Musicians and songwriters don’t tend to agree on much, but many of them want former president Donald Trump to stop playing their music at his political rallies and campaign events. Whether they can is a quadrennial quandary. The legal answer is yes, at least for songwriters: The big two U.S. performing rights organizations (PROs), ASCAP and BMI, require political campaigns to buy special licenses, from which rightsholders can pull specific works. (The other two, SESAC and GMR, do not issue campaign licenses but can make songs available.) But campaigns don’t always honor those requests.

The use of pop music in campaigns goes back at least a century: Franklin D. Roosevelt used “Happy Days Are Here Again” in his 1932 campaign, and Louisiana governor Jimmie Davis, also a singer, used “You Are My Sunshine,” to which he owned the copyright but did not write. Over the last decade, though, as politics has become more polarizing and pop culture has taken over life in the U.S., this has gone from a subject of occasional interest to one that gets considerable mainstream attention.

In most cases, the unauthorized use of music at a campaign event follows a sort of script: A candidate uses a song and musicians or writers have their lawyers send a cease and desist letter, partly because some campaigns will respect it but often because it’s just a good way to communicate their disapproval in public. How much do I dislike Trump? Enough to have my lawyer write a letter! Some musicians have these letters written, even though a public performance license for an event is only required for a composition, not a recording. Approval is only needed from musicians if the use of music implies an endorsement or involves video, which requires a separate synch license from a song’s publisher.

Now a few recent cases are making this issue more complicated. In mid-August, the estate of Isaac Hayes filed a lawsuit against Trump and his campaign for regularly using “Hold On, I’m Coming” as “outro” music at campaign events. (The estate is suing for copyright infringement, as well as under the Lanham Act, which would cover an implied endorsement, and there will be an emergency hearing in the case on Sept. 3.) Beyoncé has warned the Trump campaign about its use of her song “Freedom,” which has become a theme song for vice president Kamala Harris. And the Foo Fighters objected to the Trump campaign’s use of their song “My Hero” as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took the stage to endorse Trump. (They have not sued.)

It seems like an accident of legal history that those three examples fall under the same law as playing a song during an hourlong wait for a candidate to take the stage. In the latter case, no involvement or endorsement is implied — the songs are just used as background music. These cases are different, though. The Hayes estate’s lawsuit claims Trump has used “Hold On, I’m Comin’” 134 times, often as “outro” music, which arguably makes it something of a theme. Beyoncé’s “Freedom” has become identified with the Harris campaign, which uses it with permission. And the Trump campaign used the Foo Fighters song to soundtrack a particular moment, knowing that it would spread widely on video, even though the campaign didn’t have a license for that.

These songs haven’t just been played in public — they have arguably been drafted into service for a cause the writers don’t agree with. “Hold On, I’m Comin’” has been played at Trump events both often and purposefully. Beyoncé should have the right to be identified with the candidate she wants to win. And the Foo Fighters song shows up in news coverage and online video, with the implication that Kennedy is some kind of hero for endorsing Trump.

Although we think of the use of music as a copyright issue involving a public performance, there’s more going on in all three of these cases. The current license system seems to work fine for the way campaigns use music at events in the background. But it would be nice if campaigns could agree with rightsholders, or even with one another, to get permission if a song is used in a way that will identify it with the candidate — and especially if it’s used for a moment that will be widely shared on video. This doesn’t necessarily follow legal logic, but it seems like common sense: If a campaign deliberately selects a song like “My Hero” to soundtrack a moment that is essentially designed to spread on video, doesn’t it make sense to get a video license? Who are we kidding?

Until the situation changes, creators will just keep objecting to the unauthorized use of their work — and they are starting to do so in more creative ways. The Foo Fighters have said they will donate the royalties from Trump’s use of “My Hero” to the Harris campaign. While the Hayes estate’s lawsuit goes forward, it might point out that although “Hold On, I’m Comin’” is played regularly at rallies — it was even rewritten as “Hold On! Edwin’s Coming” for the campaign of Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards — the song gets its name from what co-writer David Porter said to Hayes from the Stax Studios bathroom. If Trump isn’t using the restroom, perhaps another song might work better.

Politicians who use songs with permission also have some bragging rights. Tim Walz can say that Neil Young allowed him to use “Rockin’ in the Free Word” at the Democratic National Convention — an odd choice given the song’s sarcastic lyrics, but still great cred from a music icon. Harris can say the real “Freedom” is hers — and Beyoncé’s support with it. And we can all wait to see who Taylor Swift will endorse.

With the first quarter of the 21st century coming to a close, Billboard is spending the next few months counting down our staff picks for the 25 greatest pop stars of the last 25 years. We’ve already named our Honorable Mentions and our No. 25, No. 24 and No. 23 stars, and now we remember the century in One Direction — who helped to redefine pop music, pop stardom and pop fandom in their brief-but-dominant 2010s run, while also minting five future solo hitmakers (including one absolute superstar).

Piles of headshots were accumulating on a table in front of The X Factor judges Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh. Tasked with deciding which contestants would make it to the next round of the competition, the panel analyzed each photo – and as they sorted through the contestants, an idea started to form. “You can’t get rid of little stars, you know?” Scherzinger said. “So you put them all together.” And in a twist of fate, five journeys that were in peril merged paths to become One Direction.

As the boys spent more time together, their roles became clearer: Liam Payne, with his standout audition, would be the leader; Louis Tomlinson’s charm would make him the lovable prankster; Niall Horan, the humble boy from Ireland would be the down-to-earth sweetheart; Zayn Malik, reserved with undeniably striking looks, would be the mysterious one; and Harry Styles, with his curly locks, dimples and wide smile, would be the heartthrob. Together, they were 1D, and they would take over the world.

One Direction’s ascent to global stardom proved that the boy band archetype could still thrive in the 21st century, albeit in a new and distinctly modern way. In just five years, 1D released five albums that brought up-tempo British pop-rock to the States and laid the foundation for today’s international pop groups. A new online community, “stan Twitter,” rallied around the group, and their superfans, called “Directioners,” helped their idols achieve astronomical mainstream success, changing fan-to-fan communication and fan-to-artist relationships forever.

Back in 2011, One Direction won the hearts of The X Factor’s U.K. audience with a mix of pop covers ranging from Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” to Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” – and even though they didn’t win the competition, they won something bigger: an already-devout fan following, and a contract with Simon Cowell’s Syco Records. Cowell moved swiftly to capitalize on One Direction’s momentum, pairing the group with established hitmakers to churn out their debut single “What Makes You Beautiful.” Savan Kotecha, whose writing credits already included songs for Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Usher, penned the track, and perfected it with the help of fellow writer Carl Falk, who would go on to write for Ariana Grande, Jason Derulo and Madonna.

“What Makes You Beautiful” was a work of bubblegum pop perfection that popped the top 40 bubble. When the track was released in the U.K. and Ireland in September of 2011, pop was dominated by EDM, turbo-pop and Young Money-style hip-hop – but managed to break through the noise and rise to the top of the charts. The single was so commercially successful that it drummed up interest overseas – by the time One Direction’s debut album Up All Night was released in the U.K. and Ireland in November of 2011, #Bring1DtoUS was trending regularly on Twitter, with fans organizing their own marketing efforts to catch the group’s attention, including flash mobs and DIY music videos combining clips from fans from all over the country.

As soon as One Direction touched down on American soil, the quintet was breaking records and taking names. “What Makes You Beautiful” was digitally released on Valentine’s Day of 2012, debuting at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and marking the biggest debut for a British act in over a decade. It peaked at No. 4 less than two months later, when Up All Night was released in the U.S. to a No. 1 bow on the Billboard 200, cementing 1D as the first U.K. group to score that achievement with a debut album. When One Direction made their first stateside TV appearance on the Today Show to promote the release of Up All Night, 15,000 fans showed up, comparable to audiences pulled by Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga. 

Straddling the line of being child-friendly, brand-safe public figures and being young men in their late teens and early twenties was critical to One Direction’s success, as the lads were ubiquitous in what seemed like every way possible. The group was booked to open for Big Time Rush, a Nickelodeon-bred boy band that was taking off in the states, on their already sold-out tour – but their presence was so overwhelming that they overshadowed their headliner, and the Up All Night Tour sold out in venues across the U.S. soon after. 

One Direction had a je ne sais quois that set them apart from other boy bands. Unlike most of their predecessors, the five members didn’t follow choreography or dress alike, but they still possessed the same level of charisma – just in different packages. Their distinct personalities shined in interviews, video diaries and Twitter Q&As, and even more so when they interacted with one another. Watching five young men come together like brothers to live out their dreams was inspiring, and their camaraderie warmed the hearts of millions. The fans treasured the group’s relationships so deeply that they declared allegiance to every possible combination of inter-band dynamics, including “Narry,” “LiLo,” and “Ziam.”

Directioners wanted more – and they got what they wished for. A Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime commercial with NFL star Drew Brees aired, guest appearances on iCarly and SNL premiered on the same day in April, and the quintet took the stage at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics. You couldn’t walk into a drugstore without encountering a One Direction toothbrush or turn on the radio without hearing “What Makes You Beautiful” – it was Beatlemania for the 2010s, powered by fans who were online 24/7, 365 days a year and watching their every move – literally, sometimes going as far as hacking security cameras in elevators and airports just to catch a glimpse of their favorite band. 

The release of One Direction’s sophomore album Take Me Home ushered in a new era: The set also debuted atop the Billboard 200, making One Direction the first group to best the Billboard 200 with their first two albums since American girl group Danity Kane, and the group became the first boy band in U.S. chart history to land two No. 1 albums in a calendar year. But the accolades were not as significant to the group as how the release helped them evolve their image. Each member had writing credits on this album, showing that they were involved artists who had control of the development of their music; and bolder, more blatantly suggestive lyrics on songs like “Live While We’re Young” and fan favorite “Rock Me” reminded their audience that despite their Radio Disney-friendly appeal, the members were all adults by then, ranging from 18 to 20 years old. While critics were not convinced that One Direction could shake its bubblegum pop sound, fans loved it, and the Take Me Home Tour was the band’s biggest yet, wrapped with an accompanying concert film.

With so much commercial success, nonstop touring and more, fans and critics alike began to wonder: how long can this all be sustained? Repeating the cycle of Take Me Home, One Direction released their third album Midnight Memories in November of 2013, earning their third consecutive No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and highest debut on the Hot 100 (No. 2) with accompanying lead single “Best Song Ever.” The group was making what critics would finally admit was “great rock music” – but fans and outsiders alike could sense that they were tired; this was, after all, their third No. 1 album in just over a year and a half since their U.S. debut. Still, One Direction pushed forward with the Where We Are tour, playing stadiums two years into their careers – and packing them with 3.4 million fans, while also flipping said tour into a concert film. Everything 1D touched turned to gold.

At the tail end of the tour, One Direction announced their fourth LP, Four. Their aptly named fourth studio album rollout began with “Steal My Girl,” drawing praise and comparisons to Journey. This old-school rock and alt-folk inspiration was present throughout the record, and it made 1D’s music feel more elevated than prior releases. It felt like the group had collectively matured and improved, and the set notched the group’s fourth consecutive debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in November of 2014, making them the first group in history to bow atop the chart with each of its first four albums. Its most critically acclaimed album was celebrated by fans – but what those fans didn’t know was that the LP would also mark the beginning of the end.

Commercial success kept 1D booked and busy, but it couldn’t make up for the toll it had taken on the group’s wellbeing. Shortly after the start of the On The Road Again tour, Malik left for home in hopes of dealing with the stress; less than a week later, on March 25, his departure from the group was announced via Facebook. “I am leaving,” Malik shared, “because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight.” At that moment, millions of girls around the world had their hearts broken: not only did Malik’s imminent departure become permanent, but the future of the band officially came into question. The official One Direction account followed Malik’s statement, assuring fans that the remaining four members would continue on and release their fifth studio album, but the plans felt more daunting than reassuring.

The seismic shift caused by Malik’s departure crumbled the foundation that One Direction stood upon, and their final album, Made in the A.M., would ultimately be their swan song. Its lead single “Drag Me Down” was released in July, with an uncharacteristic lack of pre-promotion – and in August, a hiatus was announced for 2016. Made in the A.M. was released in November, and while it was not as commercially successful as their past work, it didn’t matter: It was what the fans needed so that they could say a proper goodbye. “Love You Goodbye,” “History” and the album’s final track “A.M.” memorialized five years of international superstardom and closed the door on a One Direction era for the last time. 

Freed from the obligations of being in a band, the members of One Direction explored solo ventures. They each released successful top 40 singles: Malik debuted first with “Pillowtalk,” soaring to the top of the Hot 100 in January of 2016 — higher even than 1D ever got as a quintet. Horan followed suit, releasing “This Town” in September with a No. 20 debut, and Tomlinson closed out the year by dropping “Just Hold On,” a collaboration with Steve Aoki, in December, which landed at No. 52. The remaining two members, Styles and Payne, made their solo debuts the year after: Styles’ first single “Sign of the Times” peaked at No. 4 in April of 2017, and Payne’s “Strip That Down” featuring Quavo dropped in May. Payne’s No. 10 debut with “Strip” hammered the final nail into the 1D coffin – and now that each member had their solo debut, the public would decide who would be the most successful outside of the group. 

By December 2019, four of the five former bandmates had released their debut album – all except Tomlinson, who would release his debut Walls in January 2020 – and Malik, Styles and Horan each notched No. 1 Billboard 200 debuts, showing similar promise across the group post-break up. But as Styles’ sophomore album Fine Line began to roll out, with singles like “Adore You” and “Watermelon Sugar” achieving increasingly higher levels of pop success, it was clear that his sustained stardom would be difficult for the other members to match. By the time Harry’s House was released in 2022, Styles was respected by Directioners, new fans and critics alike – so much, in fact, that Harry’s House won Album of the Year at the Grammys the following year. Still, despite Styles’ well-earned superstardom, he always pays tribute to his past, continuing to perform the song that started it all: “What Makes You Beautiful.”

One Direction’s legacy survives in both obvious and unexpected ways. The British pop invasion that the group led in the early 2010s amplified related acts like Ed Sheeran, The Wanted and Little Mix for all the world to hear, and helped bring rock-based pop music back to the mainstream – starting with 5 Seconds of Summer, the Australian band whose hitmaking career skyrocketed after opening for 1D on the Where We Are Tour. The quintet’s greatest contribution, though, was how it changed the blueprint for pop superstardom. While there is no exact formula for fame and success, the Directioners created and normalized a more intense version of “stan” culture than ever before: one that shows devotion through chronic online-ness and community building all day, every day, which has shaped entire industries like K-pop. And even though One Direction only lasted for five years as a group, the impact of its discography — ranging from enduring smashes to beloved deep cuts — continues to shape a generation of pop connoisseurs, and hold a particularly special place in the hearts of Millennials and Gen Z’ers everywhere.

Read more about the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century here and check back on Tuesday when our No. 21 artist is revealed!

The electronic producer Odetari is popular on TikTok, where he has more than 2.5 million followers. He posts “maybe three to five times a week, probably even less,” according to Alec Henderson, vp of digital strategy at Artist Partner Group, which signed Odetari last year. That’s often not enough to satiate a global audience consuming social media 24/7. 

So APG came up with a workaround. “A lot of what we do internally at APG is create multiple profiles for artists across social channels, and we’ll run fan pages in-house for our artists,” says Corey Calder, svp of marketing and creative services at APG. “We utilize these fan pages to continuously serve artists’ audiences with content,” Henderson adds. 

The music industry has become increasingly interested in the marketing potential of these fan pages, which can churn out a lot of posts — song snippets, concert footage, backstage shenanigans, and more — but don’t cost much or require the actual artist to do more work. Some fan pages are started by ardent followers, others by the artists’ own team or label. 

Either way, they function “like having a media outlet at your disposal at all times,” says Laura Spinelli, digital marketing manager for Shopkeeper Management. For Tim Collins, co-founder of the digital marketing agency Creed Media, fan pages “can tell the story of an artist without the artist having to be the voice.”

Fan pages have existed for as long as the internet. While initially listeners had to actively seek them out and follow them, now the most popular social media platforms are all driven by powerful algorithms, which feed their users videos and posts according to their taste profile. This means that even passive supporters can be served fan pages, expanding their reach. 

“You might like an official Odetari post, and then that serves information to the app that he is an interest of yours,” Henderson explains. “Our fan pages will almost eat off of that, because then the app is going to serve you more content related to that artist.”

For labels, fan pages can hopefully serve as a cost-efficient alternative to influencers. Marketers have been complaining about the saturation of advertising efforts on TikTok for years now — brands, movies, politicians and more use the platform to sell themselves. As a result, any influencers that command an audience can charge a lot more for their services, even though they generally do not get as many eyeballs as they did when the platform was less popular. 

“If you’re going to do influencer marketing and you’re a label, you have to hire an agency or reach out to creators and pay them on a one-off basis to post using your song,” says Benjamin Klein, who runs the Hundred Days Digital marketing agency. “Instead of running a sped-up song campaign or a film-edit campaign that way, you can just launch a page” and put them out yourself. 

Having all these accounts on hand — fan pages, sped-up song pages, film-edit pages, lyric pages — offers “a way to circulate catalog and help facilitate music discovery without burdening the artist or having to spend money,” Collins says.

To help promote bbno$’s “It Boy,” the rapper’s team “had close to 60 fan pages pumping one to four posts a day,” says Sam Alavi, who co-manages the artist. They covered “a myriad of different content types: Some were anime focused, some were bbno$ focused, some were clips of old podcasts bbno$ had done, and then they ended with ‘It Boy.’” The single peaked at No. 10 on Billboard’s TikTok Top 50 chart in July.

When an artist’s team runs a fan page, they don’t have to pay to post there. And when fan pages are set up by fans of the artist, they’re usually “so cheap” to work with, according to Arthur Lindsell, managing director of Grail Talent, an agency that links brands with creators. “Their dream is to get reached out to by the team of their favorite singer — give the person who runs the fan account tickets to the tour, and they’re going to be over the moon.” 

Courting fan pages run by fans is the political equivalent of firing up the base. While influencers are mercenaries — their heart is in it as long as the check clears — the people behind fan pages rejoice at the opportunity to be loud advocates for their favorite artists, theoretically helping to indoctrinate others. Fan pages “sometimes can initiate interest in an artist, but most of the time they snowball it,” Lindsell says. “It’s about getting people who are slightly interested and hyping them up.”

In addition, fan pages can shift some of the burden of non-stop social media posting away from artists — or shoulder that burden entirely for those who are averse to TikTok. “A lot of artists are just not comfortable using social media,” Klein says. In that case, fan pages can serve as “a way to get your artists into a space that they might not want to participate in if they don’t want to create content,” Spinelli says.

These accounts can also post clips that artists might not want to put up themselves. “A lot of artists want their personal account to stay curated,” says Jen Darmafall, a director at ATG, a management company and marketing agency that runs fan pages for some of its clients. “There’s a lot of content that will be captured at shows, for instance, that they might not want to post on their main account because it will look a little spammy.” The fan pages can function as a spam cannon.

While they can do quantity, some marketers fear fan pages don’t always produce the eye-catching posts necessary to hook new listeners. “When you find the kid who makes the best film edits on TikTok, he’s probably 16 years old, and he just really likes the aesthetic of Ryan Gosling movies, for example,” explains Jake Houstle, co-owner of Black 17 Media, The Orchard’s top TikTok label. “I would much rather pay that kid $50 to create six Ryan Gosling edits for my song,” and hope that his passion for the actor transforms into truly standout posts.

Fan pages face one other challenge. An artist already has to have genuine followers for them to be helpful — otherwise there’s no signal to amplify. If fans could be created out of thin air, everyone would be a star. 

“There’s a threshold of how popular the artist needs to be,” Lindsell acknowledges. “No one really gives a shit if something feels obviously manufactured.”

While A$AP Rocky delayed his anticipated Don’t Be Dumb album, the Harlem native is still preparing to unleash another single ahead of the years-in-the-making project’s arrival. The Mob frontman announced on Thursday (Aug. 29) that his previously leaked “Tailor Swif” single — essentially named after pop titan Taylor Swift but doesn’t have anything else associated with her — will be released on Friday (Aug. 30).

“SINCE U DUMMIES LEAKED IT ALREADY,” Flacco tweeted matter-of-factly, while noting on TikTok that it would arrive “2MRW.” He gave fans a taste of the visual with a 10-second teaser of the clip, which was shot in Ukraine.

Some fans are hyped that the leak — that was previously titled “Wetty” — will receive an official release. “This a hall of fame music video,” one person tweeted.

However, some Swifties are not exactly thrilled with Rocky using a play on words with the singer’s name. “Why does every male want beef with taylor swift? it’s weird,” they tweeted.

There’s plenty of history with “Tailor Swif.” Rocky debuted the record during a July 2022 performance at Rolling Loud Portugal. Days later, the song and visual leaked.

Rocky seemed to have trepidation about putting “Tailor Swif” on the album following its leak, but he’s apparently had a change of heart and it will release on streaming services. “It’s very important and special if it makes it on the album,” Rocky explained to Apple Music in early August about his new material. “Most of the songs that I usually perform and s–t like that, muthaf–kas leak it. And once it’s leaked, it’s just like, ‘Nah, it’s not on the project.” … I might perform it here or there, but it’s leaked. It is what it is. It’s out already.”

Don’t Be Dumb was slated to arrive on Friday (Aug. 30), but A$AP Rocky delayed the effort until the fall without a concrete date. While describing the project to Billboard as part of his cover story, Rocky said he’s continuing his exploration of German expressionism.

“In this very moment, it’s very grim. That’s an abbreviation,” he said. “It’s infusing German expressionism with ghetto futurism.”

Rocky released his “Highjack” single earlier in August with an assist from Jessica Pratt. The track reached No. 89 on the Billboard Hot 100.