MU Urges Government to Back Musicians on AI

The Government has, on Monday this week, made an interim statement on its long running Artificial Intelligence (AI) consultation.

The MU has previously responded to this consultation and argued that the Government’s preferred option at the time would be terrible for musicians and the wider industry.

We are therefore really pleased to see that only 3% of the 11,500 respondents to the consultation backed the government’s preferred exception. This gives the Government a very clear message that they must drop their initial proposal and establish a robust regulatory framework for AI firms’ interaction with musicians’ works.

“We will keep fighting alongside creators internationally for fair treatment and fair pay”

Naomi Pohl, MU General Secretary says: “We are absolutely clear that copyright reform is needed and new rights introduced to ensure that performers and creators are protected and benefit fairly from artificial intelligence. It is encouraging to see that the vast majority of respondents to the Government consultation agreed with us.

"Copyright law shouldn’t be static; it must evolve with new technology. As new uses of musicians’ performances and creators’ works develop, it is crucial that these are provided for in law because the market cannot be trusted to deliver fair terms and compensation – as we have seen with music streaming.

"Until the law changes, deals with artificial intelligence developers will take place mostly behind closed doors and our members won’t have consent or full transparency. We will keep fighting alongside creators internationally for fair treatment and fair pay.”

Ask your MP to back musicians in the fight for AI regulation

We're fighting for consent, fair remuneration and other key measures to protect the rights of musicians and music creators.

Learn more about our five measures to regulate AI training and AI-generated music in our artificial intelligence (AI) campaign hub.