Axl Rose says that the
Trump administration is using "loopholes" in the various venues' blanket performance licenses to play
GUNS N' ROSES music at his recent rallies.
Rose's latest comments appear to be in response to
President Donald Trump's campaign airing the
GN'R song
"Sweet Child O' Mine" at his West Virginia rally on Friday.
The
GN'R frontman clarified the band's stance on
Trump in a series of tweets on Sunday. He wrote: "Just so ya know...
GNR like a lot of artists opposed to the unauthorized use of their music at political events has formally requested r music not b used at
Trump rallies or
Trump associated events.
"Unfortunately the
Trump campaign is using loopholes in the various venues’ blanket performance licenses which were not intended for such craven political purposes, without the songwriters' consent.
"Can u say 'shitbags?!'"
What
Rose is referring to is the fact that campaigns are often able to procure blanket licenses from performing rights organizations such as
American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (
ASCAP) and
Broadcast Music Inc. (
BMI), when the rallies are held in major public venues such as convention centers and arenas.
Rose added: "Personally I kinda liked the irony of
Trump supporters listening to a bunch of anti
Trump music at his rallies but I don't imagine a lot of 'em really get that or care.
"And when ur phone's blowin' up cuz peeps r seein'/hearin'
Sweet Child on the news at a rally... as a band we felt we should clarify r position. Peace!"
Axl is no fan of the current occupant of the Oval Office, having taken to
Twitter a number of times in the past couple of years to slam
Trump, his administration and his policies.
This isn't the first time
Trump has come under fire by artists for using their popular music without permission.
AEROSMITH,
THE ROLLING STONES,
Neil Young and
Tom Petty have all demanded that
Trump stop playing their songs, a request that dates back to his time campaigning as the Republican presidential candidate.
Photo credit:
Katarina Benzova