ABBA tells Trump campaign to stop using their music

ABBA is requesting that former President Donald Trump stop using their music for his presidential campaign, after the group became aware of unauthorized use of its songs at a recent rally.

ABBA is requesting that former President Donald Trump stop using their music for his presidential campaign, after the group became aware of unauthorized use of its songs at a recent rally. A representative for ABBA told CNN that the Trump campaign did not request or obtain permission from the group or its label, Universal Music. In a statement to CNN, a representative for the band said: “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 has promptly requested the removal and deletion of such content. No request has been received; therefore, no permission or license has been granted.” A Trump official told CNN: “The campaign had a license to play ABBA music through our agreement with BMI and ASCAP.” BMI and ASCAP are Performance Rights Organizations based in the U.S. For a political campaign to play music at a rally, a license from a Performance Rights Organization (PRO) is required. Even with a PRO license, artists and songwriters have various rights of approval, depending how a song is used in a rally, according to legal experts. Attorney Heidy Vaquerano, a Los Angeles-based partner at the law firm Fox Rothschild who specializes in music, explained to CNN that if a song is used with video images, it could require an additional license.