More than 1.000 musicians, including Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn and Kate Bush, have released an album of silent recordings as a form of protest against the British government's plans to change copyright law.
These changes would make it easier for companies developing artificial intelligence (AI) to use copyrighted works without permission, the musicians say.
Under the new proposal, VI companies will be able to use content from the internet to develop their own models unless the copyright owner chooses otherwise.
The artists hope that the album, titled Is this what we want? (Is This What We Want?), to draw attention to the possible impact of new regulations on the music industry in the UK.
All proceeds from the album will be donated to charity. Help musicians (Help Musicians).
"In future music, will our voices not be heard?" wrote the legendary Kate Bush in the statement.
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Public consultations on the legal amendments will be completed soon.
On the album, which was supported by Billy Ocean, Ed O'Brien from Radiohead, Den Smit, frontmen group Bastille, Kleš, Jamiroquai, are footage of empty studios and music halls, indicating artists' fear of the possible impact of proposed changes to the law.
"The British government must not legalize music theft for the benefit of companies developing artificial intelligence," is the message of the album.
Consultations are underway on proposals that would allow AI companies to use material on the internet without respecting copyright for the purpose of training artificial intelligence models.
Artificial intelligence programs mine, or learn from, huge amounts of data such as text, images, or music on the internet to create new content that appears to be human-made.
According to the proposed legal amendments, artists or creators would have the right to be exempted, meaning that VI companies would not use their work.
Critics of the plan, however, believe that it is not possible for an individual writer or artist to notify thousands of different AI service providers that they do not want their content used in that way, or to track what happens to their work across the entire internet.
Current copyright and artificial intelligence regulations are preventing the creative industries, media and the AI sector from achieving their full potential, and this must change, a spokesperson for the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) wrote in a statement on Tuesday.
"That's why we're discussing a new approach that protects the interests of both VI developers and rights holders, and allows both to thrive."
"No decisions have been made" and "no moves will be made until we are absolutely confident that we have a practical plan that meets each of our objectives," it added.
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Disaster for musicians
These plans don't just affect musicians but "impoverish creators" around the world, from writers to visual artists, says composer Max Richter, another of the artists included in the album.
Music brought a record £7,6 billion to the UK economy in 2023.
These proposals are not only "devastating for musicians" in the UK, but also "completely unnecessary", as the country can be "a leader in artificial intelligence without throwing our world-leading creative industries under the bus", said Ed Newton-Rex, the organizer of this album.
"No matter how the government tries to justify it, musicians are united in condemning this ill-advised plan," he added.
Singer-songwriter Naomi Kimpenu said these plans would destroy the future of many young artists.
"The government cannot steal from us for the profits of big tech companies," she said.
In January, Paul McCartney told the BBC that proposed changes to copyright laws could make it impossible for musicians and artists to make a living.
Along with Stephen Fry and Lloyd Webber, he is among the signatories of the letter, published in The Times, which states that changes to the law will allow technology companies to attack creative sectors.
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