Over the past couple of months, many streaming services and record labels have increased efforts to remove music either made or used by white supremacist. The next example of this is Universal Music Group and American Recordings, the label and company behind the music of Johnny Cash have sent a cease and desist letter to a white nationalist website over the use of Cash’s music.
The Radio program Stormfront has been using Johnny Cash’s cover of the Tom Petty song “I Won’t Back Down” from the album American III: Solitary Man as theme music. In the letter from American Recordings and Universal Music Group they say, “we have not licensed, granted permission, or otherwise authorized” Stormfront’s founder Don Black to the the song online or during the radio program.
Stormfront Radio replaced the Cash cover with the song, “The South Will Rise Again”. Radio host Patrick Slattery said, “These Jews are trying to crack down on us every way they can.” He also added, “We will not be able to use ‘I Won‘t Back Down’ as theme music anymore, but I can guarantee you, we’re not backing down.”
Johnny Cash’s family has come out against Stormfront using his music, saying they were “sickened by the association” in a Facebook post.