ABBA Speaks Out Against Unathourised Use Of Their Music By Trump Campaign
ABBA, the iconic Swedish pop group, has become the latest in a growing list of artists to demand that Donald Trump stop using their music at his campaign rallies.
The band's record label, Universal Music, issued a statement after discovering that ABBA’s hits, including "The Winner Takes It All," "Money, Money, Money," and "Dancing Queen," were played at a Trump rally in Minnesota on July 27, confirming that no permission had been given to the Trump campaign to use these songs.
"Together with the members of ABBA, we have discovered that videos have been released where ABBA's music has been used at Trump events, and we have therefore requested that such use be immediately removed and taken down," Universal Music stated.
The members of ABBA, who declined to comment further, fully supported the label's request. As of now, the Trump campaign has not responded to the demands.
Trump continues to face criticism over unauthorised music use
This is not the first time Trump has faced pushback from musicians over the unauthorised use of their work. Just this month, both the Foo Fighters and Celine Dion also spoke out against Trump using their songs at his rallies.
The Foo Fighters expressed their disapproval of "My Hero" being played at a rally, stating that they had not and would not grant permission.
Celine Dion's team similarly condemned the use of "My Heart Will Go On," calling it unauthorised.
In recent years, big names like Adele, R.E.M., and the Rolling Stones have also all demanded that their songs not be played at Trump events. Despite these objections, campaigns often continue using the tracks due to the complexities of U.S. licensing laws.
In the U.S., political campaigns must obtain a Political Entities License from BMI, a music rights organisation, which gives them access to millions of tracks. However, many artists argue that they do not wish to have their music associated with political campaigns they do not support.
Other artists who have protested include the estates of Tom Petty and Prince, as well as rock bands like Aerosmith and Linkin Park.
Despite repeated cease-and-desist orders and public outcry, it seems that Trump's campaign has continued to use these tracks, often without securing the necessary permissions.
Musicians have expressed frustration over the use of their work to promote political agendas they do not agree with, and they have had limited success in stopping it. For ABBA and others, the fight continues to ensure their music is used only in ways they approve of.
