NPR has a great story about politicians getting in trouble with musicians for using their music without permission. Anyone remember President Reagan using Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A."?
Turns out, whether politicians can use the music depends on when and where they play it. Big convention center with a blanket policy, you're probably OK. Moose Lodge in Sheboygan, probably not.
And then, there was Gov. Charlie Crist, whose campaign used David Byrne's "Road to Nowhere" on a commercial attacking now-Senator Marco Rubio.
That didn't end well:
The onetime singer of Talking Heads sued former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist for using "Road to Nowhere" in an ad for Crist's Senate campaign. Both the Browne and Byrne cases settled for undisclosed amounts. And Crist was forced to post a videotaped apology on YouTube.
So Crist may have lost the race for Senate, but he helped cement the rules we live by when it comes to campaign music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4k13LmlcUE
