UPDATED 10/16, 4:20 p.m. ET: The imprisoned Gary Glitter might still earn some money off his song’s usage in Joker. “Digital performance royalties from the song’s non-interactive streams on Pandora, SiriusXM and other webcasters,” Billboard writes, could be headed to the 75-year-old.
“By law, those royalties are collected by the rights management organization SoundExchange, which then distributes the money primarily to the main artist and the owner of the recording, which is commonly the label,” the magazine reports. “If Glitter is registered with SoundExchange, he should be receiving those payments.”
A source also tells Billboard “Rock and Roll Part II” will in fact not be removed from the soundtrack or future releases of the movie.
UPDATED 10/14, 2 p.m. ET: British glam-rock musician and convicted pedophile Gary Glitter will not receive royalties for the inclusion of his song "Rock And Roll Part II" in Joker. As Los Angeles Times reports, Glitter sold the rights to the majority of his catalogue, including "Rock And Roll Part II," over two decades ago to Snapper Music.
"Gary Glitter does not get paid," a Snapper Music spokesman confirmed. "We’ve had no contact with him."
Due to the controversy surrounding the song, the New York Post reports that Warner Bros. has already considered removing it from future releases on home media formats and VOD. It has been indicated that Todd Phillips has been included in conversations regarding its removal, although his stance is unclear.
See original story below.
There has been a swarm of controversy surrounding Joker. The latest is the usage of music from a convicted pedophile in an important scene. In the sequence, Joker is seen dancing on the steps to Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part II."
Gary Glitter—whose real name is Paul Gadd—was a glam rock star in the 1970s and 1980s. He was arrested in 1997 for charges related to child pornography. After making a slight comeback, Glitter was sentenced in 2015 to 16 years in jail for attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault, and one count of having sex with a girl under the age of 13. The use of his song "Rock and Roll Part II" in the movie and its appearance on the soundtrack sparked outrage because Glitter might receive royalties.
While Joker isn't the first film to use Glitter's music since his deviancy was uncovered, the intense critical scrutiny surrounding Joker makes this appearance even more sour. Pundits are taking to social media to denounce Phillips and Warner Bros.
