Capitalism, Huh?

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When Metallica discovered that their music was being used to torture inmates at Guantanamo, they send a cease and desist letter.

Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy went a different route, and have sent an invoice demanding payment:

By now we’re all familiar with the U.S. government’s practice of using heavy metal to torture detainees. We’ve all seen “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Homeland”—we get the drill. Usually metal music is used for its general unpleasantness. It’s impossible to sleep through and just all-around unnerving.

Except Canadian band Skinny Puppy had no idea their music was being used in the service of the U.S. military.

………

The Independent points out Friday that when Metallica learned their music was being used as a torture device at Guantanamo they sent the the government a cease and desist. Skinny Puppy, on the other hand, went the other way and just sent an invoice.

“We heard that our music was used on at least four occasions,” Evin Key said. “So we thought it would be a good idea to make an invoice to the U.S. government for musical services.”

Asked how he felt about his music being used to torture people, he said, “Not too good. We never supported those types of scenarios. Because we make unsettling music, we can see it being used in a weird way. But it doesn’t sit right with us.”

It doesn't sit right with anyone who values the idea of rule of law and civil rights, Evin.

I would remind you thought that the statutory damages for such a use, it is clearly a public performance, are on the order of $150,000 per infraction.

It might be more worth your while to sue.