Gary Glitter wouldn’t receive royalties if Chiefs restored touchdown song

According to reports, Gary Glitter will not receive royalties for the recent usage of his song in a film. Could the Chiefs use it and not pay him also?

Earlier this year, I wrote a column suggesting that the Kansas City Chiefs must bring back its traditional touchdown song, “Rock ‘N’ Roll Part Two.” The song has not been played at Arrowhead Stadium since 2014.

A majority of Chiefs fans on social were open to the idea of bringing back the song to Arrowhead Stadium. But many also voted against it because they said that Gary Glitter, co-writer and performer of the song, would receive royalties for the song. Glitter, also known as Paul Gadd, is currently serving a 16-year jail term for sexual crimes against minors.

If you have seen the new film Joker (no spoilers, I promise), the song is played at one point during the movie.

In an interview with the L.A. Times, a spokesperson from Snapper Music, the London-based label that owns Glitter’s recordings, said that Glitter sold his rights to the recording and publishing of “Rock ‘N’ Roll Part Two”, as well as some of his other songs, more than 20 years ago.

“Gary Glitter does not get paid,” the spokesman said to the L.A. Times, who wanted to remain anonymous. “We’ve had no contact with him.”

According to NME, Universal Music Publishing Group in the United States also confirmed that Glitter would not receive any royalties from them for the use of the song in Joker.

While Glitter was being investigated, the Chiefs used a cover of “Rock ‘N’ Roll Part 2” before parting ways with the song. Many defended the Chiefs for leaving one of its epic traditions because the team does not want to pay Glitter any royalties. In fact, many Chiefs fans reacted angrily to the article I wrote, saying they don’t want Glitter to receive any royalties.

But given that Glitter does not receive any royalties for his song appearing in Joker, would this change your mind on whether the Chiefs should bring it back? More pertinently, would the Chiefs be willing to bring the tradition back if they did not have to pay Glitter any royalties?

If the Chiefs would not have to pay Glitter, it would squash the biggest criticism from the idea, and perhaps a possible step in bringing back an old Arrowhead tradition—still a favorite of many to this day.