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British rock band Rolling Stones threaten to sue Trump over song use at campaign rallies

Raj Kantak Jun 28, 2020

London [UK], June 28 (ANI): Legendary British rock band The Rolling Stones have threatened legal action against US President Donald Trump for his use of their song, 'You Can't Always Get What You Want', at campaign rallies, Al Jazeera reported.
The band has appointed performing rights organisation BMI to try to stop him using the song, according to a statement given to a US website, Deadline, overnight on Saturday.
"The BMI have notified the Trump campaign on behalf of the Stones that the unauthorised use of their songs will constitute a breach of its licensing agreement," read the statement, which was retweeted by The Rolling Stones' official Twitter account.
"If Donald Trump disregards the exclusion and persists then he would face a lawsuit for breaking the embargo and playing music that has not been licensed."
The letter is the latest in a campaign to stop Trump using the song at rallies which dates back to 2016.
It was initially played at Republican party primaries.
The BMI said that it has not yet received any response from lawyers acting for Trump.
The Rolling Stones are not the first major act to call on the president to stop using their songs.
Earlier this month, the family of rock musician Tom Petty issued a cease and desist letter over Trump's use of his song, 'I Won't Back Down', at a rally in Tulsa on June 20.
His family posted an open letter on Twitter saying the late singer "would never want a song of his used for a campaign of hate".
Queen complained when Trump walked on stage to their anthem, 'We Are The Champions', during a Republican Party event in Cleveland, Ohio in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.
Pharrell Williams, Rihanna, Aerosmith, Adele, Neil Young and the estate of late singer Prince have all hit out after the use of their songs by Trump.
Singer Betty Buckley also recently urged composer Andrew Lloyd Webber to stop the president from using Memory at his campaign rallies.
Buckley sang the song in the original Broadway production of Cats in the early 1980s.
'You Can't Always Get What You Want' was a track first heard 51 years ago, on the 1969 album, Let It Bleed.
Written by frontman Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards, it was voted by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the 500 greatest songs of all time. (ANI)