Rihanna and Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose are the latest artists to criticise Donald Trump for the unauthorised use of their music at his rallies in the runup to the US mid-term elections on Tuesday.
After the Washington Post’s White House bureau chief, Philip Rucker, said that Rihanna’s 2007 single Don’t Stop the Music was being played by Trump at a rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Bajan singer replied, saying: “Not for much longer” and described Trump’s rallies as “tragic”.
Not for much longer...me nor my people would ever be at or around one of those tragic rallies, so thanks for the heads up philip! https://t.co/dRgRi06GrJ
— Rihanna (@rihanna) November 5, 2018
Rihanna’s rebuke to the president came hours after she endorsed Andrew Gillum, the Democratic candidate for governor of Florida, in an Instagram post.
She wrote: “You have the opportunity to make history this election. The US has only had four black governors in its entire history, and we can help make #AndrewGillum the next one and Florida’s first!”
Rihanna’s comments followed remarks by Axl Rose, who this weekend accused the Trump campaign of “using loopholes in the various venues’ blanket performance licenses … without the songwriters’ consent” after learning that Guns N’ Roses’ 1988 song Sweet Child O’ Mine was being played at the president’s rallies.”
Axl Rose also said that Guns N’ Roses had “formally requested r music not b used at Trump rallies or Trump associated events”.
Unfortunately the Trump campaign is using loopholes in the various venues’ blanket performance licenses which were not intended for such craven political purposes, without the songwriters’ consent.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) November 4, 2018
Can u say “shitbags?!”💩
Gandhar Savur, senior vice-president for legal affairs at Rough Trade Publishing, said that often in the case of campaign rallies held in the type of venues where Trump appeared, there would be an overarching licence through the major publishing companies that allowed for the use of songs.
Both musicians join a growing list of artists who have asked for their music to be removed from the soundtracks to Republican rallies. Pharrell Williams recently issued a cease-and-desist letter after Trump played his 2013 hit Happy at a rally just hours after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. In addition, the Rolling Stones have repeatedly asked Trump to stop using their song You Can’t Always Get What You Want to close his rallies.
