ABBA Sends Trump Campaign a Cease and Desist Letter Over Use of Group’s Songs at Rallies
variety.comAndrés Buenahora editor Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! — a cease and desist letter. Universal Music has ordered an official legal notice to Donald J.
Trump‘s presidential campaign due to their unauthorized use of ABBA songs to promote the former president’s candidacy in the 2024 election. “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 group’s label, Universal Music, told Reuters in a statement. “Universal Music Publishing AB and Polar Music International AB have not received any request, so no permission or license has been granted to Trump.” Among the Swedish pop band’s hits, “The Winner Takes It All” and “Money, Money, Money” were played at a Trump rally in Minnesota July 27, according to Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet.
ABBA is not the first music group to criticize Trump for employing their work in his campaign. Both Celine Dion and Foo Fighters have publicly rejected the playing of “My Heart Will Go On” and “My Hero” at rallies, respectively.
An artist’s ability to stop such songs from being played at political rallies is often subject to debate, but the Rolling Stones and others have threatened legal action against the Trump campaign in the past, which usually puts an end to the use of a specific song or artist.
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