Neil Young sues Trump campaign for playing his song at a rally

Neil Young has filed a $10 million (€9 million) lawsuit against Donald Trump's fundraising committee for playing his song 'Rockin' in the Free World' at a rally in Ohio earlier this month. Young alleges the song was played for an audience without a licence or permission, thus infringing on American music copyright laws.

The folk-rock musician previously sued Trump's re-election campaign in 2020 for use of this song and 'Devil's Sidewalk'. According to the current lawsuit, they reached a settlement then, and Trump promised not to use Young's music without permission again.

Young is known to oppose Trump's politics overall; the lawsuit states that he hasn't, and won't, grant the necessary permission. Apart from copyright infringement, the lawsuit claims that the musician "has suffered damage to his reputation and brand as a result of the implication that he supports Donald J Trump in any way".

'Rockin' in the Free World' was written in 1989, criticising the politics of President George H. W. Bush. Young called it "a blistering anthem that contrasts the hollow promises of American political rhetoric with the harsh realities faced by the poor, homeless and forgotten [...] In short, the song is the opposite of everything that Donald J Trump stands for".

Other artists, including Céline Dion, Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan and Ariana Grande, have also called out Trump or his campaign for using their music without permission. Artists like Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny have removed their music from White House social media posts using it.