Man who wrote ?Charge!? song suing for back royalties

That "da-da-da-da-da-daaaa ... CHARGE!" chant you ignore at sports stadiums has a name. ("Stadium Doo Dads.") It's only been around since 1978. It also has a composer who wants to get paid for his work.

Bobby Kent, the former San Diego Chargers musical director who wrote the ditty 33 years ago, filed suit last week in Miami against the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers for licensing his rally song without permission or proper compensation. Kent claims he lost millions in potential royalties because ASCAP didn't track the uses of the song, which is frequently played at sporting venues across the country.

The song, also known as "Kent's Composition," was copyrighted in 1981 and Kent says he received between $10,000 and $20,000 per year from the Chargers for its use. He didn't specify how much he's asking for in damages but before he filed suit, Kent offered teams blanket use of the tune for $3,000. Only one team, the Los Angeles Lakers, agreed.

The "Charge!" chant is one of those things that its origin you never thought about. I assumed it developed organically, like the wave or hydrocarbon compounds. Now that I know it was written specifically to get fans to cheer on third downs, I'm even less likely to cheer after it than before.

My assumption is that teams will do the same. However the lawsuit goes, the easiest thing will be for teams to drop "Kent's Composition" and find another rallying cry. The Black Eyed Peas just released another album, right?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/post/man-who-wrote-charge-song-suing-for-back-royalties?urn=top,wp23

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