ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus replaces Jean-Michel Jarre as President of CISAC

By Emmanuel Legrand

Björn Ulvaeus (Credit: TT News Agency)

ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus has been appointed President of CISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, for a three-year mandate. The Swedish songwriter replaces French electronic music composer and performer JeanMichel Jarre, who served as President for the past seven years.

   Ulvaeus was elected President by CISAC’s General Assembly, which took place May 28 in a virtual meeting. Alongside Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus is part of the the songwriting team behind over 150 hit songs such as 'Mama Mia' and 'Waterloo'.

  CISAC described Ulvaeus as "a vocal campaigner for the rights of creators" who will bring to the job "a deep understanding of the creative industries and the systems that help authors get fair payment for their works."

Improve conditions for creators

  As President of CISAC, Ulvaeus will "support the confederation’s work to secure stronger rights, more royalties, better systems, and improved conditions for creators across five repertoires – music, audiovisual, visual arts, drama and literature," said the organisation in a statement.

  “I have made a great living as a songwriter and an artist, and I have been fortunate enough to have enjoyed a lot of success," said Ulvaeus. "Now, as President of CISAC, I am happy to have a different kind of opportunity, to try and help the next generation of creators in their working lives. CISAC has a unique international authority, and I believe passionately in its mission to secure better, fairer terms for creators. I am also interested in how the technologies we use can work better, earning creators fairer rewards for their work and more royalties. I am therefore very excited about the opportunities ahead and looking forward to our collaboration."

  CISAC Director General Gadi Oron added: “Björn Ulvaeus has moved us, inspired us and lit up our lives with his songs and creations. I am absolutely thrilled that he has decided to take on the role of CISAC President, to support us in our mission to serve creators internationally. Björn has an extraordinary track record - as a creator himself, as a champion for creators’ rights, and as an expert in the systems which ensure creators are fairly paid. These qualities will be invaluable to CISAC’s work and we look forward immensely to collaborating with him."

Fight for music rights

  The US Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) has reacted positively to Ulvaeus's appointment. “The AIMP welcomes Björn Ulvaeus as President of CISAC and looks forward to working with him in the years ahead to ensure the fair and equitable treatment of independent music publishers and songwriters around the world. As a founding member of ABBA and prominent songwriter, Bjorn knows what it is like to fight for his music rights, and his dedication to technology and high-quality metadata makes him an ideal candidate to modernise royalty payments around the globe,” said in a joint statement AIMP National Chair and Los Angeles Chapter President Teri Nelson Carpenter, Nashville Chapter President John Ozier, and New York Chapter President Alisa Coleman.

  CISAC's membership comprises of more than 230 authors societies in over 120 countries representing over four million creators. CISAC members colelcted €9.6 billion of licensing income and royalties worldwide in 2018.


> During CISAc's AGM, Director General Gadi Oron paid tribute to Jean-Michel Jarre who has served as President of the organisation for the past seven years, “Jean-Michel’s global influence and achievements as President of CISAC over the last seven years have been immense," said Oron. "He has championed the interests of creators across all the repertoires CISAC represents. He played a huge role in the successful campaign for the adoption of the EU copyright directive. His interventions in Europe helped deliver a directive that reset the balance between creators and digital platforms. Without a doubt, he has been the pre-eminent global voice of creators who made a tangible difference to the environment in which they work.”

  In his final speech as President of CISAC, Jarre said: “With Gadi and everybody at CISAC, we have campaigned together. From the value gap to fair remuneration, from the resale right for visual artists, to fair rights for audiovisual creators.  And now, in this new crisis, we have to help our sector, not only to survive, but to get the decent living it deserves, in the near future. We have a window in the coming months, to invent a new economy for our creative sectors in this digital era - otherwise, we can say goodbye to much of it! Each and every one of you should be assured that this continues to be my battle: the battle for us to be heard and to have our relationship evolve positively with the giants of the Internet."