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We can now add ABBA to the ever growing list of musicians that have taken issue with Donald Trump’s campaign playing their music at his long and boring Nazi rallies. At the end of July, the Trump campaign played a bunch of ABBA songs accompanied by propaganda videos, including “Dancing Queen” and “Money, Money, Money,” at a Minnesota rally. The group released a statement requesting the videos be taken down and their music removed. In a weird turn of events, the Trump campaign has clapped back, saying that in this case, they did have the right to play the music, paid for through a public performance contract.
The Swedish pop group ABBA is the latest musical group to ask former President Donald Trump’s re-election team to stop playing their music and videos at rallies, but the campaign says it has permission.
ABBA hits, including “The Winner Takes It All,” “Money, Money, Money,” and “Dancing Queen,” were played at a rally held by Trump and his running mate JD Vance on July 27 in Minnesota accompanied by videos, according to Reuters.
“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,” the band’s record label Universal Music said in a statement.
The band members declined to comment further, adding that they fully supported Universal’s statement.
But a Trump representative quickly pointed out that they had obtained permission. “The campaign had a license to play ABBA music through our agreement with BMI and ASCAP,” the spokesperson told the Associated Press on Thursday.
The license in question is known as a public performance contract issued by performing rights organizations (PROs), which collect royalties and distribute funds to the songwriter and publisher.
But even if the campaign events are properly licensed, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers acknowledges that if an artist is concerned that their music has been associated with a political campaign, the artist could take legal action based on several claims, including a false endorsement.
I could be giving them too much credit here, but since it was a part of a video that the campaign produced, I think they probably did pay for the rights to use ABBA’s music, especially if they got a blanket license through BMI and ASCAP. This article is a good explainer on how that works, especially when it comes to political campaigns. I doubt they care if ABBA objects. I mean, to them, what’s another lawsuit at this point, #amrite?!
Oh, and a quick update on a previous musical legal issue for the Trump campaign: On Tuesday, a federal judge ruled in favor of Isaac Hayes’ estate, which was suing them for $3 million in licensing fees in back royalties for using Hayes’ “Hold On, I’m Coming” at his rallies. The judge issued a temporary injunction, ordering them to stop using the song “without proper license.”
Photos credit: Starstock/UPPA/Photoshot Photo, LONDON FEATURES / Avalon, Getty, Brian Usher / RetnaUK / Avalon, Getty
What’s the matter with playing and using the songs by Kid Rock, Waka Flocka, Fivio Foreign or….does Amber Rose has a single?
Interesting thought if the artists who have endorsed him won’t let him use their music. Or maybe they don’t own the rights straight out to their singles?
You left out the singing lump of Play-Doh that is Lara Trump! She just released a new banger about firefighters, you know.
Don’t – my ears literally bled when twitter started to autoplay that whatever it was.
Good one , Miranda! Plus, there’s always Ted Nugent.
At some point, it should dawn on his people that artists not allowing him to use their songs is negative PR.
They can use Ye’s back catalogue, he won’t mind.
Has TS piped up yet to tell Trump he can’t use her AI likeness or songs? Or is she staying quiet for ‘balance’ since she endorsed the Dems before and has new friends now?
I got gently told off by somebody for saying that on the comments of another article on the subject. Glad to see that I’m not alone thinking that it’s weird that the list of artists telling Trump to back off is growing but Swift hasn’t said anything about him using her face to campaign with the swifties.
Lau, her lawyers are probably taking care of it. I suspect she knows that if she comes out publically it gives him free press. Why would she give him that?
This again? Please stop.
Whatever happened to that cease and desist letter that the Village People sent him? They really ought to move on that.
How can you argue with a group about their material and copyright? He’s asking for another lawsuit and loss like the judge ruled against him yesterday with Issac Hayes Jr. yesterday.