Swedish supergroup ABBA has asked Donald Trump to stop using their music at campaign rallies, but the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign says it’s allowed.
“ABBA recently discovered the unauthorized use of their music and videos at a Trump event through videos that appeared online,” the band, whose hits include “Waterloo,” “The Winner Takes It All” and “Money, Money, Money,” said in a statement to The Associated Press. .”
“Consequently, ABBA and its representatives have requested the immediate removal and deletion of such content. No request has been received; therefore, no permission or license is granted.”
A spokeswoman for the Trump campaign said it had obtained a license. “The campaign had a license to play ABBA music through our agreements with BMI and ASCAP,” the spokesperson told the AP.
ABBA joins a long list of performers using their songs to object to Trump. Ahead of the 2020 election, that includes Bruce Springsteen, rihannaPhil Collins, Pharrell, John Fogerty, Neil YoungEddie Grant, Panic! at the disco, REM and Guns N’ Roses. In 2016, Adele asked Trump to stop playing her songs at political rallies.
This cycle asked Celine Dion to be a candidate Stop using “my heart will go on”. Trump team in Montana and several other campaign events after playing a video clip of the artist singing the hit song “Titanic” at a rally in Bozeman, Montana. At the time, representatives said that “this use is not authorized in any way, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or similar use.”
Earlier this month, Beyoncé blocked Trump from using her song “Freedom.” Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung posted a video The former president exited a plane set for the singer-songwriter’s hit song from his “Lemonade” album.
“Freedom” happened The official song for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign After appearing in it Promotional video 25 July. In the following weeks, the song’s sales and streams ballooned, according to Billboard.
Trump’s campaign last week The Foo Fighters played the song “My Hero”. While welcoming former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at a rally in Arizona. A spokesperson for the band told CBS News: “The Foo Fighters did not ask for permission and would not have granted it if they had.”
As long as the political organization or venue has a blanket license from the performing rights organizations ASCAP and BMI, an artist does not need express permission to play their song at a campaign rally.
Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet said its reporter attended a Trump rally in Minnesota in July where “The Winner Takes It All” was played. Sweden’s Universal Music said video of ABBA playing music at at least one Trump event has surfaced.
ABBA, who have had 20 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, mostly in the 1970s and 1980s, released a comeback album “Voyage” in 2021.