Cory Bernardi says Savage Garden, Hilltop Hoods should be grateful for spot on his 'alternative Hottest 100'
Updated
Cory Bernardi has told Australian artists asking to be removed from his party's "alternative to the Hottest 100" playlist that they should be thankful for the royalties, after one band included in the list told him to "f*** off".
The senator's Australian Conservatives party announced the #AC100 yesterday, saying the move was prompted by triple j's decision to move its annual Hottest 100 countdown away from Australia Day this year.
The party released a Spotify playlist of tracks from Australian artists and invited people to vote for their favourites.
But some artists, including Savage Garden frontman Darren Hayes and hip-hop group Hilltop Hoods, are demanding to be taken off the list.
Senator Bernardi said the reaction amounted to "intolerant censorship" and said all Australians should be entitled to enjoy music regardless of whether their political views aligned with the artists'.
"Suddenly artists are saying, 'You're not allowed to add my songs to your playlist … because I don't agree with your political views'," he told RN Breakfast.
"This is absurd, it's outrageous."
The senator denied claims he was politicising the playlist by sharing it on his party website and Twitter account.
"I want people to listen to great Australian music and I've made it easy for them to do so," he said.
"[Artists] can beat it up and complain, they can threaten me with legal action … the simple answer is: take your songs off the streaming service if you don't want people to play them and support them."
Responding to the request from Hayes to remove Savage Garden's To The Moon And Back, which is at number 61 on the alternative list, Senator Bernardi suggested the artist should be grateful for the royalties.
"[Darren Hayes] gets a royalty for every time it's played, he should be thanking us."
The complaint from Hilltop Hoods employed more colourful language, with the band simply tweeting at Senator Bernardi to "f*** off".
"I actually do enjoy their [Hilltop Hoods'] music, but I don't have to like their politics," Senator Bernardi said.
"I don't have to enjoy their political or social activism to say, 'Hey, they're talented, they're Australian, and they've got some boppy little songs that I kind of enjoy'."
Men At Work's Down Under tops Senator Bernardi's list, with Cold Chisel's Khe Sanh and John Farnham's You're the Voice rounding out the top three.
Topics: human-interest, minor-parties, government-and-politics, music, australia
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