How can the band Heart legally stop McCain/Palin from using “Barracuda”?
On the flipside, Sam of Sam & Dave is pissed at Obama/Biden. This is interesting, because the publisher of this song, Almo/Irving Music, is also the publisher who stopped Republican Bob Dole from using another Sam & Dave song, “I’m A Soul Man” (as “I’m A Dole Man.”) I only vaguely remember the incident (I hadn’t been in America long at that point), but apparently Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave) gave Dole “permission” to use it. The problem is, Sam was hardly in a position to do so; he owned neither the song recording nor the publishing. In fact, neither “I’m A Soul Man” nor “Hold On, I’m Coming” (the song Sam is upset at the Obama campaign for using) was written by Sam and/or Dave. Both songs are Isaac Hayes / David Porter compositions. The publishing company which controls these compositions is owned by two very politcally liberal people, Jerry Moss and Herb Alpert, who have some right to control the use of the compositions they own if they are used in ways that can be seen as “commercial,”
I don’t think that “fanbase” works the way you think it does, Class Goat. The Dixie Chicks were rejected for an overt act. I don’t think anyone would actually notice if Heart just let it go (and I’m not being snarky). Depends on how iconic the media attention made it, I suppose. But calling it “career suicide” seems a bit much, especially when there are obviously plenty of Republican fans of their music. A more direct comparison might be if a band with a liberal-leaning fanbase decided to record a song or video supporting McCain. Even then, some would go with their idols and some wouldn’t. For instance, Dave Sim’s using his Cerebus comic book to promote his decidedly unique sociopolitical views didn’t prevent all his fans from following him to issue 300. There was a lot of tut-tutting in the comics media but generally it was more of the tenor “he’s lost me” than any fervor to mount a boycott or a comic-book burning. In other words, I’m not sure that the politics of distraction are as p
