Melania Trump Documentary Producer Fights Back Against Music Theft Allegations
Marc Beckman, a longtime advisor to former First Lady Melania Trump and producer of her new documentary film, has vehemently denied accusations from two Oscar-winning artists that he stole musical score from their acclaimed period drama. In an exclusive interview with Breitbart, Beckman slammed claims that his documentary used a song from the 2017 film Phantom Thread without permission as "a complete lie" and "a blatant lie."
Oscar Winners Level Serious Accusations
The allegations originated from director Paul Thomas Anderson and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, who composed the score for Phantom Thread. In a scathing statement to Variety, the pair claimed that the documentary "Melania" had used a piece of music from their film without Greenwood's proper authorization. They described this as "a breach of his composer agreement" and demanded the music be removed from the documentary immediately.
"We have a legal right and permission to use every song and piece of music in the film," Beckman countered forcefully. "We have the legal rights to use it. We've done everything the right way. We followed protocol. We respect artists. We compensated everyone for their music."
Contractual Dispute and Media Criticism
Greenwood and Anderson maintained that Universal Pictures licensed the music without the composer's permission, but Beckman expressed incredulity at these claims. "We have legally binding, fully executed contracts in place to use every song in Melania," he stated. "This is just ridiculous."
The producer went further, criticizing the journalists who reported the story without what he claimed was proper verification. "Neither man contacted anyone in our camp to see if their reporting was factually correct," Beckman asserted. "It's time for journalists to report the news as opposed to making it up."
He added a broader warning about media integrity: "I have a tremendous amount of respect for journalism and its role in American society but if it continues to head in this direction, it will lose its impact and importance in our democracy. If these journalists continue to publish one-sided pieces, they will lose the trust of the American people."
The Music in Question and Box Office Success
The disputed composition is a lengthy excerpt of Greenwood's "Barbara Rose," part of the score that earned the Radiohead guitarist the Academy Award for Best Original Score. Anderson won Best Director for Phantom Thread, which also claimed the Best Picture Oscar that year.
Despite the controversy, Beckman preferred to highlight what he described as the documentary's surprising commercial success. "We're very pleased with the film's performance in its second weekend in theaters," he revealed. "We crossed $13 million in sales and we hit the predicted benchmark for our sales projections for Super Bowl weekend almost exactly with what we predicted."
This performance defied earlier predictions from industry experts who had flagged the film as a potential flop before its premiere. The documentary made $7 million on its opening weekend, exceeding projections that ranged from $1 million to $5 million.
Background and Production Details
Beckman has served as Melania Trump's agent for two decades and played a key role in producing the documentary about the former first lady's experiences leading up to her husband's second inauguration. The film was released on January 29 after Amazon paid more than $75 million to secure theatrical distribution.
In a previous interview with the Sunday Times, Beckman revealed that it was Melania Trump's idea to rent the Sphere arena in Las Vegas for a distinctive 60-second monochrome teaser played on its circular screen. "She is very detail-orientated," he noted about the former first lady's involvement in promotional efforts.
The documentary has faced additional scrutiny beyond the music rights dispute. A February 1 Substack post by former IndieWire Editor Tom Brueggemann suggested that ticket sales showed signs of being "rigged" through suspicious bulk purchases, though no concrete proof was provided. Industry sources told Brueggemann there "were signs that blocs of tickets were purchased for the weekend, then distributed to senior citizen homes, Republican activists, other interested parties for free to help boost audiences."
The Daily Mail has contacted Universal Pictures for comment regarding the licensing dispute, but no response has been publicly reported at this time.
