Former President Donald Trump has been ordered to stop playing the late soul singer Isaac Hayes song Hold On, I’m Coming at his campaign rallies.
A letter sent to Trump and his team by the musician and actor’s surviving family members, and shared by Hayes’ son on social media, threatens to sue Trump if he does not comply by 16 August.
Hayes’ attorneys note in the letter that $3 million requested as compensation for previous use is “a very discounted fee” from the usual rate of $150,000 per use of the song, which based on the number of times Hold On has allegedly been used by the campaign, would lead to a total that “will be 10 times as much if we litigate.”
We the family of @isaachayes Isaac Hayes Enterprises, represented by Walker & Associates, are suing @realDonaldTrump and his campaign for 134 counts copyright infringement for the unauthorized use of the song “Hold On I’m Coming” at campaign rallies from 2022-2024. pic.twitter.com/uwbJbB32Ya
— Isaac Hayes (@isaachayes) August 11, 2024
The song, which was made famous by soul duo Sam and Dave, is a regular feature of Trump’s rallies, often playing before and after his speeches.
The BBC reports Hayes composed the song in 1966 with Dave Porter, when he was a staff writer at Stax Records. He went on to become a Grammy and Oscar-winner in his own right, with hits like Shaft and Walk On By.
In their legal missive, the family of Isaac Hayes claimed to have “asked repeatedly” for Trump to stop using the song. They go on to cite 134 occasions on which the campaign went ahead anyway.
File/The U.S. soul singer Isaac Hayes sings a song while sitting on stage at International Music Festival in Cannes in 1973. (Goebel/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Their lawyer, James Walker, further alleged the Trump campaign has “wilfully and brazenly engaged in copyright infringement.”
The Trump campaign has yet to respond to the letter or the threat of legal action.
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