1 Million Concert Tickets - 17 04 2023

1 Million Concert Ticket !! Congratulations !

ABBA have sold 1 million tickets

My, my! Björn Ulvaeus marks massive 1,000,000 guests at landmark concert Abba Voyage after less than a year

https://metro.co.uk/2023/04/18/bjorn-ulvaeus-worried-that-abba-voyage-would-go-badly-wrong-18631129

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A source recently told The Sun: ‘Everyone knows Abba has a seriously loyal fan base but the show was always a bit of a gamble.

‘No one really knew how the Abba-tars were going to be received, as similar hologram-style concerts were a mixed bag. But for Abba the reaction was amazing. Even those most sceptical about the tech have walked away impressed.

‘The plan is to refresh the show with new songs that have already been shot by the group.’

It’s even said that talks are still in place for the show to transfer to the Las Vegas strip due to overwhelming popularity".

Source: Metro.uk

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photos ABBA Voyage

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Björn Ulvaeus marks massive 1,000,000 guests at concert Abba Voyage
Emily Bashforth — Tiempo de lectura: 3 minutos

My, my! Björn Ulvaeus marks massive 1,000,000 guests at landmark concert Abba Voyage after less than a year

Less than a year after opening, Abba Voyage has welcomed one million visitors!

Earlier this evening (April 17), the lucky one-millionth fan was welcomed into the Abba Arena in London following its grand unveiling on May 25, 2022, to widespread critical acclaim.

Abba Voyage is the long-awaited concert from one of the biggest pop acts of all time, featuring a setlist of Abba’s biggest, most popular hits – each handpicked with great care by the band.

Next month will mark the concert’s first anniversary in London.

To celebrate the milestone, one audience member won the chance to have an exclusive, surprise meet and greet with Björn Ulvaeus.

Ticket holders for this evening’s concert were invited to nominate themselves, or someone they know, to be the official millionth visitor by submitting a short video explaining what it would mean to them.

ABBA star Björn surprises millionth customer of ABBA Voyage

Josie Felix was chosen as the winner and surprised her family after writing her own song about how her dad would play Abba on the school run when she was a child.

Adorable snaps from the once-in-a-lifetime moment saw the Waterloo hitmaker beam as he greeted the adoring fans with handshakes and hugs.

Abba Voyage has received nothing but glowing reviews since doors first opened, with ‘jaw-dropping’, ‘ground-breaking’, and ‘phenomenal’ just a few quotes from fans describing the experience.

An incredible 40 years in the making, Björn, Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, and Benny Andersson have created the kind of concert they always wanted, performing for their fans at their very best: as digital versions of themselves backed by today’s finest musicians.

Blurring the lines between the physical and digital, the magic of Abba is brought to life using the latest technology.

The show has been so successful, in fact, that its run has been extended – to 2026!

A source recently told The Sun: ‘Everyone knows Abba has a seriously loyal fan base but the show was always a bit of a gamble.

‘No one really knew how the Abba-tars were going to be received, as similar hologram-style concerts were a mixed bag. But for Abba the reaction was amazing. Even those most sceptical about the tech have walked away impressed.

‘The plan is to refresh the show with new songs that have already been shot by the group.’

It’s even said that talks are still in place for the show to transfer to the Las Vegas strip due to overwhelming popularity.

There are even talks of taking the show to Vegas 

Celebrating the launch together earlier this year, the band reunited in the capital together for the first time in four decades, reminding everyone just how much we missed them.

The Mamma Mia! pop superstars were last together in London for an appearance on The Late Late Breakfast show, hosted by Noel Edmonds in 1982, so it had been a hot minute!

Speaking on the red carpet outside a purpose-built stadium at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London, Agnetha enthused: ‘It’s amazing to see all the English fans.’

Benny admitted he expected himself to cry during the concert, saying: ‘Oh definitely, all the time.’

ABBA Voyage is now booking until January 29, 2024 at the Abba Arena, London. For information and best availability of tickets go to www.abbavoyage.com.

The Symphonic Touch of Benny Andersson

 

read more here: https://abbaregistro.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-symphonic-touch-of-benny-andersson.html

https://abbaregistro.blogspot.com/2023/02/money-money-money-symphonic-touch-of.html

https://abbaregistro.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-symphonic-touch-of-benny-andersson.html

CISAC President Björn Ulvaeus at JASRAC Creators’ Seminar: “no one backs songwriters like societies do”

CISAC President Björn Ulvaeus has urged creators to unite around their societies worldwide to ensure that the rights of creators are effectively protected. “Societies such as JASRAC and CISAC are the only organisations that have the songwriter's back and loyalty at all times,” he said. “They are working exclusively for you as a songwriter at all times.”

Ulvaeus was speaking at the Creators’ Seminar “Music in the Digital Era”, an event organised by Japanese society JASRAC, in partnership with CISAC, in Tokyo on Thursday April 6th.

Improving streaming metatada

One key issue discussed by the panel was data. Ulvaeus invited creators and stakeholders in the music sector as well as digital services to fix data issues to ensure that works get properly identified and creators get paid. Ulvaeus said creators need help from other stakeholders in the industry, like publishers and labels, to make sure that the relevant metadata is included in all tracks. “This is something I think should even be regulated so that no streaming service would allow music to be uploaded without the metadata,” said Ulvaeus.

CISAC Director General Gadi Oron said data is “one big challenge that we are facing.” CISAC has a major educational effort to encourage adoption of the music works identifying code ISWC, enabling efficient and accurate identification of music works and payment of creators. CISAC and its members around the world, said Oron, are “working at an international level to help improve the systems so that societies can deliver accurate identification of the works and the rights holders, and help process the payments much quicker.”

The songwriter is the “poor cousin from the country”

The panel addressed concerns over the low revenue share earned by creators from the digital use of music. Japanese authors, composer, and music producer Kanata Okajima, who had over 120 No.1 hits in Japanese charts, concurred that the industry was changing from physical to online subscriptions. “If you want to make a living, you have to write a huge hit or you have to write a bunch of songs to get enough copyright to make enough income to make a living,” said Kanata.

Ulvaeus noted that too small a share of the income from DSPs goes back to authors and composers. “That’s what I call the songwriter being marginalised, especially in view of the fact that this industry is a song economy. It all revolves around songs. And yet the songwriter is treated like the poor cousin from the country, and I don't think that's right. I think the songwriter is the star, together with the artist, and should be treated as such.”

To achieve such goal, creators have to be unified. He invited “old songwriters and young songwriters to unite under one organisation like a collecting society, such as JASRAC, to engage and involve themselves more in these organisations and make themselves heard. That is one way of making an impact for change.”

AI and copyright implications

The discussion also focused on the changes brought by the development of Artificial Intelligence-powered tools. Ulvaeus, who used AI for ABBA's virtual show 'Voyage' in London, said AI can be an exciting tool for creators. “When used to help write a song, or lyrics, it is not a threat, it is a tool,” he said, adding that AI also raises important copyright issues. 

“These issues need to be discussed at the highest level because it is global,” he explained. “It concerns us as human beings.” For Ulvaeus, the debate on AI and copyright “is still to be had and it is very urgent. There is nothing we can do to stop it. We have to accept that it is happening, but we need to discuss the copyright issue.”

“Are works created by AI works of authorship?” asked Oron. “Should they be registered with societies, and should societies collect royalties for them? Are they even protected under copyright law? It is a major challenge and there are no clear views on that yet.”

JASRAC President Izawa Kazumasa suggested that AI could also be used to improve collection and distribution systems. “We started using a lot of computers and we went into the cloud, and used automated machines,” he explained. “Technology has played a role to make things efficient.”

He added: “I don't think AI is going to change JASRAC's copyright management. If a creator or a publisher says this is a work that has been created by a human being, we will protect this copyright and the rest is of the responsibility of that person. I think creators are going to use this technology as a tool and will have to explain if they use that technology. This will be the responsibility of the creator.”

To see a recording of the full discussion, go here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g35KjiipJ-M

https://www.cisac.org/Newsroom/articles/cisac-president-bjorn-ulvaeus-jasrac-creators-seminar-no-one-backs-songwriters

https://www.jasrac.or.jp/ejhp/release/2023/0419.html

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On April 4, 2023, Prime Minister Kishida received a courtesy call from Mr. Björn Ulvaeus, President of CISAC, at the Prime Minister’s Office.

https://abbaregistro.blogspot.com/2023/04/cisac-delegation-meets-in-tokyo-with.html