ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus puts artists' interests center stage

• Author: Catherine Jewell
• Position: Publications Division, WIPO

What do you hope to achieve as President of CISAC?

One thing I have learned is that writers in general know very little about the mechanics of copyright and the other rights they have. As CISAC President, I want to share my knowledge and experiences to help ensure songwriters are properly compensated for their work.

"With technology the creator will move to the center

of the ecosystem and a new understanding will emerge

among music publishers and labels that their role is

to serve creators,” says Björn Ulvaeus.

(Photo: Courtesy of Björn Ulvaeus)

I would also like to see that collective management organizations (CMOs) survive. The small ones do a tremendous job in supporting local culture, but they find it difficult to invest in the technology needed for the digital world. I would like CISAC to take a bigger role in developing tools (in collaboration with third-party companies) that all CMOs can use so they don’t have to invest songwriters’ money in technology that already exists.

Traditionally, CMOs have been like siloes. That is not good for songwriters. I want to see more openness and efficiency and less rivalry. I want them to be driven by the ambition to serve creators and make their lives easier. That is what they should be doing.

I am also looking forward to meeting with senior policymakers to explain how important it is for governments to support creators. Next year (June 7, 2021) is the deadline for implementation of the EU Directive on Copyright and Related Rights in the Digital Single Market, which among other things, introduces new rules for online content-sharing providers (Article 17). It is extremely important to lobby for creators’ interests. Creators across all genres have been at the core of European culture. Politicians don’t always get that; they think they need to back consumer interests. But in the music industry, it makes no sense to chase the listener; the listener should be chasing the creator.

Technology will help ensure that creators get fair and accurate payment for the use of their work and can make songwriting their profession.

How has COVID-19 affected the creative sector?

The industry has taken a big hit and is down around 30 percent on last year. The pandemic has been especially hard on songwriters and artists. Pre-COVID, streaming was a way for artists to promote their live shows. That’s where they made their money. Now, they’re in the same situation as songwriters and are finding it difficult to earn a living. COVID has really focused attention on the unsustainability of the music industry ecosystem. It is just not working for artists and songwriters and it has to work for all the players. The songwriter can no longer be on the periphery. There will be disruption. Technology will bring change and the creator will move to the center of things. The old CMO and music industry world will have to get used to the openness and transparency that technology enables. That is the future. The transformation is gradual, but it is happening. As CISAC President, I would like to nudge the transformation forward, I have a clear vision of what I want to achieve. I can see what is going to happen and want to be around when it does.

"Technologies like those developed by Session will significantly improve the flow of accurate data about all those who contribute to the creation of an audio work," Björn Ulvaeus notes....