Artificial Intelligence

1,000+ Artists Release Silent Album to Fight AI Copyright Changes

Published FEB 25 2025

Story

Above: Jan. 16, 2018. Image credit: Unsplash

The Facts

Over 1K British artistes, including Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, and Damon Albarn, have released a silent album titled "Is This What We Want?" featuring recordings of empty studios, to protest proposed changes to British copyright law.
Rolling Stone UK
Sky News
The suggested changes would create a copyright exemption allowing tech companies to use copyrighted material for AI training without obtaining licenses, while creators would need to opt out to prevent their work being used to train models.
Sky News
The Telegraph
The album's track listing deliberately spells out the message "The British government must not legalize music theft to benefit AI companies." All profits from the release are being donated to the Help Musicians charity.
Sky News
guardian
The opposition arises as the government's consultation on the potential copyright changes comes to an end. Data from 2023 indicates that the UK music industry contributed £7.6B ($9.6B) to the economy that year, as well as generating £4.6B ($5.8B) in exports.
Independent
Daily Mail
The campaign has gained support from major figures including Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, and over 200 additional artistes who signed an open letter warning of AI's threat to creative industries.
The Telegraph
Ars Technica
The controversy extends beyond music to other creative sectors, with news publishers launching their own advertising campaign across hundreds of news titles to highlight the risk of their content being used by tech firms.
Daily Mail
The Telegraph

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Techno-skeptic narrative

The UK government's proposed copyright changes risk allowing AI firms to exploit their work without consent, threatening creative ownership, fair compensation, and artistic livelihoods. This could undermine the UK’s music industry, devalue human creativity, and empower big tech to profit at their expense.

Sky News

BBC News

Narrative B

AI should not be seen as a threat to artists, but a tool that enhances creativity and supports innovation. It relies on human input and cannot replace human originality or intent. With proper regulation, AI can empower artists, offering new opportunities for creative exploration without undermining artistic value or livelihood.

Daily Mail