1,000 Artists Release Silent Album To Oppose AI Copyright

More than 1,000 musicians, including Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Cat Stevens, have released a silent album titled Is This What We Want? to protest proposed UK government changes to copyright law.

The album, featuring recordings of empty studios and performance spaces, aims to highlight concerns that AI companies could freely train their models on copyrighted music without explicit permission from artists.

The UK government is consulting on a policy that would allow AI developers to use online creative content unless rights holders actively opt out. Critics argue that this provision places the burden on artists to prevent unauthorized use of their work rather than requiring AI companies to obtain prior consent, as reported by BBC.

“The British government must not legalize music theft to benefit AI companies,” spells out the 12-track album’s listing, as noted by AP.

Composer and AI developer Ed Newton-Rex, who spearheaded the project, warned of the potential consequences. “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,” he said, as reported by The Guardian.

“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,” he added.

The album, available on streaming platforms such as Spotify, features contributions from renowned artists, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Hans Zimmer, as well as rising musicians. All proceeds will be donated to Help Musicians, a UK charity supporting artists.

Kate Bush, one of the contributors, voiced her concerns about the future of the music industry in a statement: “In the music of the future, will our voices go unheard?,”as reported by The Guardian.

The protest is part of a wider backlash from the creative community. Actors Julianne Moore, authors Val McDermid and Richard Osman, and members of The Clash and Radiohead have also spoken out against the proposed changes, as noted by BBC.

A letter published in The Times and signed by 34 leading cultural figures, including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Ed Sheeran, and Tom Stoppard, accused the government of handing creative rights to Big Tech. The proposal “represent a wholesale giveaway of rights and income from the UK’s creative sectors to Big Tech,” the letter stated.

A government spokesperson defended the consultation, stating that “as it stands, the UK’s current regime for copyright and AI is holding back the creative industries, media and AI sector from realising their full potential – and that cannot continue,” as reported by The Guardian.

“That’s why we have been consulting on a new approach that protects the interests of both AI developers and rights holders and delivers a solution which allows both to thrive,” he added.

With the consultation closing Tuesday, the battle over AI and copyright intensifies, as artists fight to ensure their work remains protected in the age of artificial intelligence.