"Cocaine" is never free ... neither is Taylor Swift, John Fogerty and the Harper Valley P.T.A. -- this according to the secret agents who claim they caught an Idaho sports bar playing music they hadn't paid for.
As TMZ first reported, BMI -- the enforcers of music royalties -- sent a spy to The Sports Cellar bar in Idaho to see if they were playing music they hadn't paid for the rights to use ... and according to court documents, this is what they heard:
-- Cocaine -- Amarillo By Morning -- Harper Valley P.T.A. -- Long As I Can See the Light ... by John Fogerty -- She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy -- Here Without You -- Should've Said No .. by Taylor Swift -- I Get It -- Five Dollar Fine -- Gotta Get Me Down Home
After the recon mission, BMI, Taylor Swift and several recording artists filed a lawsuit against the bar for copyright infringement.
So why would the secret agents for BMI target little podunk bars? Because they're sending a message to every small joint in the county -- Big Brother is always watching.
Taylor Swift wants justice after a sting operation in Idaho revealed that a little sports bar was totally cheating her out of ... a few dollars a month.
Swift has attached herself to a copyright infringement lawsuit spearheaded by BMI -- the enforcer of music royalties.
According to a lawyer connected to the case, BMI deployed an "agent" to go on a recon mission at The Sports Cellar bar sometime last year, and the agent noticed the bar was playing music -- including Taylor's stuff -- that they hadn't paid for the right to play.
We're told they even used the allegedly stolen music for Karaoke!!!! Have they no shame?!
Swift and co. are suing for unspecified damages -- but compared to the millions she's raking in right now, this thing in Idaho is totally small potatoes.
Joe Jonas, Kanye West and Kate Gosselin were all targets of Taylor Swift last night during her hilarious appearance on "Saturday Night Live."
After skewering her ex and Kanye during the monologue, Taylor threw on a classic Kate wig that looks like "a gorgeous waterfall of human hair in the front and in the back ... a patriotic fireworks display."
The guy at the core of the Taylor Swift swastika scandal claims it's possible the singer did not see the Nazi symbol on his chest when he pulled her in for a photo the other night.
The shirt-bearer, AJ English, tells TMZ he didn't know Taylor before Katy Perry's party last weekend -- and he's sorry for dragging her into the chaos.
As for why he had a swastika on his shirt in the first place -- English says it started out as an "X" but was "perverted" as the night went on, adding he's "not a racist" and doesn't support the Nazi agenda.
UPDATE: Swift's rep just put together this swift explanation for TMZ, "Taylor took pictures with about 100 people that night ... she doesn't know who this guy is and she didn't realize what was on his shirt."
What the heil was Taylor Swift thinking?
During Katy Perry's birthday party in West Hollywood last weekend, 19-year-old Swift put her arm around a guy wearing a Nazi swastika -- a symbol of hate, murder and evil -- and smiled for a photograph.
There are rumblings that the "JH" on Swift's shirt stands for "Jew Hater" -- but it seems more likely it stands for Julianne Hough due to the fact that Hough had a "TS" painted on her outfit ... most likely for Taylor Swift.
Taylor Swift got a ride from Taylor Lautner last night -- as they left Ruth's Chris steak house in the "Twilight" star's sweet looking Audi R8.
No word if the two are "officially" dating ... but we're guessing 19-year-old Swifty is just another girl waiting for this piece of underage meat to turn 18.
Kanye West was spotted leaving a gym in Los Angeles after playing basketball wi--
--hold up a sec. Yo TMZ, I'm really happy for Kanye West, but that video of Miley Cyrus you have up is the best rap video about Twitter done by a white girl of all-time. OF ALL-TIME!!!
The Kanye West backlash peaked this week with reports he was getting dumped from his upcoming tour with Lady Gaga -- but wish as we may ... it's not true.
Live Nation tells us Kanye will be on stage November 10th as scheduled. Then again, he has a court hearing for criminal battery on October 23, so you never know.
He may be a social pariah everywhere else -- but when Kanye West made a surprise appearance at Common's benefit concert last night in Hollywood, he got a hero's welcome.
The crowd at the show -- which featured Common, Nas, Ludacris, De La Soul, The Roots, Mos Def, Talib Kweli and more -- just exploded when Kanye rushed out on stage. He stayed for a few songs -- including "Good Life" and "Run This Town" -- and had the crowd going nuts the whole time.
No Kanye needed this time, because during a radio interview yesterday Taylor Swift cut her own self off -- after the DJ repeatedly asked her about the VMA incident against her wishes.
It's all anyone cares about this week, but apparently the West situation wasn't a pre-approved "talking point" for her visit to the MJ Morning Show. After briefly addressing the controversy, Swift was done -- but the DJ wasn't.
The dude kept pressing the issue as Taylor told him three times to stop -- then her handlers stepped in and stopped the interview completely.
This is the same DJ who interviewed Miley Cyrus in June -- with the same result.
Taylor Swift dropped a fat tip at a NY restaurant just 24 hours after the VMAs -- proving Kanye West's overwhelming doucheyness isn't as contagious as once thought.
Swift hit up Serendipity 3 restaurant with Emma Stone for dinner on Monday night, where we're told she munched on cheese ravioli and washed it down with a soda.
When it was time for the young ladies to pay the $60 tab -- we're told Taylor picked up the bill and dropped an extra $24 for the service -- that's a 40% tip!
TMZ has obtained the audiotape of President Barack Obama calling Kanye West a "jackass" for hijacking Taylor Swift's acceptance speech during the VMAs.
The audio was recorded just before Obama went on camera to do an interview with CNBC. Before the interview began, Obama -- referring to Kanye's antics on stage -- said "I thought that was really inappropriate," then adding, "He's a jackass."
After making the remarks, Obama said "Where's the pool?" Presumably, he was worried the joke would go wide. He noted the last time that happened, he got burned for killing a fly.
Moments after Taylor Swift told the ladies of "The View" that as of this morning, Kanye hadn't called to apologize ... guess who decided to pick up the phone?
Reps at "The View" claim Kanye rang up Taylor right after she finished her segment and offered a big, fat apology for stealing her moment at the MTV VMAs this weekend.
Kanye West has apologized twice on his blog and again last night on Jay Leno -- but according to Taylor Swift, she still hasn't heard a word from him personally.
Swift was on "The View" just moments ago and says she was "rattled" by West's stage rush ... but added she would be willing to meet and call a truce.