Neil Young filed a $10 million lawsuit against a Trump fundraising committee over the alleged unauthorized use of “Rockin’ in the Free World” at an Ohio rally.
According to the complaint obtained by Rolling Stone, the song was played at an October 12 rally in Youngstown, Ohio, where Donald Trump delivered a speech.
The singer alleges unauthorized use at an Ohio midterm rally
Young alleged that Trump knew he needed a license to use the song and that the singer would not authorize its use.
The complaint further alleged that the song’s use violated the terms of a previous settlement involving Trump’s political organization. Young previously sued over the use of his music. The new filing alleged that a 2020 settlement barred Trump from using Young’s songs without permission.
As per RollingStone, Trump was not named as an individual defendant in the latest lawsuit.
Young and his attorneys also argued that the song’s message was fundamentally at odds with Trump’s political positions. In the filing, they described the 1989 track as highlighting the gap between political promises and the struggles of disadvantaged Americans.
Young filed the lawsuit in federal court in Virginia, where the fundraising committee is based.
The dispute continued a long-running conflict over Trump’s use of the song. Young first objected to Trump using “Rockin’ in the Free World” during his 2015 presidential campaign announcement.
At the time, Young’s representative said Trump had not received permission to use the song. Young objected again in 2018 after Trump played the track at another event.
The latest complaint alleged that the previous disputes made Trump’s political organization aware of Young’s objections before the October rally.
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Rolling Stone contacted the White House, the Trump 47 Committee, and the Republican National Committee. None immediately responded to requests for comment.
Young was also not the only musician to object to Trump using music at political events. The supplied source cited artists including Rihanna, Axl Rose, Pharrell Williams and Linkin Park, along with the estates of Tom Petty and Sinéad O’Connor.
