Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: the music industry wants permission, payment and transparency from AI companies wanting to use songs and recordings to train their models.
However, the representatives of the musicians who wrote those songs and performed on those recordings want the same three principles from labels and publishers when they strike AI-licensing deals. And they’re making this demand increasingly loudly as more deals are signed.
Their latest salvo comes this morning in the form of an open letter to labels and publishers from 31 organisations representing artists, songwriters and managers, marshalled by the European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA).
It goes in strong from the start, urging that “artists and songwriters must not be pressured into AI deals without meaningful consent”.
The letter goes on to assert that the rights required for these deals go beyond the copyrights in the songs and recordings, and include “moral, neighbouring, image and personality rights” for which the musicians “remain the primary holders”.
“We are increasingly concerned that artists and songwriters in existing recording and publishing agreements are receiving letters from major labels and publishers informing them that they will be opted in to AI-related uses by default, with little actual choice offered,” continues the letter.
“At the same time, artists and songwriters signing new agreements are being presented with AI rights clauses as a standard condition of signing.”
“The result is a serious imbalance: artists and songwriters are being asked to give permission without sufficient information, clear terms or guaranteed remuneration.”
“No default opt-ins. No forced AI clauses. No use of artists’ work, voice, performance, likeness or creative identify without meaningful consent, fair remuneration and full transparency”
The letter goes on to outline key demands around consent and control, fair compensation and clarity and transparency, summarised in three policies that they want all rightsholders signing AI deals to adopt:
“No default opt-ins. No forced AI clauses. No use of artists’ work, voice, performance, likeness or creative identify without meaningful consent, fair remuneration and full transparency.”
Organisations joining EMMA in signing the open letter include ECSA, the Music Artists Coalition, SONA, NITO, IAO, the Featured Artists Coalition, Black Music Action Coalition, and the Ivors Academy, as well as various country-specific management bodies. You can read it here in full.
Anticipating its release, global labels body the IFPI issued a pre-response statement this weekend.
“Music companies are leading the fight to protect artists’ and songwriters’ rights in the age of AI. While our members have taken different approaches, they share the same fundamental objectives: combating the unauthorised use of music and establishing licensing models that return revenue to artists and songwriters,” said its spokesperson.
“At a time when some tech companies large and small are engaging in the wholesale theft of virtually every song ever recorded, our members have sued infringers, pushed for legislation, and developed new licensing models, all to protect the interests of artists, songwriters and rightsholders and ensure they are compensated,” they continued.
“We are strongest when united as a music community and would encourage all who share our goal of a healthy and prosperous music ecosystem to work alongside us as we confront those advancing irresponsible AI.”
Recent deals between UMG and WMG and Udio, and WMG and Suno, have emphasised that artists will be given the choice to opt in rather than forced to.
At our Music Ally Connect conference in January, UMG’s EVP of digital business development and strategy, Jonathan Dworkin, also set out the company’s policies.
“Lucian [Grainge] has been incredibly publicly clear. We will not use artists’ voices for AI content without their consent. We believe that consent is critical, and the care, thoughtfulness and commitment that goes into it from every corner of the organisation, at every level, is pretty amazing,” he said then.
“Songwriters must not be expected to sign away their rights without proper authorisation, fair remuneration and full transparency”
However, today’s letter is shining a spotlight on how that choice is offered, and whether musicians are feeling pressured to do so.
“Amidst a flurry of AI deals, EMMA has coordinated this letter because of mounting concerns about the misappropriation and landgrab of artist and songwriter rights,” said EMMA executive director Jess Partridge.
“Across the board, we are seeing major music companies acting unilaterally by agreeing global AI licensing agreements without entering into negotiations or requesting consent from the creative talent they work with. This is no way to build a viable, artist-centric music sector. It also risks repeating the mistakes of the past.”
“Songwriters must not be expected to sign away their rights without proper authorisation, fair remuneration and full transparency,” added Ivors Academy CEO Roberto Neri.
“This means having a meaningful say in how their work is used, clear information about the deals being proposed, the ability to give or withhold consent, and a fair share of the value created.”
“On the issue of AI licensing, artists, songwriters and managers have stood shoulder to shoulder with the wider music industry on the principle of consent – and that LLM models must not be trained on other people’s rights,” was the view of MMF CEO Annabella Coldrick.
“With this open letter, we are simply requesting the same courtesy from our label and publisher partners. These rights are not yours to sell.”
