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What just happened? More than 1,000 musicians, including Kate Bush, Tori Amos, and the Eurythmics’ Annie Lennox, have released a silent album in protest against proposed changes to Britain’s copyright laws. The new rules could allow companies to use artists’ work to train their AI models without permission.
The album, called Is This What We Want?, features recordings of empty studios and performance spaces. Organizers say this represents the potential impact on artists’ livelihoods, and creativity in general, should the government’s plans go ahead.
The UK has put forward proposals that will allow AI companies to train their models on any material to which they have lawful access. Any creators or companies that don’t want their work used this way would have to opt out, an option that has been called unfair and unworkable.
Ed Newton-Rex, the British composer and former AI executive behind 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.”
The artist responsible for each of the album’s 12 silent tracks is uncredited, but more than 1,000 artists are credited as co-writers. It’s believed that Kate Bush recorded one of the tracks in her studio.
Bush, whose popularity experienced a revival following the use of her hit Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) in Stranger Things season 4, said, “In the music of the future, will our voices go unheard?”
Other co-writers include Tori Amos, Billy Ocean, the Clash, Blur/Gorillaz’s Damon Albarn, and Annie Lennox. The track listings spell out the message: “The British government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies.”
The album is now available on Spotify. All proceeds go toward Help Musicians, a UK charity supporting current and former musicians.
Responding to the album, a government spokesperson said the current copyright and AI laws were holding back the creative industries, media and AI sector from “realising their full potential.”
“We have engaged extensively with these sectors throughout and will continue to do so. No decisions have been taken,” the spokesperson added.
The government consultation on the copyright law changes closes today. Other protests include several daily newspapers featuring the slogan “Make It Fair” on their front pages. There’s also a letter in the Times slamming the proposals, signed by 34 creatives, including film producer Barbara Broccoli, Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding, actor Stephen Fry, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, and musician Ed Sheeran.
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