Stig Anderson
Encyclopedia
Stig 'Stikkan' Erik Leopold Anderson (né Andersson) (25 January 1931 – 12 September 1997) was born in Hova, Sweden
, and is best known as the manager of the pop group ABBA
.
record label
in 1963. Initially beginning his career as a chemistry
and mathematics
teacher after leaving school at the age of 15, Anderson soon entered the Swedish popular music scene, becoming a music producer, manager
and also occasional performer.
Anderson had begun writing songs as early as 1951, and in 1959 he got his breakthrough with the song "Är du kär i mig ännu, Klas-Göran?" ("Are You Still In Love With Me, Klas-Göran?"), written for Swedish
singer Lill-Babs
. During the 1960s he was one of Sweden's most prolific songwriter
s, producing more than 3,000 published titles. Anderson also founded Sweden Music in 1960, as well as several other companies.
By the late 1960s, he was the manager and producer of Björn Ulvaeus
and Benny Andersson
, who would become the two main songwriters of ABBA. He joined the careers of these two after previously managing the Hootenanny Singers
, of which Ulvaeus was a member. Later, in 1972, he began managing Anni-Frid Lyngstad
, and finally in 1976 Agnetha Fältskog
(until December 1975, Fältskog was still bound to Cupol/CBS
Records under a contract). Prior to ABBA's formation, Björn and Benny were living in a Volkswagen
bus and had decided to leave music and gain regular jobs, however Anderson persuaded them to start a new band, investing considerable money in the group.
Before his time with ABBA, Anderson managed some of the biggest Swedish
artists
at that time, and had a huge number of hits on the Swedish charts
. His success earned him the nickname "The Business" since he often had several artists in the Top 10 at any time with whom he had written, published, and recorded the songs. When requiring fresh ideas, Anderson would travel to New York
, buy songs that had been American hits, and then translated
or transcribe
the lyrics
on the return journey ready for a recording session
shortly after and then have the record on the shelves within a few days. The number of songs sent to IFPI
/ASCAP for copyright infringement
reached over 9,000.
" (1973), "Waterloo" (1974), "Honey, Honey
" (1974), "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
" (1975), "Mamma Mia
" (1975), "S.O.S
" (1975), "Fernando
" (1976), "Dancing Queen
" (1976), "Knowing Me, Knowing You
" (1977), and "The Name of the Game
" (1977).
Frequently known as the fifth member of ABBA, besides contributing to the lyrics, he also owned the record label and the publishing company. Anderson gave shares in the company as gifts to Bjorn, Benny, and Michael B. Tretow
out of friendship as the group became highly successful. Tretow worked on the mixing board and was the sound engineer
for the group. According to PolarmusicPrize.org, Anderson's most treasured award was Billboard
Magazine's "Trendsetter Award". Such a distinction had only been presented to one European person before Anderson, and that was Brian Epstein
, manager of The Beatles
.
Anderson was one of the dominant figures behind ABBA, representing their commercial interests and global success through successful record deals. At the same time, he also managed the investment of funds and the enormous financial incomes of Polar Music, holding the majority of stocks. This was an agreement dating back to 1974, and a great deal of the money came from individual record deals he struck for the group, including a ground-breaking agreement for record sales in Russia
in which ABBA recordings were released in exchange for barrels of oil. In the mid-1980s, a considerable part of ABBA's fortune was lost by mismanagement, bad investments, high demands for tax, and the rise of credit rates.
with the performers, as well as the international distribution, ran from a standard publishing and recording deal involving identical contracts, rather than from one written specifically with the performers of the band. This led to problems later, when three of the four ABBA members terminated their relationship with Anderson when it was revealed that Anderson had used this contract to take a percentage of profits at a value of 4.5 million euro
s over the course of many years. A complaint against Anderson was submitted to the Stockholm District Court in June 1990 by Agnetha Fältskog's company Agnetha Fältskog Produktion AB, Benny Andersson's company Mono Music AB, as well as a Dutch company holding Björn Ulvaeus' rights. The dispute was eventually settled out of court in July 1991; the terms of the settlement remain undisclosed.
In 1982 Anni-Frid Lyngstad had sold all the shares in the Polar Music company given to her by Anderson, as she moved abroad. For unknown reasons she remains the only member never to seek legal recourse for past royalty fees
. She was not involved in any way with the legal proceedings against Anderson.
from money he made when he sold the multi-million dollar record company Polar Records. In this deal nearly all utilisation and license rights, and the registered ABBA trademark, were sold for an unknown sum of money to PolyGram
shortly before the ABBA members took him to court over royalty back payments. Previously, Anderson had licenced ABBA and the members' solo releases to various labels worldwide as a way to earn more royalties. In 1998, PolyGram was in turn sold to Seagram
and merged into what is now one of the Big Four record labels, the Universal Music Group
, the company that today holds the rights to the entire ABBA back catalogue.
) was also involved in the music industry. In the mid-1980s she started a new, highly successful record label called Record Station (sold to German BMG
in the early 90s), followed by Anderson Records. Anderson Records released Anni-Frid Lyngstad's Swedish comeback album Djupa andetag
in 1996, as well as Michael B. Tretow's Greatest Hits in 1999.
On September 12, 1997, at the age of 66, Stig Anderson died of a heart attack. His funeral was broadcast live by Sveriges Television
, an honour generally only reserved for distinguished statesmen or royalty.
Hova, Sweden
Hova is a locality and one of the two seats of Gullspång Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden, the other is Gullspång. It had 1,375 inhabitants in 2005.-Overview:...
, and is best known as the manager of the pop group ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
.
Polar Music
Anderson was the founder of the Polar MusicPolar Music
Polar Music is a Swedish record company founded in 1963 by Stig Anderson and his friend Bengt Bernhag. The first act that it signed was the Hootenanny Singers featuring Björn Ulvaeus. Polar eventually gained prosperity producing Ulvæus' next group, international superstars ABBA...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
in 1963. Initially beginning his career as a chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
teacher after leaving school at the age of 15, Anderson soon entered the Swedish popular music scene, becoming a music producer, manager
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
and also occasional performer.
Anderson had begun writing songs as early as 1951, and in 1959 he got his breakthrough with the song "Är du kär i mig ännu, Klas-Göran?" ("Are You Still In Love With Me, Klas-Göran?"), written for Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
singer Lill-Babs
Lill-Babs
Lill-Babs is a Swedish singer and actress.-Biography:Lill-Babs was born in Järvsö, Gävleborg County, as the first daughter of Britta and Ragnar Svensson...
. During the 1960s he was one of Sweden's most prolific songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s, producing more than 3,000 published titles. Anderson also founded Sweden Music in 1960, as well as several other companies.
By the late 1960s, he was the manager and producer of Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
and Benny Andersson
Benny Andersson
Göran Bror "Benny" Andersson is a Swedish musician, composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
, who would become the two main songwriters of ABBA. He joined the careers of these two after previously managing the Hootenanny Singers
Hootenanny Singers
The Hootenanny Singers were a popular folk group from Sweden, founded in 1961, and continuing into the 1970s. The group included Björn Ulvaeus, who later was a member of ABBA. Other bandmembers were Johan Karlberg, Tony Roth and Hansi Schwarz...
, of which Ulvaeus was a member. Later, in 1972, he began managing Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Anni-Frid Prinzessin Reuss von Plauen , is a Norwegian-born Swedish pop singer...
, and finally in 1976 Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Åse Fältskog is a Swedish recording artist. She achieved success in Sweden after the release of her début album Agnetha Fältskog in 1968, and reached international stardom as a member of the pop group ABBA, which to date has sold over 375 million records worldwide, making it the fourth...
(until December 1975, Fältskog was still bound to Cupol/CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
Records under a contract). Prior to ABBA's formation, Björn and Benny were living in a Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
bus and had decided to leave music and gain regular jobs, however Anderson persuaded them to start a new band, investing considerable money in the group.
Before his time with ABBA, Anderson managed some of the biggest Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
at that time, and had a huge number of hits on the Swedish charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. His success earned him the nickname "The Business" since he often had several artists in the Top 10 at any time with whom he had written, published, and recorded the songs. When requiring fresh ideas, Anderson would travel to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, buy songs that had been American hits, and then translated
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
or transcribe
Transcription (service)
A transcription service is a business which converts speech into a written or electronic text document. Transcription services are often provided for business, legal, or medical purposes. The most common type of transcription is from a spoken-language source into text such as a computer file...
the lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
on the return journey ready for a recording session
Studio recording
The term studio recording means any recording made in a studio, as opposed to a live recording, which is usually made in a concert venue or a theatre, with an audience attending the performance.-Studio cast recordings:...
shortly after and then have the record on the shelves within a few days. The number of songs sent to IFPI
IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland...
/ASCAP for copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
reached over 9,000.
ABBA
In the early stages of ABBA, Anderson co-wrote many of the songs' lyrics, among them some of the band's biggest hits, such as "Ring RingRing Ring (song)
"Ring Ring" is a 1973 single by ABBA, which gave the group their big break in several European countries...
" (1973), "Waterloo" (1974), "Honey, Honey
Honey, Honey
"Honey, Honey" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, Waterloo, after the success of the title track winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.-History:...
" (1974), "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
"I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" was a hit single for Swedish pop group ABBA, and was their next major worldwide hit after Waterloo. It was the second single to be released from their ABBA album, and one of the last songs to be recorded for the album...
" (1975), "Mamma Mia
Mamma Mia (song)
"Mamma Mia" is a song from ABBA's 3rd album, ABBA, written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus & Stig Anderson, with the lead vocals shared by Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The song "Mamma Mia" is a common song used in bands or orchestras...
" (1975), "S.O.S
SOS (ABBA song)
Agnetha Fältskog's version was the second single from her fifth Swedish solo-album Elva kvinnor i ett hus . It was the only song from this album not to have been composed by Fältskog herself....
" (1975), "Fernando
Fernando (song)
"Fernando" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was the group's first non-album single and was released in November 1975 through Polar Music. Lead vocals were sung by Anni-Frid Lyngstad...
" (1976), "Dancing Queen
Dancing Queen
"Dancing Queen" is a pop song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in August 1976, but was first performed two months earlier, on 18 June 1976, during a Royal Variety Show in Stockholm the evening before the Swedish royal wedding. It was the follow-up single to the hit "Fernando"...
" (1976), "Knowing Me, Knowing You
Knowing Me, Knowing You
"Knowing Me, Knowing You" is a hit single recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, with the lead vocal sung by Anni-Frid Lyngstad. During recording sessions, it had the working titles of "Ring It In" and "Number 1, Number 1"...
" (1977), and "The Name of the Game
The Name of the Game
"The Name of the Game" is a 1977 song by Swedish pop group ABBA, and was released as the first single from the group's fifth studio album, The Album...
" (1977).
Frequently known as the fifth member of ABBA, besides contributing to the lyrics, he also owned the record label and the publishing company. Anderson gave shares in the company as gifts to Bjorn, Benny, and Michael B. Tretow
Michael B. Tretow
Bo Michael Tretow is a swedish record producer and audio engineer, Musician and composer, best known for his work with Swedish pop group ABBA , and with the musical Chess. Tretow experimented with different recording techniques, and played an essential part in creating the famous "ABBA-sound"...
out of friendship as the group became highly successful. Tretow worked on the mixing board and was the sound engineer
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
for the group. According to PolarmusicPrize.org, Anderson's most treasured award was Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Magazine's "Trendsetter Award". Such a distinction had only been presented to one European person before Anderson, and that was Brian Epstein
Brian Epstein
Brian Samuel Epstein , was an English music entrepreneur, and is best known for being the manager of The Beatles up until his death. He also managed several other musical artists such as Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Cilla Black, The Remo Four & The Cyrkle...
, manager of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
.
Anderson was one of the dominant figures behind ABBA, representing their commercial interests and global success through successful record deals. At the same time, he also managed the investment of funds and the enormous financial incomes of Polar Music, holding the majority of stocks. This was an agreement dating back to 1974, and a great deal of the money came from individual record deals he struck for the group, including a ground-breaking agreement for record sales in Russia
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in which ABBA recordings were released in exchange for barrels of oil. In the mid-1980s, a considerable part of ABBA's fortune was lost by mismanagement, bad investments, high demands for tax, and the rise of credit rates.
Legal disputes
The contractContract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
with the performers, as well as the international distribution, ran from a standard publishing and recording deal involving identical contracts, rather than from one written specifically with the performers of the band. This led to problems later, when three of the four ABBA members terminated their relationship with Anderson when it was revealed that Anderson had used this contract to take a percentage of profits at a value of 4.5 million euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s over the course of many years. A complaint against Anderson was submitted to the Stockholm District Court in June 1990 by Agnetha Fältskog's company Agnetha Fältskog Produktion AB, Benny Andersson's company Mono Music AB, as well as a Dutch company holding Björn Ulvaeus' rights. The dispute was eventually settled out of court in July 1991; the terms of the settlement remain undisclosed.
In 1982 Anni-Frid Lyngstad had sold all the shares in the Polar Music company given to her by Anderson, as she moved abroad. For unknown reasons she remains the only member never to seek legal recourse for past royalty fees
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
. She was not involved in any way with the legal proceedings against Anderson.
Polar Music Prize
In 1989, Anderson made a substantial financial donation to found the Polar Music PrizePolar Music Prize
The Polar Music Prize is a Swedish international music award founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, possibly best known to be the manager of the Swedish pop group ABBA, with a donation to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music....
from money he made when he sold the multi-million dollar record company Polar Records. In this deal nearly all utilisation and license rights, and the registered ABBA trademark, were sold for an unknown sum of money to PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
shortly before the ABBA members took him to court over royalty back payments. Previously, Anderson had licenced ABBA and the members' solo releases to various labels worldwide as a way to earn more royalties. In 1998, PolyGram was in turn sold to Seagram
Seagram
The Seagram Company Ltd. was a large corporation headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that was the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in the world. Toward the end of its independent existence it also controlled various entertainment and other business ventures...
and merged into what is now one of the Big Four record labels, the Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, the company that today holds the rights to the entire ABBA back catalogue.
Personal life
Stig Anderson was married to Gudrun Anderson, and had two sons, Anders and Lasse, and a daughter Marie. His daughter, Marie Ledin (wife of Swedish star and ABBA concert backing vocalist Tomas LedinTomas Ledin
Tomas Folke Jonas Ledin is a Swedish singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer. He grew up in the town of Sandviken.Tomas Ledin started his career in 1972 when his first single, Då ska jag spela, was a big hit...
) was also involved in the music industry. In the mid-1980s she started a new, highly successful record label called Record Station (sold to German BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
in the early 90s), followed by Anderson Records. Anderson Records released Anni-Frid Lyngstad's Swedish comeback album Djupa andetag
Djupa andetag
Djupa andetag is an album by Frida , released in 1996. Recorded in the Polar Music Studio, Stockholm. Lyrics are in Swedish. The album went to #1 in Sweden. Lead single from the album was "Även En Blomma" . "Djupa Andetag" is included in the Frida Box Set...
in 1996, as well as Michael B. Tretow's Greatest Hits in 1999.
On September 12, 1997, at the age of 66, Stig Anderson died of a heart attack. His funeral was broadcast live by Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...
, an honour generally only reserved for distinguished statesmen or royalty.
Sources
- Carl Magnus Palm: Bright Lights - Dark Shadows, Omnibus Press UK 2001, ISBN 0-7119-8389-5