Dead Kennedys Furious With Heineken Over Un-Authorized Use
of Music to Promote Beer
As recently reported by NME, The Guardian, AOL Spinner, NY Press, and a host of other news agencies, Heineken was forced to remove an advert which features a cover of the Dead Kennedys’ ‘Too Drunk To Fuck’ because of complaints it would encourage binge drinking. Heineken had used the song in a commercial tie-in to promote its beer in banner advertisements broadcast via the popular music website Spotify.
Spotify had been running a series of banner advertisements, which directed users to a special “lounge style” playlist as part of a campaign for the beer Kronenbourg 1664.
One of the tracks used was the Dead Kennedys’ ‘Too Drunk To Fuck’, which attracted a number of complaints to the independent industry watchdog, The Portman Group. The complaints were then investigated and were found to be in breach of a rule which bans advertisers from “encouraging irresponsible or immoderate drinking”.
Dead Kennedys emphatically deny that they ever gave Heineken permission to use the song. The band’s attorneys have contacted Heineken to address the un-authorized use. Dead Kennedys have never authorized any company to use this song or any of the band’s songs to promote a consumer product (let alone the consumption of alcohol) in this or any advertisement.
