Saturday, August 30, 2008

Get Your Own Damn Music

This is hardly the most important issue of the day, but I really do get sick of Republicans using music without permission (i.e. violating copyright laws). Here's just the latest. They've been doing it for years and just won't quit. The practice can lead to the perception of a tacit endorsement by the artists, which isn't fair when they in fact DON'T endorse that candidate.

This goes back to at least Reagan in 1984 when he used Springsteen's Born in the USA which, aside from its use without permission, was also a strange choice given the real meaning of the song conveyed in the lyrics.

Just to be fair, I'll say shame on any Dems who engage in the same thing, but I'm not aware that it's much of a problem with them.

2 comments:

BlogFreeSpringfield said...

I'm not sure that Dems ask for permission before using a song either, it's just that most songwriters, good ones anyway, tend to be liberals so they don't mind if a Democrat uses their song, but will raise a fuss if a Republican does. And that's certainly their right.

I guess the right will just have to pick from the Toby Keith and Jars of Clay catalouges.

Anonymous said...

BROOKS & DUNN’s Kix Brooks was pleasantly surprised that Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama chose the duo’s tune Only In America to close the Democratic National Convention. He says it’s ironic that Obama chose the song after George W. Bush closed the Republican National Convention with it back in 2004 and the duo performed it at an event for him in 2001. A spokesperson for the duo’s record label (Arista) says Obama did not have permission to use the song.
CMT