ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus has launched a campaign to fix royalty issues for professional musicians.

The Credits Due scheme was born off the back of an apparent lack of accountability in the music industry when it comes to paying and crediting songwriters properly and aims to ensure musicians are correctly identified every time a song is recorded. 

Explaining his project to the BBC, Björn insists hundreds of millions worth of royalty payments are left unallocated every year.

“It happens frequently, which means that streaming services don’t know who to pay,” he explained. 

“We want to get back to that experience we had when we opened a double-sleeved LP and listened to the songs while reading the liner notes. 

“I think that’s a very valuable experience that young listeners today are missing.”

According to the musician, who recently reunited with his ABBA bandmates for the first time in 40 years, the initiative will ensure writers, producers, session musicians, and engineers are all listed in “digital liner notes” on each recording

“Every new person that walks into the recording studio will be registered,” he explained. “So, even in a symphony orchestra, every member will be clickable.”

Björn launched the campaign at the Ivor Novello Awards, with The Ivors Academy for songwriters and The Music Rights Awareness Foundation, which he founded with songwriters Max Martin and Niclas Molinder in 2016, both backing the initiative.

ABBA released the singles I Still Have Faith In You and Don’t Shut Me Down ahead of their comeback album ‘Voyage’, which has broken Universal Music UK’s record for the biggest ever album pre-order, racking over 80,000 UK sales to date.

‘Voyage’, due November 5, is available to pre-order now on CD, vinyl and cassette.