Tom Petty Family Members Unite to Denounce Trump for Using 'I Won't Back Down' at Rally

[alp227]

Last edited Sun Jun 21, 2020, 03:09 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: Variety

Four of Tom Petty’s family members came together Saturday night to quickly release a statement blasting the president for using the rocker’s “I Won’t Back Down” at his Tulsa campaign rally, saying Petty “would never want a song of his used for a campaign of hate. He liked to bring people together.”

The statement said that Donald Trump “was in no way authorized to use this song to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind. Both the late Tom Petty and his family firmly stand against racism and discrimination of any kind.”

[...]

“I Won’t Back Down,” one of the most enduring songs in Petty’s catalog, was played prior to the president’s appearance at the already legendarily under-attended rally at the BOK Centre in Oklahoma.

“Tom wrote this song for the underdog, for the common man and for everyone,” Petty’s survivors wrote in their joint statement. “We want to make it clear that we believe everyone is free to vote as they like, think as they like, but the Petty family doesn’t stand for this. We believe in America and we believe in democracy. But Donald Trump is not representing the noble ideals of either. We would hate for fans that are marginalized by this administration to think we were complicit in this usage. Concurrently, we have issued a cease and desist notice to the Trump campaign.”

Read more: https://variety.com/2020/music/news/tom-petty-family-denounces-trump-rally-back-down-1234643673/

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[regnaD kciN]

1. Good for them, but I don't think it will have any effect...

Most likely, the Trump campaign has a deal with ASCAP and major music publishers where, in exchange for a lump-sum payment, they're able to play any music covered by the deal that they want. Since Petty's publisher (undoubtedly, some major media corporation) controls who has access to his songs and recordings, not the family, the campaign is free to ignore their wishes...just as Sarah Palin continued to use "Barracuda" even though Heart objected, and Reagan used "Born in the U.S.A." even though Bruce Springsteen let it be known that he was upset by it.

[Dr. Strange]

7. Is it the campaign?

I thought the performance rights or whatever they're called were handled by the venues?

[SergeStorms]

8. I doubt the Trump organization...

would pay ASCAP fees. Trump doesn't pay contractors, period. He invites them to sue him, then ties them up in court for years. That's a trick he learned from his mentor, Roy Cohn.

[Cha]

2. KR!

[riversedge]

3. "...saying Petty "would never want a song of his used for a campaign of hate."

Yes, spot on. Trump is has nothing but a campaign of Hate!

[Paladin]

4. It wouldn't be a trump rally without stolen music.

I am beyond overjoyed that it was such a failure. I hope Brad Parscale is packing his bags as I write this---way to fire, campaign manager.

[Bayard]

5. Sue the bastid!

Cease and Desist.

[Lulu KC]

6. Tom is rolling over in his grave!

I really miss that guy.

[manhattan123]

9. If they played only the music of people who support him...

...the soundtrack at his rallies would be restricted to Lee Greenwood, Kid Rock, and the Scott Baio Christmas album.

[Zambero]

10. They SHOULD allow him to use one particular song

"Don't Come Around Here No More". I'm sure Tom Petty would have approved.