is one thing. Although given the support for illegal music and movie downloading on this site, I find it humorous (although not particularly surprising) that not paying royalties is a negative. But is is republicans that we are talking about, so it's just the old double standard. Liberal college students, let them steal! Old republicans, hang them high! Oh well, par for the course around here.

However, you don't need an artist's permission to use their song. It isn't stealing, it is fair use. So long as the royalties are paid, most major-label musicians and song writers have no control over how their music is used.

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I wholeheartedly agree that those "old Republicans" should hang high for their crimes including stealing music and NOT paying royalties. I am a liberal and proud of it.

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Why aren't record companies go after Republicans the way they go after college kids?

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If they didn't steal from cool people they would be down to Ted Nugent and John Ashcroft tunes.

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If you use a performance, you have to pay a royalty and get permission in advance from the copyright owner of the recording - said fee is negotiable.

To cover a song, you don't need the writer's permission, but still have to get mechanical rights from the publisher. So they can avoid all the legal trouble by paying the statutory mechanical rate set by Congress and then have Ashcroft or Nugent cover "Give Peace a Chance."

Or maybe those cute little racist girls could sing, "For What It's Worth."

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Uncreative = Republican

They can create nothing but commerce and war.

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I suppose Tom Scholtz is going to sue every bar band in America that covers one of his tunes as well? Playing a song is not "stealing", neither is downloading one. Some so-called "artists" need to get over their delusions of grandeur. If Huckabee was a democrat, Scholtz would be creaming in his pants that he was using his song. I say f**k him, play on Mikey!

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That's not stealing, that's poor music taste.
There has been a lot of better music put out since.

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Poor Reich-wing-nut rocker Teddy. None of teh Repugs want HIS music

Wonder if Teddy's ego can stand it

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Hey, anyone besides me ever notice those warnings on rented DVD's that threaten the user with enormous fines and 5 years in the federal pen for unauthorized reproduction, whether or not the reproduction is used for profit? Hummm. Could this be a way to derail Mr. Huckstertobe's prezidental bid?

Look, perhaps a lot of musicians do have a super inflated ego, but it is stealing to reproduce music or any other form of art without permission from the artist. If done out of ignorance, I suppose that would be one thing if the act were dicontinued when told to stop, but to continue using it after being told not to seems to me to be no different than say...hooking up to a cable tv system and using the service even after being warned not to do so. Mr. Huckstertobe is a Baptist preacher so one would think he would agree that thievery is wrong. Didn't his boss (God) say something about that way back yonder in the days when he used to talk to people? Looks like once again hypocracy rules in the repubican party.

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Republicans steal songs the same reason corporations do: to make a buck off white America's obsession with race and all the nationalism, nativism and xenophobia it employs. It's brainwashing far beyond mere advertising and works because most whites still refuse to admit they still carry tremendous fears and insecurities toward non-whites.

Remember when Chevy borrowed Bob Seger's "Like a rock" or Mellancamp's "This is our country." This is not our country. We stole it from native Americans, killed them, then made African slaves work on it for free while killing many of them in the process. Blacks still suffer from that imbalance and most whites just turn a deaf ear out of white supremacy and selfishness believing that it's not their fault because they never owned slaves. It is just as wrong to benefit from evil as it is to commit it and whites don't get that part.

Fear always translates into money for Republicans and corporations and no one is more fearful than white Americans. The neocons know this and use it every chance they get.

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Just wondering is all. The question didn't even seem to be considered. I don't want us to be hypocrits.

I thought we might be in trouble with an article whose title reads like a question on Yahoo Answers.

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1. This is not "personal use," therefore it is illegal for Mr Huckabee to use it.

2. Huck is ruining a perfectly good bar anthem. I'm surprised he isn't using "Living on a Prayer."

3. Why don't you guys promote Huckabee? His campaign against a Democrat would be so easy to demolish. Frankly I think he scares a lot of the Repugs that aren't Repugs for social reasons. His economic theories are functionally retarded at best.

Anyways, I see Huckabee as being much easier to beat than McCain (omg! war hero! That has never been a good way to judge a President). Go Huck!! Actually, I'm going to go sign up to help on his website right now!

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When politicians take up an instrument it's pure folly. Reemeber SLick Willy? Both side use music as a wheel greaser. The fact is they are'nt doing anything except the old Shuck and Jive. Anyone that falls for this crap is truly the sheep being led to the slaughter. Anyone that believes what we're seeing is real choice,is an idiot!!
The only way we're going to see a halt to politicians acting like foolls and get some real actions done is if we include on the ballot a 'NONE OF THE ABOVE' vote. I guarantee you if that were on this ballot you'd see no one getting elected.
Jeffrey7 fopr Prez in '08

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Should we hold Huckabee to his hypocrisy? Yes. Should we stop him from playing a song he identifies with? No. Tom Scholz can't stop Huckabee from performing Boston songs. And if Huckabee plays those songs at a place that regularly hosts music events, chances are the royalties have already been paid. Of course, broadcasting those performances is another issue.

Did I mention that I can't stand Huck?

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For the rethugs would be Chicago's fifth album, especially the songs: "Dialogue", and "While the city sleeps". Download them; they're STILL appropriate today.

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The thing no one is noticing is that fundie Xtians routinely burn reocrdings like Boston's. That shit's of the devil to those asshats so why is Huckajeezus playing devil music on a devil guitar?! Where's John Todd when you need him?! Burn them, burn them alll...... bwahahhahahah

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A good song for this preacher to use could be George Michael's classic "Faith." After he loses out to that bombastic clod from Arizona that's what he'll need.

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My favorite is "You might as well be walking on the sun" being used to sell cars. The car company stripped off all the corporate-offensive lyrics and just used the tag line.

Coming soon, the McCain campaign uses a hook line from Dylan's "Masters of War" to promote the Iraq (new and improved, with secret ingredient Iran) war. How about using "And I'll stand by your grave till I'm sure that you're dead" to show McCain's willingness to make sure his enemies are dead?

Even better, they rip the military occupier crucifixion scene out of the Holy Bible and use it as a tag line to justify the next war. How about, "As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free." Doesn't make a lick of logical sense, but the goobers will eat the contradiction up as long as it has a "holy feeling" to it.

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On the topic of music, I just have to chuckle that Huckabee's slogan "I Like Mike" also happens to be a song by Boy Howdy. In case you aren't familiar, the song is about gay baseball players. I can't help but start singing the song whenever I see people brandishing those signs!

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who did this was LIEberman? Sorry, that doesn't count!

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Why is Alternet wasting our time with this. First of all, I don't believe Huckabee violated any copyright laws. Second, EVERYONE does this - Dems, Repubs, corporations, etc. Third, calling the GOP and Republican candidates "hateful" isn't a very sound strategy to dismantle their arguments. Calling your opponent names gets you nowhere and stifles any attempt at a dialogue...let's leave the divisive rhetoric to Rush...why am I wasting my time with this?

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Ya know what I don't like? I dont' like when ANY group (even the Republicans) are steretyped, in any way.

Why Do ___________ Always ________? Should never be used, about any group, ever. It is too readily turned into intolerance, on both sides.

Why do republicans always...
Why do democrats always...
Why do women always...
Why do men always...

Here's a hint. No group, "always...." anything.

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....is that damn duality issue! They vote to make it a crime to download music from the Net. They uphold the greedy, dollar sucking, whining lobbyists from the RIAA with their talk of copyright laws and poor, ripped off starving artists. Then, they turn around and do the very same thing they passed a law against. Now, is that a sweet deal or what? You make the law, you break the law and then you tell the guys you just ripped off to 'piss off.' Right in front of everybody that you just passed a law to make criminals out of! Is Democracy great or what?!?!

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My own knowledge of the music business and a little bit of web research has led me to a few conclusions:

Huckabee's use of the song would NOT be covered under "fair use" provisions, which apply to excerpts of the copywritten work for scholarly or review purposes.

Also, unless Huckabee's using the performances of the song in a film or video production, Synchronization licenses and/or fees are irrelevant.

This is a "public performance" under copyright law.

Quote from the ASCAP website:

"Whenever music is performed publicly the songwriter and music publisher, who created and own that music, have the right to grant or deny permission to use their property and to receive compensation for that use."

Now, in practical terms, having hundreds of thousands of songwriters trying to track down, grant permission to, and collect royalties from the hundreds of thousands of businesses that would use their music in a "public performance" (which includes playing CD's in a restaurant or having a cover band in a bar) is simply impossible.

So the copyright law allowed for the creation of performing rights organizations. These companies collect and distribute the public performance royalties. In the US they are ASCAP, BMI & SESAC. (Scholz is an ASCAP member, incidentally.)

Again for simplicity's sake, the performing rights organizations tend to operate by selling blanket licenses to businesses - as long as you pay ASCAP's fees, you are covered for any of ASCAP's songs.

HOWEVER . . . the songwriter has not surrendered any of his rights under copyright law, including the right to grant or deny permission for the song to be used - he has simply allowed a business to take care of the practical details of collecting his royalties in exchange for a yearly fee.

So, for an occasional performance of the song, as long as the venue has paid for the appropriate ASCAP license, Scholz can't really do much - Huckabee's covered.

But if the song is becoming an integral part of the campaign, Scholz certainly has a legal right to deny Huckabee the use of the song, and to sue him if he refuses to stop.

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Lower echelon recording artists need such rights management for basic income when their music or composition is placed in a film or commercial. It's better than a per-song fee. Many publishers make a big deal out of making sure that the Synchronization doesn't imply endorsement, by the way.

It seems he posted a personal profile on a herpes dating site called herpesmates.com. what happen?

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...of a creative right wing neocon singer that plays anything noteworthy. That would be an oxymoron at best.

Just like if you are religious, you MUST live in the dark ages if you are to follow the rules of the Babble. You are doomed to a life of stagnation.

That is why the religious hate science except when it can benefit their cause of raising more money from the poor, ignorant and indigent.

If it were up to them and the ilk of the Huckleberry, we would all be still singing religious songs and the sun would be still be circling around the 6000 year old earth.

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