Steven Tyler recently asked Donald Trump to stop using the song Dream On at campaign events. Tyler then followed up that request with an Op-Ed he wrote for the Huffington Post, titled Politicians: Respect and Protect Copyright. An excerpt is below:
"This week, I sent a letter to Donald Trump's campaign asking to not use my music at political rallies. My intent was not to make a political statement, but to make one about the rights of my fellow music creators. But I've been singing this song for a while now...
Big changes are happening right now in copyright reform as a result of massive technology changes and with the way fans pay for music and consume music. These changes can be a good thing for songwriters and up-and-coming artists, if we are paid fairly by those who make money using our work. Everyone deserves to be able to pay their bills, support their families, and do the work they love. Too many can't because we are being shortchanged by new and old technology companies.
Now, I don't blame all the new technologies, some are really cool. You can listen to music wherever you are, make up your own playlists, and hear what you want when you want. That's powerful, and at least they are paying creators something! The old technology companies do not pay artists; not one penny! And they are paying songwriters the minimum that the law says they should pay...
Just as my record label sister, Taylor Swift, wrote her letter to Apple in June, this is my open letter to everyone. We need change. Songwriters, producers and artists can't survive on what they are being paid."
Read the full Op-Ed here.
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