1,000 artists release ‘silent’ album to protest UK copyright sell-out to AI

The U.K. government is making strides to lure more AI companies to its shores, and one of the key moves involves tweaking copyright laws. The proposed changes would let AI developers train their models on artists' online content without needing permission or offering payment, unless the creators specifically "opt out." However, not everyone's singing from the same hymn sheet on this one.

On Monday, over 1,000 musicians took a stand by releasing a "silent album" to protest these proposed changes. Titled "Is This What We Want?", the album features contributions from luminaries like Kate Bush, Imogen Heap, and classical composers such as Max Richter and Thomas Hewitt Jones. It also boasts co-writing credits from a host of other big names including Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, Billy Ocean, The Clash, Mystery Jets, Yusuf / Cat Stevens, Riz Ahmed, Tori Amos, and Hans Zimmer. But don't expect to hear any tunes; instead, the album is filled with recordings of empty studios and performance spaces, symbolizing the artists' fears about the impact of the new copyright laws.

Thomas Hewitt Jones humorously described his contribution, saying, "You can hear my cats moving around. I have two cats in my studio who bother me all day when I’m working." The album's 12 tracks cleverly spell out a stark message: "The British government must not legalize music theft to benefit AI companies." You can give it a listen here.

This album is part of a broader movement in the U.K. to spotlight how copyright is being handled in AI training. Similar protests are happening globally, particularly in the U.S., showing that artists worldwide are concerned about this issue.

Ed Newton-Rex, who spearheaded this project, is also leading a larger campaign against AI training without proper licensing. His petition has garnered over 47,000 signatures from writers, visual artists, actors, and other creatives, with nearly 10,000 added in the last five weeks following the U.K. government's AI strategy announcement. Newton-Rex has been running a nonprofit for the past year, certifying companies that refrain from using copyrighted material without permission for AI training.

Newton-Rex's journey to advocating for artists is an interesting one. Initially trained as a composer, he later founded Jukedeck, an AI-based music composition platform that allowed users to create their own music without infringing on copyrights. His innovative pitch, complete with rapping and riffing on the benefits of AI in music, clinched the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield in 2015. Jukedeck was eventually bought by TikTok, where Newton-Rex worked on music services. After stints at companies like Snap and Stability, he's now focused on ensuring the future of creativity doesn't come at the expense of the past. He's tackling these issues from his new home in the Bay Area, alongside his wife Alice Newton-Rex, VP of product at WhatsApp.

The album's release comes just before the planned changes to U.K. copyright laws, which would require artists to actively "opt out" if they don't want their work used for AI training. Newton-Rex argues that this creates a lose-lose situation for artists, as there's no effective opt-out method or way to track what content is being used by AI systems. "We know that opt-out schemes are just not taken up," he said. "This is just going to give 90% to 95% of people’s work to AI companies. That’s without a doubt."

Artists are looking elsewhere for solutions, with Hewitt Jones considering markets like Switzerland for better protections. In a dramatic protest, he even threw a working keyboard into a harbor in Kent, later retrieving it, albeit broken. The internet, he notes, is a far more challenging battleground. "We’ve been told for decades to share our work online because it’s good for exposure. But now AI companies and, incredibly, governments are turning around and saying, 'Well, you put that online for free ...'" Newton-Rex said. This has led some artists to stop creating and sharing their work altogether.

The album will be widely available on various music platforms starting Tuesday, with any donations or proceeds going to the charity Help Musicians.