Around the world there are several hundreds of so-called copy bands only playing Abba’ music, most of them use Abba somehow in their name. Universal Music in Sweden wants to put an end to it, but the affected bands feel that they might as well give up then.
Exactly how many Abba copy bands there is we don’t know, but with there being more than 40 in the United Kingdom alone it is clear that it is a big job Universal Music in Sweden has started. They simply want to stop all these bands from using Abba in any kind of way in their name. With most of the bands using names like Abba Queens, Abba Mania and Abba Revival Band there is a lot to do. So far 15 of the most popular ones have received a message from Universal Music asking them to change their name.
Universal Music sees it as abuse of the name Abba. The bands however disagree. They are to be seen as a tribute to the popular Swedish band that won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 and after that went on to being one of the world’s most popular and best selling pop bands. It is 25 years ago they played their last concert and despite many attempts nothing points towards that they will ever get together again.
For a copy/tribute band using the name of the original band somewhere in their own name makes sense as it tells exactly what kind of music it is they are playing. Many of the bands have existed for many years and as such it will also be quite hard to change the name now. Anneli Stockwell from Abba Queens says to the British newspaper The Independent: “We have existed in four years under that name. We have worked our way from pups to concert halls. If we are to change our name now we will lose our business and our good reputation”. The Danish cover band Abba Revival Band has existed for more than 20 years and they confirm that they have also received the message from Universal Music in Sweden. As they are still thinking about their reply they don’t want to say anything else before they have sent their reply.
More bands will receive a similar message from Universal Music in Sweden says: “We are receiving complaints from all around the world from people who feel betrayed after having experienced a copy band. It is our duty to protect the Abba brand from abuse”.
In my view
If people feel betrayed as Universal Music says then it must be that some people think they are paying to see Abba and not a copy band. Wouldn’t the problem be solved then if all the bands below their name on posters and CD’s wrote "Not the original Abba"?
The opinion expressed in "In my view" are those of the author and are not necessarily the one of EuroVisionary.com.
