British musicians release silent album to protest AI

In an unusual twist within the music world, a group of more than A thousand British artists have decided to release an album composed solely of silence. This symbolic project aims to draw attention to recent proposals by the UK government seeking to amend copyright law, thereby facilitating access to copyright. empresas de inteligencia artificial to artistic works without having to pay licenses.

El álbum, titulado 'Is This What We Want?', is available on streaming platforms and consists of 12 tracks of empty studio recordings, in a metaphor for the impact artists fear if the legal changes come into effect. With a duration of 47 minutes, the album contains no music, but only the ambient sound of empty spaces where art is usually created.

A protest led by big names

Among the artists who have lent their support to this initiative are music figures such as Kate Bush, Damon Albarn, Annie Lennox, Billy Ocean, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Tori Amos and Hans ZimmerBands such as have also participated The Clash and Mystery Jets, as well as renowned composers such as Max Richter and Thomas Hewitt Jones.

The title of each of the 12 songs forms a clear and direct message: 'The British government should not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies'The intention of the artists is to make visible how these possible modifications to the law would put at risk the sustainability of the music industry and the work of the creators.

The impact of artificial intelligence on copyright

The legislative change proposed by the British government seeks to allow AI companies train their models using copyrighted content without the need to obtain permission or make payments to the original authors. Although the possibility of a 'opt-out'Critics argue that there are no effective mechanisms to ensure that material used without permission can be tracked or removed from AI systems.

Ed Newton-Rex, musician and founder of the Fairly Trained organization, has been one of the main drivers of this protest. According to his statement, 'The government's proposal would hand over the work of the country's musicians to AI companies without compensation, allowing these companies to exploit their creations to outperform the artists themselves in the marketplace.'

A global problem in the creative industry

The UK case is not unique. In many other countries, content creators are expressing concern about the lack of clear regulations on the use of artistic material by artificial intelligence. In the United States, for example, there have been organized Similar initiatives to protect the intellectual property of visual artists, writers and musicians.

The British silent album is part of a series of actions within the movement 'Make It Fair', which involves multiple creative industries. Recently, 34 entertainment figures signed a letter in The Times newspaper warning of the danger that these legal changes would represent for the future of art in the United Kingdom.

Possible economic and legal consequences

In addition to the impact on the music industry, experts have warned that this change in the copyright law could cause a talent drain, as many artists may move their production to countries with stricter regulations, such as Switzerland. In the long term, this could affect the economy of the British cultural sector, which in 2021 generated more than 7,600 millones de libras esterlinas and exported music worth more than 1,600 millones de libras.

In response to these concerns, the British government has indicated that it is in talks with representatives of the creative sector to find a balanced solution. However, So far, the proposal is moving forward without significant changes..

The silent album 'Is This What We Want?' is now available on streaming platforms, and any profits derived from its reproduction will be donated to the charity Help MusiciansWith this silent but forceful protest, the creators hope to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the Artists' rights in the digital age.