By C. J. De Mel, Jadetimes News
Swedish pop legends ABBA have voiced their discontent after some of their biggest hits, among them "The Winner Takes it All," were played at a Donald Trump presidential campaign rally. According to the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, other ABBA songs like "Money, Money, Money" and "Dancing Queen" were also featured at the event in Minnesota in July. The following is from a statement by ABBA's record label, Universal Music, to Reuters: Together with the band members, it has learned that footage with ABBA's music is being used at Trump's events. They have asked for the use of the songs to stop immediately. It underlined that no permission or license was given to Trump's campaign.
ABBA join a growing list of artists who have taken offense that their music is being used to bolster the Trump presidential bid. In recent days, Foo Fighters have gone on social media to say that they never gave permission for their song "My Hero" to be used at a Trump rally, though the Trump campaign said they had permission, per The Independent. The band's representative added that any royalties resulting from the use of the song by the Trump campaign would be donated to Kamala Harris's campaign.
Last month, Celine Dion's team blasted the "unauthorized" use of her hit "My Heart Will Go On," and the family of late soul singer Isaac Hayes asked for $3 million in licensing fees after Trump used "Hold On, I'm Coming." In March, the estate of Sinéad O'Connor sent a cease-and-desist to Trump asking him to stop playing "Nothing Compares 2 U," writing that she would have been "disgusted, hurt, and insulted" by using the song. Other artists, such as Adele, REM, and the Rolling Stones, have similarly demanded that Trump cease using their music in the past.
Yet, despite such protests, musicians have largely struggled to stop politicians from using their songs. In the US, for example, political campaigns must obtain a Political Entities Licence from the music rights organization BMI. This gives access to more than 20 million tracks for use at rallies. Although it is possible for artists and publishers to ask for their music to be removed from this list, it seems event organizers don't usually check if they should have clearance or not.
