The iconic Swedish band ABBA has requested former President Donald Trump’s campaign to refrain from playing their music and videos at political rallies. The campaign, however, claims they have the necessary permissions.

ABBA’s well-known songs such as “The Winner Takes It All,” “Money, Money, Money,” and “Dancing Queen” were reportedly played at a rally hosted by Trump and his running mate JD Vance on July 27 in Minnesota, along with related videos, as stated by Reuters.

“Alongside the members of ABBA, we have come to the realization that videos have surfaced using ABBA’s music at Trump events, and we have therefore requested that such usage is promptly ceased and the content removed,” said Universal Music, the band’s record label, in an official statement.

The band members chose not to comment further, stating they are in complete agreement with Universal’s position.

In response, a representative from Trump’s campaign quickly noted that they have secured permission to use the music. “The campaign had a license to play ABBA’s songs through our agreement with BMI and ASCAP,” the spokesperson informed the Associated Press on Thursday.

This particular license is a public performance contract granted by performing rights organizations (PROs), which gather royalties and allocate payments to songwriters and publishers.

Nevertheless, even if the campaign’s events are appropriately licensed, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers recognizes that artists may have grounds for legal action if they feel their music is wrongly associated with a political campaign. This could be due to various claims, including false endorsement.

Many musical artists and their representatives have expressed strong disapproval regarding the usage of their songs at Trump’s events throughout his campaigns in 2016, 2020, and now in 2024. This list includes numerous Billboard chart-topping artists from the past fifty years:

• Abba: “The Winner Takes It All,” “Money, Money, Money” and “Dancing Queen”
• Adele: “Rolling in the Deep” and “Skyfall”
• Aerosmith: “Dream On” and “Living on the Edge”
• The Beatles: “Here Comes the Sun”
• Beyonce: “Freedom”
• Celine Dion: “My Heart Will Go On”
• Creedence Clearwater Revival: “Fortune Son”
• Earth, Wind & Fire: “September”
• Elton John: “Rocket Man” and “Tiny Dancer”
• Foo Fighters: “My Hero”
• Guns N’ Roses: “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
• House of Pain: “Jump Around”
• Isaac Hayes: “Hold On, I’m Comin”
• Jack White: “Seven Nation Army”
• Metallica: “In the End”
• Neil Young: “Rockin’ in the Free World”
• Ozzy Osbourne: “Crazy Train”
• Phil Collins: “In the Air Tonight”
• Pharell Williams: “Happy”
• Prince: “Purple Rain”
• Rihanna: “Don’t Stop the Music”
• The Rolling Stones: “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
• Sinead O’Connor: “Nothing Compares 2 U”
• The Smiths: “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want”
• Tom Petty: “I Won’t Back Down”
• The Village People: “YMCA” and “Macho Man”

Contributions to this report were made by Reuters and YSL News reporter Jonathan Limehouse