ABBA has asked Donald Trump to stop using their songs at his events.
In July, Trump and JD Vance played ABBA’s hits like “Money, Money, Money,” “The Winner Takes It All,” and “Dancing Queen” at a rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota. But according to Sweden’s Svenska Dagbladet, Universal Music Group says they didn’t give permission for this. They stated, “Together with the members of ABBA, we have discovered that videos have been released where ABBA’s music/videos has been used at Trump events, and we have therefore requested that such use be immediately taken down and removed.” They made it clear no requests were made to use the music.
Björn Ulvaeus from ABBA said their record company will make sure the songs are taken down.
Trump has often faced trouble for playing music without permission during his campaigns. He’s upset artists like Neil Young, Eddy Grant, Johnny Marr from The Smiths, and others. Recently, Celine Dion criticized him for using “My Heart Will Go On.” Isaac Hayes’ estate threatened legal action over “Hold On, I’m Coming.” Beyoncé warned him about playing “Freedom,” while Foo Fighters complained about the use of “My Hero” at rallies.
Fans think it’s important for musicians to control how their work is used.
