Seems like every recording artist save Kid Rock wants Donald Trump to stop using their music, and some have been winning their cases in court. The latest example is Eddy Grant, who won his lawsuit over the use of “Electric Avenue” in an online 2020 campaign ad.
Trump’s campaign has licensed lots of music through BMI and ASCAP for live events like his rallies, but other uses – in advertising, for example – aren’t covered. Ever the cheapskates, the Trump team tried to chintz out by claiming a fair use exemption, but the judge pointed out that didn’t pertain when merely using a song as a soundtrack to an ad. Damages have yet to be determined, but Grant was asking for $300,000. Good luck with that, Eddy.
While musicians with a legitimate beef are out there, Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters isn’t among them. He blasted Trump for using the band’s 1998 hit “My Hero” when RFK Jr. endorsed him at a rally a month ago, but tough luck. The campaign paid for that. Grohl’s on something of a bad luck streak. Last week he got ahead of the gossip pages by admitting he had fathered a child out of wedlock, which dented his nice-guy reputation.
“My Hero” was the third single from the second Foo Fighters LP, “The Colour and the Shape,” still their best-selling album. It reached No. 6 on the Alternative Rock chart and remains a setlist staple.
The song’s most famous performance came two years ago at the Wembley Stadium memorial concert for drummer Taylor Hawkins, when Hawkins’ 16-year-old son Shane took his place on the drum throne. The video has been viewed more than 40 million times.
