Musicians Release Silent Album to Protest UK Copyright Law Changes
More than 1,000 musicians have united to release Is This What We Want?, an album protesting the UK government’s proposed changes to copyright law.
The album, which features full-length recordings of empty studios and performance spaces symbolises the potential impact these changes could have on musicians’ livelihoods.
The controversy stems from the UK government’s late 2024 proposal to amend copyright law, allowing artificial intelligence (AI) companies to develop their products using copyrighted works – such as music, artwork, and text – without requiring a license. Under the proposed regulations, AI developers would be permitted to use creators’ online content for text or data mining unless rights holders explicitly opt-out.
Critics argue that the “opt-out” system places an unreasonable burden on individual artists, who would need to notify countless AI service providers to prevent their works from being exploited.
Many in the creative industry fear that this would effectively legalise the unauthorised use of copyrighted material for the benefit of AI companies, threatening the future of the UK’s cultural and music industries.
The album’s tracklisting sends a direct message to policymakers, spelling out: The British government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies. Since its mobilisation, it has gained support from a host of notable artists including Billy Ocean, Ed O’Brien of Radiohead, Bastille’s Dan Smith, Mystery Jets, and Jamiroquai, amongst others.
Industry heavyweights have also waded in to offer their support. Jo Twist OBE, CEO of BPI, said: “We stand behind today’s Make It Fair campaign, which calls on government to protect human creativity in the age of generative AI. Britain’s creative industries have been rightly recognised by government as one of eight priority sectors for economic growth. They are worth £125 billion per year to our economy, employ over 2.4 million people, and are the source of immense cultural power on the global stage.”
“The sweeping changes to copyright law currently being proposed would completely undermine this growth opportunity, essentially making it legal for international AI firms to plunder the UK’s music, books, film and more, all for their own profit and without the need for authorisation or compensation. Creators and rights-holders would in theory be given the option to ‘opt-out’ of having their work used to train AI models – but other markets have shown that opt-out schemes are unworkable in practice, and ineffective in protecting against misuse and theft.”
“The UK’s gold-standard copyright framework is central to the global success of our creative industries. We understand AI’s potential to drive change including greater productivity or improvements to public services, but it is entirely possible to realise this without destroying our status as a creative superpower.”
Meanwhile, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) defended the proposed changes, stating that the UK’s current copyright laws are restricting the potential of both the creative industries and the AI sector.
The spokesperson said that the government is still in the consultation phase and no final decisions have been made, adding, “No moves will be made until we are absolutely confident we have a practical plan that delivers each of our objectives.”
The consultation phase is set to close later today, 25 February 2025.
All proceeds from Is This What We Want? will be donated to the charity Help Musicians, which supports artists facing financial hardship. To find out more, visit www.isthiswhatwewant.com
