Tom Petty Estate Blasts Kari Lake’s ‘Failed Campaign’ For Using ‘I Won’t Back Down’

Tom Petty’s estate blocked Republican Kari Lake’s campaign from using the late singer’s work I will not back down for refusing to concede the Arizona governor’s race to Katie Hobbs.

Lake used the song in a video posted to Instagram this week that features Petty’s song as the soundtrack.

But Petty’s estate said in a statement that the recording was “stolen and used without permission or license to promote Kari Lake’s failed campaign.”

“It’s illegal. We are evaluating all of our legal options to stop this unauthorized use and prevent future misuse of Tom’s beloved anthem,” the estate said in a Twitter post.

Petty’s estate contradicted Donald Trump’s use in 2020 I will not back down at a rally in Tulsa, OK.

But Lake uses the song differently. Campaigns are often universally licensed by ASCAP or other performing rights organizations to play music at campaign events, but Lake uses it in a video. In 2009, Don Henley sued the campaign of US Senate candidate Chuck DeVore in California after his campaign used a parody of his work in a campaign video. A federal court ruled in Henley’s favor, and after he was awarded up to $1 million in damages, DeVore’s campaign settled and apologized.

Lake’s campaign could not be reached for comment, but they deleted a tweet with the video, although it remains on Instagram.

Meanwhile, Isaac Hayes’ estate objects to the use of “Hold On, I’m Coming,“ a song Hayes co-wrote with David Porter and popularized by soul duo Sam and Dave during Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential announcement on Tuesday night. It is unclear whether the Trump campaign is licensed for public appearances. “We are exploring various legal options to stop this unauthorized use,” the estate said. Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Numerous other acts have publicly opposed the use of their songs at Trump’s campaign rallies, including the Rolling Stones, who first objected to Trump’s use of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” during the 2016 presidential campaign. campaign and used it without their permission. , music Rights management giant BMI threatened to sue. His rival ASCAP soon followed suit.

And the list of classic rockers and current stars who oppose their songs being used for political purposes is endless. There was Neil Young, whose “Rockin’ in the Free World” was played when Trump announced his candidacy after descending an escalator in New York’s Trump Tower in June 2015; Queen for his use of “We Are the Champions” at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland; Rihanna for using her hit song “Don’t Stop the Music” at a 2018 Trump rally in Tallahassee, FL; Pharrell Williams, whose Oscar-nominated “Happy” was played at a Trump rally hours after the October 2018 killing of 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue; Panic! at the disco’s Brendon Urie, whose “High Hopes” played at Trump’s Phoenix event.

The trend stretches back decades to 1984, when Ronald Reagan — a former SAG president — told a crowd: “America’s future rests in a thousand dreams in your hearts. It rests on the message of hope in the songs of a man so admired by so many young Americans: New Jersey’s Bruce Springsteen.” This was when Boss’s single “Born in the USA” was getting radio play across the country and internationally and Springsteen was publicly opposing it. the tacit endorsement.