Benny recorded a video which was presented to the European Commission in a bid to stop their plans for a new directive for copyright for composers. (At the time, most composers belonged to their national society which worked with comparative societies in other countries, a system which had worked well so far. The new directive could make the societies compete against each other).

On the video Benny said:

"My name is Benny Andersson. I have created music for most of my life and have enjoyed considerable international success with my works for ABBA.

"I have chosen to live in Sweden, and to entrust the care of my copyrights to my national society, STIM. My co-writer, Björn Ulvaeus chose to join another European society, and this hasn't caused any problems. Both of us are part-owners of our copyright societies. We rely on their international co-operation with other societies, to help us retain our influence over the use of our songs - all in accordance with copyright law.

I am personally very concerned if we move to a situation where societies compete for pan-European business from large music users. This could lead to societies undercutting each other to get more business. It could also lead to such societies decreasing the quality of their administration in order to pay for rebates to users. This might not hurt me initially - my songs are fairly easy to identify. But it would be a devastating development for lesser-known authors and those just starting their career. And that would be a disaster for both a functioning competitive market, AND the cultural diversity of Europe."

As this is a video to the EU Commission, we are unlikely to ever see it.

Thanks to Paul Carter and ABBA Today.