Paul McCartney Contributes Track to Silent Album Protesting Proposed AI Copyright Law

Sir Paul McCartney has added a track to the vinyl version of the silent album, Is This What We Want?, curated by UK artists to protest a proposed AI copyright law. The LP consists of recordings of silent studios and performance spaces, emphasizing the idea of a music industry without human beings.

Why it matters:

• The UK law central to the protest would make it easier to use copyrighted material to train AI without a license.

• Back in January, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer proposed an “opt-out” system for using copyrighted material to train AI.

• The proposal came as part of a 50-point plan for the UK to be competitive in the rise of AI technology.

• Following backlash from protests such as this album, the government has begun reviewing its stance on AI and copyrighted material.

Background:

• “1,000 UK Artists” technically released the album, alluding to the over 1,000 artists and organizations who have signed on in protest of the proposed law.

• The digital version of the album was released in February.

• The vinyl version will be out on December 8. All profits will be donated to Help Musicians, a charity dedicated to supporting musicians in the UK.

What they said:

• Ed Newton-Rex, Founder of the AI watchdog organization Fairly Trained, and organizer of the silent album: “The government must commit to not handing the life’s work of the country’s musicians to AI companies for free. Doing so would be hugely damaging to our world-leading creative industries and is totally unnecessary, only benefiting overseas tech giants. It should listen to Paul McCartney and the 1,000 other musicians who took part in this album, and resist calls to legalise music theft from the big tech lobby.”