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Andrew McMahon Asks GOP to Stop Using His Music

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Melody Bot, Feb 24, 2017.

  1. Melody Bot Feb 24, 2017
    Melody Bot

    Your friendly little forum bot. Staff Member

    This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

    Andrew McMahon has asked the GOP to stop using his music at their rallies:


    I have done my best to keep my politics and my platform as an entertainer separate. Honestly, it’s something I struggle with daily, but I hold that line out of respect for my fans and out of disgust for the state of American politics. I believe that today’s hyper-politicized world is a serious distortion of reality. I believe that neighbors who disagree with one another have the capacity to find common ground and regularly do. I believe the politicians we elect to represent us and the diversity of our opinions and lifestyles, are failing us by not seeking that common ground. I’ve chosen to stay publicly apolitical because there are few spaces left that have not been politicized. I have immense respect for those who use their platforms to rally people to that which they believe is right and true. Still, I feel in this climate, my greatest contribution could be to remind people as they stand side by side in a live music venue that we are not as different as our televisions and our political leaders would like us to believe. With this in mind I would appreciate it if politicians and representatives of political parties would refrain from the public use of my music as KellyAnne Conway and the GOP did today at their CPAC convention. My music is about uniting people through our common experience and is not intended as hype tracks for political dog and pony shows.
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    AshlandATeam likes this.
  2. Malatesta Feb 24, 2017
    Malatesta

    i may get better but we won't ever get well Prestigious

    how is it that politicians frequently do this even though it's, to my knowledge, not actually... legal? like, don't you need to be paying royalties, etc.
     
  3. crunchprank Feb 24, 2017
    crunchprank

    crunchprank.net Prestigious

    must not read the IG comments... must not read the IG comments... must not read the IG comments.

    Dammit. I read the IG comments... Some people.
     
    pauljgreco, DearCory and Jason Tate like this.
  4. DerekIsAGooner Feb 24, 2017
    DerekIsAGooner

    So assuming that this weekend...

    Unless I read this incorrectly, he is asking all politicians to stop using his music, not just Republicans.

    It's his music and I fully support his wishes to not have it used for causes he does not support, but from what I read in his statement it makes the Chorus.fm news headline a little misleading.

    All that being said, I'm 99.9% sure that if the GOP weren't the ones using it then he wouldn't have made this statement.
     
    Damien Davies, Brent, Raku and 1 other person like this.
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  6. nl5011 Feb 24, 2017
    nl5011

    Trusted Supporter

    Well, he specifically asked the GOP to not use his music because they were. Then he released a blanket statement on IG. So the headline isn't wrong, but your understanding of his statement isn't wrong either.
     
  7. DerekIsAGooner Feb 24, 2017
    DerekIsAGooner

    So assuming that this weekend...

    Thanks for the clarification. I hadn't realized that he had separate communications with the GOP during which he asked them to stop. That makes things a bit more accurate.
     
  8. Jason Tate Feb 24, 2017
    Jason Tate

    liner notes is back Staff Member

    Literally says Conway, CPAC, and GOP ... the morons using his music without permission. Headline is correct.
     
  9. robargarthan Feb 25, 2017
    robargarthan

    Newbie

    From what I understand, politicians frequently purchase the rights to use the music from the label or a third party that can license it out. It sucks hard for the artist but not much you can do in that situation.
     
  10. J.Dick Feb 27, 2017
    J.Dick

    Regular

    I think that what actually happens, at least at live events and rallies, is the venues that these events occur at have licensing deals to play music with "public performance" licenses with organizations like ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC that apply to any song in those groups' catalogs.