Phil Collins issues Donald Trump with cease and desist order after ‘In The Air Tonight’ is played at a rally
Phil Collins has issued US President Donald Trump with a cease and desist order after ‘In The Air Tonight’ was played at a campaign rally this week.
Trump held an event in Des Moines, Iowa last night (October 14), and used Collins’ iconic 1981 track.
Now, in a statement made to Consequence Of Sound, representatives for the Genesis man confirm that they have issued the order, becoming the latest in a long line of artists to object to Trump using their music.
“Yes we are well aware of the Trump campaign’s use of this song and we have already issued a ‘cease and desist’ letter via our lawyers who continue to monitor the situation,” the representative said.
Watching @CNN's @ErinBurnett & Jim @Acosta talk about the mostly maskless crowd at tonight's #Iowa Trump rally in Des Moines, where Covid-19 cases are rising… while the campaign is blasting @PhilCollinsFeed "IN THE AIR TONIGHT" is peak #2020 ???#Wtf #VOTE #BidenHarris2020 pic.twitter.com/YOpC26ptvC
— Gary Gaston (@gaston213) October 14, 2020
Across 2020 so far, Neil Young, Dexys Midnight Runners, Panic! At The Disco, The Rolling Stones, Linkin Park, the estate of Tom Petty and more have all told the president to not use their music at his campaign events, with some threatening legal action.
Earlier this year, Neil Young wrote an open letter to the president, saying he won’t take legal action after Trump’s use of ‘Rockin’ In The Free World’ because he doesn’t want to distract from government efforts to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
Young then said he was “changing his mind” about his stance, writing: “Imagine what it feels like to hear ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ after this president speaks, like it is his theme song,” he continued. “I did not write it for that.”
Earlier this month, Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was destroyed once again, this time by a man dressed as the Incredible Hulk. It comes after West Hollywood City Council saying they planned to remove the star for good back in 2018.