Artists Protest UK AI Copyright Plans with Silent Album
More than 1,000 musicians, including prominent figures like Kate Bush and Damon Albarn, have released a unique album of silence in protest of the UK government’s proposed changes to copyright law. The album, titled Is This What We Want?, serves as a statement against plans that would allow artificial intelligence companies to train on copyrighted work without permission.
The album consists of recordings of empty music studios and performance spaces, representing the potential impact on artists’ livelihoods if the government’s plans are enacted.
Kate Bush photographed in her studio. Photo: Trevor Leighton/Fish People/AFP/Getty Images
It is understood that one of the album’s 12 tracks was recorded by Kate Bush in her studio.
Ed Newton-Rex, a British composer and former AI executive, conceived the album, highlighting the potential consequences. He stated, “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.”
The government’s plan includes an ‘opt-out’ option, which critics have dismissed as unworkable.
The album features over 1,000 credited co-writers across the 12 tracks, though the artist behind each silent track remains uncredited. Profits from the sales of the album on streaming services like Spotify will be donated to Help Musicians, a charity supporting musicians.
Notably, Bush herself contributed to the album. She voiced her concerns by posing the question, “In the music of the future, will our voices go unheard?”
Other musicians and composers on the project include Tori Amos, Billy Ocean, members of The Clash, and the Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer, as well as members of the Kanneh-Mason Family.
The release of the silent album coincides with the conclusion of a government consultation on changes to copyright law, where a waiver benefiting AI firms is the preferred option.
A letter in The Times signed by 34 leading creatives, including Barbara Broccoli, Helen Fielding, Stephen Fry, Ed Sheeran, and Tom Stoppard, criticized the government’s stance, warning of a “wholesale giveaway of rights and income from the UK’s creative sectors to Big Tech.” Fry stated, “You don’t promote growth in a garden by allowing all the pests to feast on the fruit and flowers, and you don’t promote growth in an economy by allowing all the AIs to feast on the fruits of our creators.”
A UK government spokesperson responded, stating, “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.”
