Donald Trump can't stop playing music he doesn't have permission to use during his campaign to be president.
In this regard, the former president and current Republican nominee is no stranger to legal action taken against him especially cease and desists. Since Trump's 2015 campaign, he has been hit with numerous complaints from the music industry's most successful artists. Some of the biggest bands in rock like the Village People, Journey, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith and Linkin Park have all had incidents with Trump using some of their most popular works during his rallies and campaign advertisements. Each of these artists either filed complaints or threatened to pursue legal action against Trump. The GOP nominee has even used pop songs like Rihanna's 2007 hit “Don’t Stop the Music,” which was played at a rally in 2018. The singer swiftly issued a cease and desist soon after the song was used.
However, despite all the long-running music legal troubles, that hasn't stopped Trump from using the music from some of the popular names in music for this 2024 election.
Here is the list of artists this year that have threatened legal action or have taken legal action against Trump for the use of their music:
Johnny Marr performs on stage at the Eventim Apollo on April 12, 2024 in London, England. (C Brandon/Redferns/Getty Images)Earlier in the year, Smiths star Johnny Marr responded to a video of a Trump rally in Rapid City, South Dakota. In the video, the Smiths song "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" was played at the campaign event in September 2023. The video was in response to another campaign reporter stating that a Smiths song was playing at a rally in New Hampshire in January.
Marr said, Ahh . . . right . . . OK. I never in a million years would’ve thought this could come to pass. Consider this s**t shut right down right now.”
Irish singer and songwriter Sinead O'Connor posed at her home in County Wicklow, Republic Of Ireland on 3rd February 2012. (David Corio/Redferns/Getty Images)During Trump's spring campaign in states like Maryland and North Carolina, the former president used “Nothing Compares 2 U,” the single written by Prince but popularized by late Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor.
In a statement to Variety, O'Connor's estate stated, "It was with outrage therefore that we learned that Donald Trump has been using her iconic performance of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ at his political rallies,” the statement reads.
It continued, "It is no exaggeration to say that Sinéad would have been disgusted, hurt and insulted to have her work misrepresented in this way by someone who she herself referred to as a ‘biblical devil.’"
"As the guardians of her legacy, we demand that Donald Trump and his associates desist from using her music immediately," the statement concluded.
Isaac Hayes performs at Chronicle Pavilion on August 1, 2004 in Concord, California. (Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)The family of late soul singer-songwriter Isaac Hayes has escalated their legal pursuits against Trump. For months, the singer's family has alleged that Trump had used the song "Hold On, I’m Coming,” which was penned by Hayes, over 100 times at his rallies in the last two years.
On Aug. 11, the family sued Trump to immediately halt playing Hayes' music and compensate them $3 million for all the times he has played it so far. The complaint stated that despite the estate's repeated demands, Trump has continued to use the song
Hayes' son, Isaac Hayes III said on Aug. 23 on X, that the federal court granted an emergency hearing about the lawsuit.
"Donald Trump, the RNC, Trump, Trump for President Inc. 2024, Turning Point and The NRA are required to appear in court September 3rd, 2024 at the Northern U.S. District Federal Court in Atlanta. See you in court," he stated.
Singer Celine Dion performs on the stage in concert at Cotai Strip Cotai Arena on June 29, 2018 in Macau, China. (Visual China Group via Getty Images)Following the Hayes song being played at a rally, a song from the Canadian pop powerhouse, Celine Dion, was also played at a rally in Montana in August.
Dion's team took to social media after videos of the song being played at the rally circulated online.
"Today, Celine Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorized usage of the video, recording, musical performance, and likeness of Celine Dion singing 'My Heart Will Go On' at a Donald Trump / JD Vance campaign rally in Montana," the post said.
"In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use," the statement added, before concluding, ". . . And really, THAT song?"
Beyoncé accepts the Innovator Award at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards held at the Dolby Theatre on April 1, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Michael Buckner/Billboard via Getty Images)Unlike Vice President Kamala Harris who received permission to use Beyoncé's "Freedom" to launch her campaign, Trump's campaign did not have such rights when spokesman Steven Cheung posted a clip of Trump walking off a plane, backed by "Freedom" on Aug. 20.
According to Rolling Stone source, Beyoncé, her record label and publisher had threatened a cease and desist against the former president. The source said she did not give the former president the permission to use the 2016 song posted online.
The video posted by Cheung has now been deleted. The singer has not made an official statement about the matter.
Dave Grohl performs with the Foo Fighters at Fenway Park. (Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)The latest artist to threaten to take legal action against Trump is the Foo Fighters. During a rally in Arizona on Aug. 23, Trump brought out Robert F. Kennedy Jr. using "My Hero" by the Foo Fighters as his walkout song.
The band was later tagged in a video of the rally. A fan asked the band, "Did you let Trump use 'My Hero' to welcome RFK Jr. on stage?"
The band responded, "No."
In a statement to Billboard, the band's spokesperson confirmed that “Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were, they would not have granted it.”
The statement continued, "appropriate actions are being taken." The spokesperson also said that any royalties the band has received because of the usage of the song will be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign.
On Aug. 24, Trump's spokesperson Steven Chueng told the Independent, "We have a license to play the song."
But in a statement to Entertainment Weekly on Aug. 26, the band did not back down from their previous comments and legal complaint. The band reiterated, "Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were they would not have granted it."
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