Last May, David Byrne explained why he was suing Florida Senate candidate and then-governor Charlie Crist for the unauthorized use of the Talking Heads' "Road to Nowhere" in a campaign video:"I still believe songs occasionally mean something to people — they obviously mean something personal to the writer, and often to the listener as well. A personal and social meaning is diluted when that same song is used to sell a product (or a politician). If Crist and his campaign folks had asked to use the song, I would have said no."Byrne, who settled with Crist and his campaign, today:
“I was shocked to discover, while working out our settlement, that the use of songs for political ads is pretty rampant. It turns out I am one of the few artists who has the bucks and cojones to challenge such usage - I'm feeling very manly after my trip to Tampa! Other artists may actually have the anger but not want to take the time and risk the legal bills. I am lucky that I can do that. Anyway, my hope is that by standing up to this practice maybe it can be made to be a less common option, or better yet an option that is never taken in the future.”While details of the financial part of the settlement haven't been released, apparently a video apology from Crist was part of the deal:
Photo: Wikipedia
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