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Please, Please, Please Stop Using My Song: Can Artists Force Politicians to Lay Off Their Music?

Presidential campaigns use songs, but can artists stop the use of their music at rallies and on social media? Here's what the experts say.

Dozens of top artists and songwriters have objected to Donald Trump ‘s use of their songs at political rallies since he first ran for president in 2015 — among them The Rolling Stones, Adele, Rihanna, Sinead O’Connor ‘s estate and Aerosmith ‘s Steven Tyler. After Tyler’s reps sent multiple cease-and-desist orders objecting to the use of Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” they received the following response from law firm Jones Day: “Without admitting liability, and to avoid any future dispute … the Trump Campaign will not use your client’s music,” the letter read in part. “They don’t care as much about artists’ rights as perhaps you’d want,” says Larry Iser, who was an attorney for Jackson Browne when the singer-songwriter sued Republican candidate John McCain for using “Running On Empty” in a 2008 commercial.

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