The sage of Neil Young and Donald Trump has taken many twists and turns. First, Young said that Trump, who was in the process of running for the Republican nomination, could not use his song “Rockin’ in the Free World,” and he threw his support behind Bernie Sanders, because that’s what you expect from Neil Young. Then, there were some murmurings that, in fact, Trump had the right to use the song, and Young seemed, at least, accepting of the fact. Now, the story has taken one more twist and, if you had any uncertainty on where thing stand, it involves the words “F*ck you, Donald Trump.”
Young made a lengthy post on Facebook, including, in all caps, the words “YOUNG CONTINUES TO DENY TRUMP PERMISSION TO USE HIS MUSIC” and featuring a video of Young yelling “F*ck you, Donald Trump!” in concert. By means of clarifying, Young notes that there is a difference between obtaining the rights to music for commercial use, and obtaining a license agreement for public venues. To get the rights for commercial use, you need the consent of the artist, and Trump, according to Young, decidedly does not have that.
“When I discovered that [Trump] first used my song at his campaign launch, my management called his office and immediately requested he stop. We thought he had. But now, unfortunately, I understand he is still using it.” Young then goes on to throw his support behind Sanders again, because he’s nothing if not a dreamer. So there you have it. Trump does not have Young’s consent to use his song, and Young very much does not like Donald Trump.
(via Rolling Stone)
