Björn Ulvaeus elected president of CISAC
Björn Ulvaeus has been appointed president of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC).
The ABBA co-founder was elected by the General Assembly of CISAC following a virtual meeting which took place earlier this week and he replaces outgoing president Jean Michel Jarre, who served for seven years after taking over from Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb in 2013.
Ulvaeus - who co-wrote all of Abba's hits with keyboardist Benny Anderson and is a vocal campaigner for the rights of creators - said: "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. 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 said: "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."
On its website, CISAC states that it "works to protect the rights and promote the interests of creators across all regions of the world and artistic fields; music, audiovisual, drama, literature and visual arts. We aim to secure fair remuneration for creators for the use of theirs works anywhere in the world".
CISAC represents more than 230 authors' societies in over 120 countries.
