ABBA Asks Trump to Cease Music Usage at Events

Trump Rally

ABBA has called on Donald Trump to stop using their music at political events, raising critical questions about the intersection of music and politics.

At a Glance

  • ABBA has requested that Donald Trump stop using their music at political events due to unauthorized use.
  • Trump’s campaign claims they had a license through BMI and ASCAP.
  • Legal experts suggest additional permissions may be required.
  • Other musicians have also opposed Trump using their music without permission.

ABBA’s Request and Trump Campaign’s Response

The legendary Swedish band ABBA has asked the Trump campaign to cease using their music during political events. Their popular songs “Dancing Queen” and “Mamma Mia” garnered unauthorized use at a Trump rally, prompting the group to protect their artistic integrity. ABBA’s representatives have indicated that the campaign did not request or obtain permission from either the band or their label, Universal Music.

The Trump campaign defends its actions, claiming they had appropriate licenses to play the music through agreements with performance rights organizations (PROs) like BMI and ASCAP. They argue these licenses provided them the legal grounds for using the music at events.

Legal Nuances and Intellectual Property Concerns

Legal experts point out that even with a PRO license, additional permissions may be necessary depending on how music is deployed, such as synchronization with video images. Attorney Heidy Vaquerano emphasized that using a song in conjunction with video footage might require separate licenses from the songwriters, the publisher, and the artist’s record label. “The campaign would need to reach out to the respective songwriters of the musical composition through their publisher and the artist’s record label for permission,” Vaquerano said, explaining the complexity of intellectual property rights.

“ABBA has recently discovered the unauthorized use of their music and videos at a Trump event through videos that appeared online. As a result, ABBA and its representative have promptly requested the removal and deletion of such content. No request has been received; therefore, no permission or license has been granted.”

Universal Music, ABBA’s record company, expressed similar concerns and has called for the immediate removal of the unauthorized content. Their official stance, backed by Björn Ulvaeus from ABBA, insists on maintaining control over their artistic creations and avoiding political entanglement.

Wider Opposition from the Music Industry

ABBA is not alone in their protest against the unauthorized use of music in political campaigns. Other prominent artists, including Foo Fighters, Jack White, and BeyoncĂ©, have also come forward against the Trump campaign’s use of their music without approval. Foo Fighters asserted they never authorized their song “My Hero” to be played at a Trump rally, while Jack White threatened legal action over his music’s unauthorized use in a campaign video. Similarly, Beyoncé’s label issued a cease and desist order concerning her song “Freedom.”

“The campaign had a license to play ABBA music through our agreement with BMI and ASCAP.”

Historical confrontations between musicians and political campaigns indicate a recurring issue. During Trump’s previous campaigns, artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Phil Collins, Neil Young, and Adele, amongst others, have voiced similar objections. The Rolling Stones notably restricted the campaign from using their song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” back in 2020. The estate of Isaac Hayes even filed a copyright infringement suit against Trump for using the late soul artist’s songs at rallies.

The Broader Implications of Music Licensing

The unauthorized use of copyrighted music at political events highlights significant legal and ethical dilemmas. Even when a campaign holds a public performance license from organizations like ASCAP or BMI, they can still face legal challenges pertaining to right of publicity laws, the Lanham Act, or false endorsement principles. The Trump campaign has not publicly commented further on the situation, but the broader conversation about intellectual property rights in the political arena remains as pertinent as ever.

The Trump campaign played several ABBA songs, including “Money, Money, Money” and “The Winner Takes It All,” at a rally in St Cloud, Minnesota, and utilized footage of ABBA members to encourage donations. Universal Music, ensuring no lingering unauthorized use, is actively working to ensure the offending videos are taken down as per their request.

Sources

1. Pop group ABBA ask Donald Trump to stop using their songs, but Trump team says they have the OK

2. ABBA tells Trump campaign to stop using their music

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