Jack White, the frontman of The White Stripes, recently made headlines by threatening to sue Donald Trump's campaign for using a clip of the band's iconic hit "Seven Nation Army" in a social media post. White took to Instagram to vent his frustration, labeling Trump and his team "fascists" and vowing legal action. However, his tirade seems to ignore a significant fact: Trump himself signed the Music Modernization Act (MMA), a law designed to help artists like White.
The controversy erupted when Margo Martin, Trump’s deputy director of communications, shared a brief video clip of Trump boarding a plane with "Seven Nation Army" playing in the background. White’s reaction was swift and scathing, accusing the campaign of using his music without permission and threatening a lawsuit. But while White’s outrage might resonate with his fanbase, it also highlights his apparent lack of understanding of the very laws that protect his rights as an artist.
In 2018, Trump signed the Music Modernization Act into law, a bipartisan effort aimed at modernizing the music licensing system in the digital age. The law simplifies the process for artists to get paid for their work, particularly in the streaming era, by creating a blanket licensing system that ensures artists receive royalties when their music is played online. Ironically, this very act benefits musicians like White, even as he rails against Trump.
This ignorance isn't exclusive to White. Recently, Swedish pop group ABBA demanded that Trump stop using their music at rallies, seemingly unaware that the blanket licensing system legally allows such usage. It's as if Trump is trolling these artists, capitalizing on their lack of understanding of the business side of music while they inadvertently benefit from the very legislation he enacted.
The irony of Jack White’s situation is hard to ignore. While he threatens legal action, the Music Modernization Act provides artists with the very tools needed to protect their work and ensure they are compensated fairly. It’s a shame that White’s knowledge of music licensing seems as outdated as the systems the MMA was designed to replace.
As White fumes over the use of his music, he might want to take a moment to understand the broader context. The law signed by Trump was meant to help artists like him thrive in a rapidly changing industry and Trump has the legal right to use his music with a blanket license. Rather than resorting to name-calling and threats, White could acknowledge the progress that has been made to protect musical artists—thanks, in part, to the very administration he despises.
