Issac Hayes’ family threatens to sue Donald Trump over rally music

The family of late soul singer Isaac Hayes has ordered Donald Trump to stop playing the star’s song Hold On, I’m Coming at his campaign rallies.

A letter sent to Trump and his team, too shared by Hayes’ son on social mediahe threatens to sue the former American President if he does not comply with this on August 16.

The family is also seeking $3m (£2.4m) in licensing fees for multiple uses of the song between 2022 and 2024.

The song, made famous by soul duo Sam and Dave, is a regular part of Trump’s rallies, often played before and after his speeches.

Hayes wrote 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 himself, with hits such as Shaft and Walk On By.

In their official letter, Hayes’ family said they had “repeatedly asked” Trump to stop using the song. They went on to count 134 times where the campaign continued anyway.

Their lawyer, James Walker, alleged that the Trump campaign “willfully engaged in copyright infringement”.

He went on to say that the campaign should release videos of this song, and issue a full statement admitting that Hayes’ family “has not approved, approved or permitted” the use of his music.

Walker added that the $3m requested compensation was a “significantly discounted” amount, due to how often the campaign played Hold On, I’m Coming.

The letter also said that if no decision is made and a lawsuit is issued, the Hayes family will seek damages of $150,000 for each use of the song – which amounts to more than $20m (£15.7m).

The Trump campaign has not responded to the letter or the threat of legal action.

The Hayes family previously criticized Trump for playing Hold On, I’m Coming at the National Rifle Association, less than a week after the Uvalde school shooting in 2022, which claimed 19 lives.

“We offer our condolences to the victims and families of Uvalde and victims of mass shootings everywhere,” they wrote at the time.

Porter, also the author of the song, also wrote: “I did not and have not allowed them to use this song for any of his purposes.”

Meanwhile, Sam Porter – who sang the first hit – challenged Barack Obama for using the song in his 2008 presidential campaign.

“I have not yet agreed to approve you for the highest office in our world,” he said in a statement at the time.

“My vote is a very private matter between me and the ballot box,” he added.

On Sunday, Hayes’ son, Isaac Hayes III, detailed his opposition to the Trump campaign.

“Donald Trump shows a lack of integrity and class, not only by continuing to use my father’s music without permission but also by his history of sexual harassment of women and his racist rhetoric,” he wrote on Instagram.

“This behavior will no longer be tolerated, and we will take immediate action to end it.”

The Hayes family is the latest in a long line of musicians to complain about the Trump campaign.

The Beatles, Neil Young, Adele, Bruce Springsteen, Sinead O’Connor and Aerosmith are among the musicians who have given the politician cease and desist orders.

In fact, the list of artists who protested is so long that the title it has its own Wikipedia page.

On Saturday, Celine Dion’s team again protested the use of her song “My Heart Will Go On” at a rally in Montana.

“This use is unauthorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use,” the statement read.

“And really, THAT song?”, he added – referring to the fact that the track was recorded for the movie Titanic, about the sinking ship.

However, musicians have had little success in preventing politicians from using their music.

In the US, campaigns are required to obtain a Political Parties License from the music rights organization BMI, which gives them access to more than 20 million tracks to use in their campaigns.

Artists and publishers can request that their music be removed from the list, but it seems that editors rarely check the database to make sure they have permission.

“They don’t care as much about artists’ rights as you would like,” said Larry Iser, the attorney who represented Jackson Browne when he sued Republican presidential candidate John McCain over his single in a 2008 commercial. (The case was later dismissed).

“It’s not just the Trump campaign,” Iser told Billboard magazine. “A lot of political campaigns are not willing to just take the song down.”

Cases rarely, if ever, go to court – both sides usually back down after a flurry of legal documents.