More than 1,000 musicians have come together to release a silent album protesting against the UK government’s proposed changes to copyright law, which will make it easier to train AI models on copyrighted work without a licence.
The project coincides with the Make It Fair campaign, which launched today (February 24).
The album, titled Is This What We Want?, features recordings of empty studios and performance spaces, representing the impact on artists’ and music professionals’ livelihoods that is expected if the government does not change course.
The government’s proposed changes would require artists to proactively opt-out.
“Opt-out models are near impossible to enforce, have yet to be proven effective anywhere else in the world, and place enormous burdens on artists, particularly emerging talent,” said a statement from the Is This What We Want? organisers.
The album is co-written by musicians including Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, Billy Ocean, Ed O’Brien, Dan Smith, The Clash, Mystery Jets, Jamiroquai, Imogen Heap, Yusuf / Cat Stevens, Riz Ahmed, Tori Amos, Hans Zimmer, James MacMillan, Max Richter, John Rutter, The Kanneh-Masons, The King’s Singers, The Sixteen, Roderick Williams, Sarah Connolly, Nicky Spence, Ian Bostridge, and many more.
The group includes recording artists, composers, conductors, singers, and producers, and features winners of Oscars, Grammys and BRIT Awards.
Ed Newton-Rex, the organiser of the album, said: “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. This album shows that, however the government tries to justify it, musicians themselves are united in their thorough condemnation of this ill-thought-through plan.”
This album shows that, however the government tries to justify it, musicians themselves are united in their thorough condemnation of this ill-thought-through plan
Ed Newton-Rex
Kate Bush, one of the artists involved in the album said: "In the music of the future, will our voices go unheard?"
Composer, pianist and producer Max Richter, one of the artists involved in the album, said: “The government's proposals would impoverish creators, favouring those automating creativity over the people who compose our music, write our literature, paint our art.”
Singer-songwriter Naomi Kimpenu, one of the artists involved in the album, added “I fear that we will become the last generation of artists that can build careers in UK music. We cannot be abandoned by the government and have our work stolen for the profit of Big Tech. These proposals will shatter the prospects of so many emerging artists in the UK. If AI steals the rewards of creativity, it destroys that creativity. The government’s plan would be a dystopian future no one voted for, and we must choose a different path.”
All profits from the album – available now on streaming services – will be donated to the musicians’ charity Help Musicians. The Spotify link is here.
The full list of musicians and groups involved can be seen at: www.isthiswhatwewant.com
The album release and the Make It Fair initiative follow the Daily Mail campaign against the AI proposals launched last week with many prominent supporters including the three major music company CEOs.
In response to the Daily Mail AI campaign, a government spokesman said that the creative industries would be consulted.
“The UK's creative sector is truly world class which is why we’ve launched a consultation to ensure the UK copyright framework offers strong protections with regards to AI,” he said. “That’s because the current regime is holding back both sectors from realising their full potential – and that cannot continue. We are consulting on a new approach that will ensure creators have real control and transparency over their works, with appropriate access to data for AI innovators.
“No move will be made until we are absolutely confident we have a practical plan that delivers on our objectives – and as they have done throughout, the Technology Secretary and Culture Secretary, along with ministers from both departments, will continue to meet a wide range of representatives from both the AI sector and creative industries.”
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