Sweden: A collaboration Smash Into Pieces made might be in breach of SVT rules?
“Smash Into Pieces initiates a collaboration with Keep Sweden Tidy“. That was a press release that the sanitation organization sent out recently. The press release also mentioned that the band has participated in this year’s Melodifestivalen and “finished in an impressive third place” and since then “continued to make an impression”.
This may be in conflict with SVT‘s rules for how artists may use the Melodifestivalen brand in other contexts. Earlier this year, the project manager for Melodifestivalen, Anders Wistbacka, says to Resumé after they asked questions about Smash Into Pieces‘ collaboration with Keep Sweden Tidy:
“The participants have the right to do whatever they want, as long as there is no connection to Melodifestivalen. Any violations must be examined on a case-by-case basis and we will now contact the parties concerned to investigate this case”
What is a connection to Melodifestivalen? Is a mention in a press release enough? It has become increasingly difficult for SVT to stick to its original rule that artists in Melodifestivalen are not allowed to engage commercially in connection with the festival. Prior to this year’s Melodifestivalen, SVT itself wrote that: “SVT seems to have become more generous in its interpretation of the regulations for Melodifestivalen artists’ advertising assignments.” Then Aftonbladet‘s reporter Tobbe Ek explained the change as follows:
“20 years ago, artists’ advertising collaborations were a controversial topic. SVT was careful not to mix with companies with Melodifestvialen’s participating artists. Nowadays, there are many artists who get their main income through commercial collaborations and since Melodifestivalen wants to have the hottest artists, the regulations have had to be interpreted more openly.”
For Resumé, Anders Wistbacka clarifies the relaxed rules:
“Participating artists are not under a waiting period for their participation in Melodifestivalen. This means that it’s okay to do advertising collaborations. However, the artists are not allowed to link their participation in Melodifestivalen to commercial contexts. The song itself is under a 30-day waiting period after the last participation in Melodifestivalen. It is impossible for us to continuously control all artists’ activities outside Melodifestivalen, but we always act when situations come to our attention.”
Lisa Possne Frisell, Head of Communications at Keep Sweden Tidy, writes in an email to Resumé:
“We have been in dialogue with SVT and understood our miswording in the message as the partnership is not dependent or should be reflected in their participation in Melodifestivalen. So we would like to correct the design.”
Smash Into Pieces will take part in Heat 1, Saturday 3 February 2024, in Malmö Arena, with the song“Heroes Are Calling”. In 2023, they participated with the song “Six Feet Under” and placed third.
Source: Resumé
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