The 70-year-old rocker says it isn't personal: 'My music is for causes, not for political campaigns or rallies.'
Steven Tyler doesn't want his music to be associated with the Trump administration.
The Aerosmith frontman sent President Donald Trump a cease-and-desist letter on Wednesday, one day after the commander in chief played the band's hit, "Livin' on the Edge," at a rally in West Virginia on Tuesday, CBS News reports. Tyler previously demanded that Trump stop using his music, including his song, "Dream On" at campaign events in 2015.
In Tyler's cease-and-desist letter, obtained by CBS News, his legal team says that Trump is "creating the impression that our client has given his consent for the use of his music, and even that he endorses the presidency of Mr. Trump." The letter says that according to the Lanham Act, Trump requires Tyler's written permission to use his music.
Tyler weighed in on Twitter, saying it wasn't personal. "I do not let anyone use my songs without my permission," he wrote. "My music is for causes not for political campaigns or rallies."
The rocker continued, noting that he's been fighting to protect copyright and songwriters for years, before Trump took office. "This is one of the reasons why @JoePerry and I have been pushing the senate to pass the Music Modernization Act," he said.
Artists like Adele, the Rolling Stones and Neil Young have all previously objected to Trump using their songs at his rallies, though political campaigns don't need musicians' express permission to use their songs at events, as long as there is a blanket license in place from performing rights organizations like ASCAP or BMI.
Trump, meanwhile, has insisted that he does have the rights to use the songs he plays at rallies. "You know, we use so many songs," he told CNBC in 2016. "We have the rights to use them. I always buy the rights."
RELATED CONTENT:
