Aerosmith Seriously Wants Trump To Stop Playing Their Music At Campaign Rallies

After filing multiple complaints in the past, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith sent Trump a "cease and desist" letter, demanding that the president stop playing "Livin' On The Edge" at any and all campaign rallies. This isn't the first time Tyler has requested that Trump not play his music at campaign rallies. In fact, he brought it up twice during Trump's presidential campaign. But this time, he and his lawyers definitely aren't messing around.

In the formal cease and desist letter written to the White House (as revealed in a tweet by CNN's Jim Acosta), Tyler's lawyer, Dina LaPolt, writes,

As we have made clear numerous times, Mr. Trump is creating the false impression that our client has given his consent for the use of his music, and even that he endorses the presidency of Mr. Trump. By using 'Livin' On The Edge' without our client's permission, Mr. Trump is falsely implying that our client endorses his campaign and/or his presidency, as evidence by actual confusion seen from the reactions of our client's fans all over social media.

The letter also references previous cease and desist letters that have been sent to Trump, twice in 2015. In fact, Tyler was so bothered by Trump's use of his music during his presidential campaign that he wrote an op-ed to The Huffington Post about the matter. Tyler spoke about the importance of giving artists license over their music, and license over when their music could or could not be played on a public landscape.

Tyler wrote,

This week, I sent a letter to Donald Trump’s campaign asking to not use my music at political rallies. My intent was not to make a political statement, but to make one about the rights of my fellow music creators. But I’ve been singing this song for a while now...I’m not alone in my efforts to bring change. Today, more than 1,650 musicians and songwriters will be visiting their local congress members in their home offices as part of our grassroots program, GRAMMYs in my District.

In a separate statement on Wednesday, Tyler clarified that his reasons for the letter weren't politically motivated. He said, This is not about Democrats vs. Republicans. I do not let anyone use my songs without my permission. My music is for causes, not political campaigns or rallies."

Tyler continued, "Protecting copyright and songwriters is what I've been fighting for even before this current administration took office. This is one of the reasons why Joe and I have been pushing the Senate to pass the Music Modernization Act. NO is a complete sentence."

The Trump administration has not yet responded to this cease and desist letter, though Trump did respond to Tyler's complaints in 2015. Trump tweted, "Even though I have the legal right to use Steven Tyler’s song, he asked me not to. Have better one to take its place!"

It's unclear what the implications will be if the Trump administration doesn't comply with Tyler's demands. However, the cease and desist letter did ask for a "confirmation of compliance within 24 hours of receiving" it.