The Daily Swarm

Of course, being that the "news" outlet was the Huffington Post, what was conveniently left out of the report, at least as far as the Heart issue is concerned, is that using music in the way it was in the RNC convention, license fees were paid and therefore, no legal grounds for the cease and dissist letters, not to mention it's only Nancy and Ann who were angry at the fact their song was being used by a conservative - the rest of the band had no problem whatsoever and were glad for the exposure.

The only person who has a legit problem, although as I said in an earlier post should be happy as his career is long dead and stinking, is Jackson Brown as using songs in commercials is whole different issue.

For those of you who doubt me, check out www.techdirt.com for the Heart issue. They have way more cred than the uber-liberal Huffington Post, an outlet who openly flouts their posters who condem in the most obscene ways people who've died who didn't agree 100% with the Anti-America/Anti-American liberal dogma.

Songs are used at these types of events to rile up the crowd and get them excited about the party, cause or candidate that the event is for, much like songs in commericals are used to rile up a viewer about the product. If every time McCain or Obama walk out on stage 'Don't Worry Be Happy' is played, there *is* an implied association between the song/band and the individual/party in the listener's head, whether anyone intends there to be or not (though it would seem obvious to me that they *do* intend it, that's the entire point).

If the band has an honest-to-goodness moral objection to their song being used by someone (regardless of whether we share that viewpoint), why are we even debating it? It is no different than Paul McCartney or Richard Ashcroft objecting to their respective bands' music being used in Nike ads. As McCartney said - 'Revolution wasn't about selling a pair of sneakers'. I'm sure Heart would say something similar about 'Barracuda' and Sarah Palin or the Republican Party (then again, given the song's lyrics, maybe they wouldn't necessarily call it inappropriate). Using the song is an implied endorsement, no matter how indirect it may seem.

That being said, I don't think it's a Conservative/Republican issue. Obviously if say, Ted Nugent had an objection to a song being used by Obama, he should feel free to speak up as well, and the Obama camp should respect his wishes and stop playing the song. Or better yet, the parties should try asking for permission first. That might solve the entire problem. Just a thought.