Kate Bush, New Order and Damon Albarn are among 1,000 artists standing up for musicians' rights to have their art protected against being used for artificial intelligence (AI) modelling and algorithmic training.
The group, 1,000 UK Artists — which also includes Annie Lennox, the Clash, the Pet Shop Boys, Hans Zimmer, Imogen Heap, Sam Fender, Billy Ocean, Jamiroquai, transplant Tori Amos and more — have released a protest album called Is This What We Want?. The LP features 47 minutes of complete silence (intended to represent the recording studios and venues that could be left empty if AI takes over the music industry) across 12 tracks, the titles of which spell out a message to UK policy-makers: "The British Government Must Not Legalize Music Theft to Benefit AI Companies."
Last week, the UK government proposed a policy that would enable tech companies to use copyrighted works to train their AI models. The proposal would allow artists and companies to opt out of their material being used, but otherwise grant tech firms complete access to people's creative work without requiring any licensing.
Composer and former AI executive Ed Newton-Rex led the project, telling The Guardian, "The government's proposal would hand the life's work of the country's musicians to AI companies, for free, letting those companies exploit musicians' work to outcompete them. It is a plan that would not only be disastrous for musicians, but that is totally unnecessary: the UK can be leaders in AI without throwing our world-leading creative industries under the bus."
Bush recorded one of the silent tracks in her own studio, and shared the following statement:
Over one thousand musicians are jointly releasing this album today to protest the UK government's planned changes to copyright law.
If these changes go ahead, the life's work of all the country's musicians will be handed over to AI companies for free.
None of us have a say in it.
The UK is full of pioneering, highly creative and imaginative artists. The government's willingness to agree to these copyright changes shows how much our work is undervalued and that there is no protection for one of this country's most important assets: music.
Each track on this album features a deserted recording studio. Doesn't that silence say it all?
I'm very happy to have contributed a track to this project and to join the protest.
Please help protect the music makers and our heartfelt work. We make it for you, not for it to be taken and used against us.
In the music of the future, will our voices go unheard?