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Liberal Rock Stars to McCain-Palin Campaign: Stop Using Our Songs
ABC ^ | 9/7/08 | Jake Tapper

Posted on 09/07/2008 12:50:58 PM PDT by pissant

The McCain-Palin jukebox options are shrinking.

The latest rockers to tell the Republicans to cease spinning their albums are the women from Heart, who were chagrined to hear their song "Barracuda" play at the Republican convention as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin hit the stage. Palin, a star high school basketball point guard, was nicknamed "Sarah Barracuda." The official Heart website states

that "Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart have informed the McCain/Palin Campaign that Universal Music Publishing and Sony BMG have sent a cease-and-desist notice to not use one of Heart's classic songs 'Barracuda,' as the congratulatory theme for Sarah Palin. The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission. We have asked the Republican campaign not to use our music. We hope our wishes will be honored."

And on Entertainment Weekly's website

the Wilson sisters add that "Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song 'Barracuda' no longer be used to promote her image. The song 'Barracuda' was written in the late '70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women. (The 'barracuda' represented the business.) While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there's irony in Republican strategists' choice to make use of it there."

This is not the first time a liberal rock star has asked McCain to stop spinning his or her tunes.

In February, John Mellencamp

(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.abcnews.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: barracuda; heart; mccain; mccainpalin; palin; shutupandsing; worthlessrockstars
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To: defconw

Yup...funny thing was I was looking into buying their double-disc greatest hits, now I will not.


61 posted on 09/07/2008 1:30:58 PM PDT by CommieCutter
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To: Texas4ever

“John I cant find a job Melancamp.”

Call him Johnny Cougar....the reaction is priceless :-)!


62 posted on 09/07/2008 1:31:51 PM PDT by edh (I need a better tagline)
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To: Gay State Conservative
"Are the Pretenders Republicans?"

No to my knowledge

Chrissy (moonbat that she is)doesn't mind going to the bank to cash a check.

63 posted on 09/07/2008 1:33:37 PM PDT by Cheapskate (Play loudly and carry BIG sticks!)
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To: Texas4ever

Melancamp is such a POS. He loves to get on his knees for liberal Indiana University. I think they even gave him an honorary degree because of his donations.


64 posted on 09/07/2008 1:34:17 PM PDT by CommieCutter
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To: pissant

FWIW, the blonde non fat sister is or was married to Cameron Crowe former writer for Rolling Stone IIRC


65 posted on 09/07/2008 1:38:27 PM PDT by GQuagmire (Giggety,Giggety,Giggety)
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To: Gay State Conservative
Yes,I knew that he paid.I recall him saying something about it.But can Hynde (assuming she owns the rights) forbid him from using it even if he pays?

Rush's show (or a campaign ad) is different: it's a copyrighted work, and needs permission to use any other copyrighted works in it. There's "fair use", where excerpts are used for commentary, etc... but Rush is using it every day. He needs permission/license to do so.

Campaign rallies (and the convention) are public events, and any broadcast or recordings is "news", not "entertainment". You can license a song for public performance, including a blanket license for an entire catalog. If the artist has authorized BMI or ASCAP to license a song and collect the royalties, then the artist's permission is not required. And I don't believe an artist can selectively revoke permission.

66 posted on 09/07/2008 1:39:26 PM PDT by justlurking (The only remedy for a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.)
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To: mike182d

they then use the royalties to donate to Obama


67 posted on 09/07/2008 1:41:30 PM PDT by ari-freedom (We never hide from history. We make history!)
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To: NavVet

More like “Obese Fat Witches Against Palin.”

They were into the occult.


68 posted on 09/07/2008 1:44:33 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)
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To: ConservativeMan55

That was one of the funniest protest videos I have ever seen!!!Thanks for the laugh.


69 posted on 09/07/2008 1:44:44 PM PDT by copwife (All God's creatures have a place in the choir!)
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To: pissant

Screw them.

There would be a copyright violation if an artists song were being performed without paying royalties to them. That’s not the case. Per the Vanderbilt University Journal of Entertainment and Technology law:

“Copyright laws are ambiguous regarding this type of “campaign” use. Political campaigns maintain that in order to play a song at a live event they only need a public performance license from a performing rights organization such as BMI, ASCAP, or SESAC. These organizations pay royalties to songwriters and publishers for performances of their songs at live events.”

Think about it - if some whiny leftwing artist were able to stop a person they disagree with politically from using their song in a legal way, do you think Rush Limbaugh would still be using The Pretenders “My City Was Gone” as his theme?

Word to Heart: STFU and have another donut


70 posted on 09/07/2008 1:45:49 PM PDT by bigbob
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To: NYC Republican

Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes all the way to the bone!


71 posted on 09/07/2008 1:48:22 PM PDT by JimRed ("Hey, hey, Teddy K., how many girls did you drown today?" TERM LIMITS, NOW AND FOREVER!)
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To: Inyo-Mono

“As aformer radio DJ I can tell you that a radio station can get fined BIG TIME for using snipits of a song in a commercial without permission.”

Not in a commercial, but as bumper music. Or just playing part of a song to discuss the song.


72 posted on 09/07/2008 1:48:53 PM PDT by Will88 (.)
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To: pissant
"...Universal Music Publishing and Sony BMG have sent a cease-and-desist notice to not use one of Heart's classic songs 'Barracuda,' as the congratulatory theme for Sarah Palin..."

This was the first time in the history of that song that is was actually relevant to anyone other than themselves. They should be flattered.

Simple solution:
The "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" and it's Ministry of Information (FreeRepublic) have now sent a "cease-and-desist" notice to conservatives not to purchase anything from Heart, Universal Music Publishing, or Sony BMG. What's next? will it be "only Liberals are allowed to listen to our music"? Good luck with that.

The Wilson sisters got fat, dumb, and happy from everyone's money (well, mostly chicks anyway), not just just money from liberals.

It's funny, the record industry doesn't even get the irony of lashing out to protect a song that was written to protest their own predatory nature.
73 posted on 09/07/2008 1:51:04 PM PDT by conservativeharleyguy (Technically, we are all Republicans!)
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To: pissant

Hey panzy doper rockstars,blow it out yurarse.


74 posted on 09/07/2008 1:52:07 PM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Defeat liberalism, its the right thing to do for America.)
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To: pissant

The Wilson Skanks are just old burnt out drunkie/Junkie DemoLib death Feminist “Party”(line) girls...and now, after decades of living the Life La Feminista, they are every bit as worthless and useless, as they feared they would end up being by actually growing up.

Now, they aren’t worth the garbage bags it would take to throw them away.

Life as DemoLib Feministas with the lockstep Liberal “cool”, has left them corroded from the inside out.


75 posted on 09/07/2008 1:56:18 PM PDT by DGHoodini (Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand)
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To: Bobkk47

I don’t know the timetable from a legal point a view, but there’s also a difference between the song and the performance.

20 difference singers/groups can record the same song, and each version has it’s own protections aside from the copyright on the original song. So Heart’s rendition would be distinct from the song (even though the writer and the group are the same).

I know for books in certain countries, the copyright lasts for 50 years after the authors death. My favorite author started writing in 1900 and died in 1975, so his original published works will enjoy copyright protection in some jurisdictions until 2025 — 125 years after publication!


76 posted on 09/07/2008 1:56:41 PM PDT by Cousin Eddie
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To: GloriaJane

“I am an ASCAP member. The campaign pays royalties to ASCAP and the band can do nothing but squawk about it.”

That’s what I thought, but it makes one wonder what these artists hope to accomplish by complaining. Just trying to score political points with their own kind, I guess.


77 posted on 09/07/2008 1:57:57 PM PDT by Will88 (.)
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To: pissant

A better choice would be

Johnny Cash

I won’t back down.


78 posted on 09/07/2008 2:00:05 PM PDT by ASOC (Have a nice day, just don't have it around me (bumper sticker))
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To: Gay State Conservative

A number of years ago, somebody told Rush he couldn’t use the song any more. He started auditioning new theme songs over the course of a few days, and it became something of a news item. Chrissie Hynde heard about it and said she was going to get in there and personally guarantee Rush could continue to use the song. She acknowledged that she was a far left liberal, but that her parents were very conservative and loved Rush, and that she had no problem with him using the song. Now, perhaps she just wanted to guarantee the flow of royalties, but I liked her better after she made the statement and the gesture.


79 posted on 09/07/2008 2:00:24 PM PDT by Rastus
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To: pissant

They’re just PO’ed that Obama’s not using “Magic Man”.


80 posted on 09/07/2008 2:00:55 PM PDT by Night Hides Not (McCain is Lucy, McCainiacs are Charlie Brown, & the football was a secure border...before Sarah.)
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