The household of Isaac Hayes claims it’s suing Donald Trump and his marketing campaign for continued unauthorized use of the Sam & Dave hit music “Hold On, I’m Coming,” which was co-written by the late soul icon.
On Sunday, Isaac Hayes III, the Grammy and Oscar-winner’s son, posted on social media that the household had filed swimsuit over the Trump marketing campaign’s use of the Sam & Dave hit at its rallies from 2022 to this yr.
“We the family of @_isaachayes Isaac Hayes Enterprises, represented by Walker & Associates, are suing Donald Trump and his campaign for 134 counts copyright infringement for the unauthorized use of the song “Hold On, I’m Coming” at marketing campaign rallies from 2022-2024,” the official Isaac Hayes account posted on X, in a submit signed by The Hayes Family.
The submit added, “We demand the cessation of use, removal of all related videos, a public disclaimer, and payment of $3 million in licensing fees by August 16, 2024. Failure to comply will result in further legal action.”
On his personal Instagram account on Sunday, Isaac Hayes III elaborated extra forthright causes for making an attempt to distance his father’s work from the Trump marketing campaign. “Donald Trump epitomizes a lack of integrity and class, not only through his continuous use of my father’s music without permission but also through his history of sexual abuse against women and his racist rhetoric. This behavior will no longer be tolerated, and we will take swift action to put an end to it,” Isaac Hayes III wrote.
He added, “We stand in solidarity with all musicians whose work has been co-opted without consent by divisive political campaigns. A musical performers art is a reflection of their soul, not a tool for promoting hatred or bigotry. It’s time for all artists to unite and demand respect for their creative legacies.”
Hayes co-wrote “Hold On, I’m Coming” along with his songwriting companion David Porter. The music, which was first launched by Sam & Dave in 1996, hit No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts and achieved gold standing.
The music has turn out to be an everyday characteristic of Trump’s rallies, with it usually taking part in earlier than and after the previous president’s stump speech. It additionally featured prominently on the 2024 Republican Nationwide Conference, with a band taking part in the music after Trump completed his prolonged and meandering 90-minute speech.
The Hayes household lawsuit is simply the most recent authorized battle between musicians and the Trump marketing campaign. The likes of The Beatles, Adele, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Earth, Wind & Hearth have slammed Trump and his crew for utilizing their music at political occasions. Certainly, the quantity of musicians who’ve publicly requested that the Trump marketing campaign cease utilizing their work is so prolonged that it has its personal Wikipedia entry.
On Saturday, Celine Dion’s administration crew launched an announcement on behalf of the artist and her report label Sony for the Trump marketing campaign’s use of the Titanic hit “My Heart Will Go On,” at a rally in Montana on Friday. “In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use… And really, THAT song?” the assertion mentioned.
