Should politicians be banned from using artists songs during their rallies?
Singer Pharrell Williams has sent American President Donald Trump a cease-and-desist letter, requesting him to stop playing his songs at rallies. Will it make a different?
Pharrel is not happy after President Trump used his song “Happy” during the weekend rally.
The singer’s lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter to the president after he played his hit single ‘Happy“ at an event during the weekend, just hours after nearly a dozen people were killed in a Pittsburgh syagogue.
Through his management, Pharrel has asked that Trump stop using any of his songs.
“Pharrell has not, and will not, grant you permission to publicly perform or otherwise broadcast or disseminate any of his music,” Pharell’s lawyer Howard King, wrote in a cease-and-desist letter that was sent to Trump .
“On the day of the mass murder of 11 human beings at the hands of a deranged ‘nationalist’, you played his song Happy to a crowd at a political event in Indiana. There was nothing ‘happy’ about the tragedy inflicted upon our country on Saturday and no permission was granted for your use of this song for this purpose,” the letter read in part.
Trump has since defended his decision of playing the song at the rally.
He argued that allowing the attack to “change all our lives” would be a victory for the gunmen.
Pharell’s lawyer, King added that using Pharrell’s music without his consent amounted to copyright and trademark infringement.
Bands protesting against politicians is nothing new, but the lineup of musicians who have asked Trump to stop playing their songs alone is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on its own.
Trump ends almost every rally with the Rolling Stones song You Can’t Always Get What You Want. The band has repeatedly ask Trump to stop playing their music, but so far have had no success in getting him to do so.
Other American musicians have also opposed Trump for using their music at his events. These include Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Adele, the Rolling Stones and Queen.