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NYC Mayor's Viral Ad Pulled Over Dylan's Rights

11/7/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Zohran Kwame Mamdani, the newly elected mayor of New York City, had an ad using Bob Dylan's The Times They Are a-Changin’ removed from X.
Universal Music Publishing Group denied licensing for political uses of Bob Dylan's songs.
The ad went viral with the slogan 'New York is a-changin’' before removal.
The video remains on Instagram and TikTok, illustrating ongoing music-rights challenges in political advertising.

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Story summary

Zohran Kwame Mamdani, the newly elected mayor of New York City, had an ad using Bob Dylan's The Times They Are a-Changin’ removed from X.
Universal Music Publishing Group denied licensing for political uses of Bob Dylan's songs.
The ad went viral with the slogan 'New York is a-changin’' before removal.
The video remains on Instagram and TikTok, illustrating ongoing music-rights challenges in political advertising.