It seems like every other day, another artist is up in arms because their music is being used at a Trump rally. This time, it's ABBA, the Swedish supergroup known for catchy disco hits. They’ve demanded that Donald Trump stop using their songs at his campaign events. But here’s the thing: Trump’s campaign has the proper licenses to play their music, and ABBA, along with many other artists, might want to brush up on how the music business actually works.
The reality is that political candidates, like anyone else, can legally use songs at rallies as long as they have a blanket license. These licenses are issued by performing rights organizations (PROs) like ASCAP and BMI, which manage the rights to millions of songs. When a campaign obtains a blanket license, they’re free to play any song covered by it, whether the artist likes it or not.
Artists like ABBA often sign agreements with PROs to manage their music rights because it simplifies the process of collecting royalties. These agreements mean that whenever their songs are played in public, they get paid. It also means that they don’t necessarily have much control over where and how their music is used, as long as the proper license is in place.
Yet, despite this clear-cut legality, artists and their PR teams continue to raise a fuss whenever their songs are played at a political event they don’t support. It’s almost as if they’re more interested in making a political statement than actually understanding the business they’re a part of.
The bottom line? Trump, like any other politician, has every right to play ABBA’s music at his rallies as long as he’s paid for the license. The artists might not like it, but that’s how the industry works. Instead of wasting time complaining, maybe they should take a closer look at the contracts they signed—and realize that their protests are little more than noise. Of course they can retroactively ask for the track to not be used in the future. Little do they know they are giving free press to the Trump campaign by making their complaints out loud!
