhead music
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