Trump 2020 vs Tom Petty

Trump 2020 Rally

A recent and notable example of improperly using music in a political campaign is at the June 20th, 2020 Trump Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

During President Trumps Rally, they publicly played the song "Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty. Although Tom Petty passed away back in 2017, his copyright ownership was transferred to his family. As the new copyright owners, they put an emphasis on respecting the wishes and lifestyle of the original artist. The family and estate was not notified or consulted before using the song. Later that same day his family addressed his use of the song.

Their response was against the overall use for the song. The family said Trump and his campaign was "in no way authorized to use this song." Given the intense political climate, there was a lot of political weight behind this rally. Neither the family or Tom Petty would have agreed to use this song for this particular candidate. Knowingly or not this use showed blatant disregard for the art and artist.

Art of any kind has has an intention behind it. The creator or owner are the only ones who are reserved the right to choose what their supports and how its used. It is important to respect the artists, otherwise it hinders new art and creates an unnecessary fear for creators.

Link to the statement left made: Twitter Response

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