Ed Newton-Rex, organiser of the Silent Album project, said the government's proposals were not only "disastrous for musicians" across the UK, but also completely unnecessary. "However much the government may try to justify it, musicians themselves are united in their total condemnation of this ill-conceived plan."
Artists including Damon Albarn, Kate Bush and Annie Lennox are protesting against the British government’s plans to change copyright laws with a completely silent album. The changes would allow AI developers to use creators’ work without needing a license to train their models, unless the rights holders opt out.
The musicians' protest album, Is This What We Want?, was released today, Tuesday 25 February. With this initiative, they hope to draw attention to the impact that these legal changes could have on the UK music industry. All proceeds from the album will be donated to the charity Help Musicians.
Is This What We Want? features a set list of tracks that together form a clear message: “The UK government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies.” Over a thousand musicians are backing the project, including Billy Ocean, Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien, Bastille’s Dan Smith, Jamiroquai, The Clash, Mystery Jets, Tori Amos, Hans Zimmer, Imogen Heap, Yusuf Cat Stevens, Riz Ahmed and many more.
The UK government has stated that it intends to provide legal certainty through a copyright regime that offers creators “real control” and transparency. However, lawmakers are currently considering proposals that would allow AI companies to use material available online for data mining, regardless of copyright. These proposals would include a “rights reservation” that would allow artists to opt out.