Tue Feb 25 11:06:53 UTC 2025: ## Musicians Release Protest Album Against UK AI Copyright Changes

**London, February 25, 2025** – Over 1,000 musicians, including Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Cat Stevens, and Damon Albarn, have released a protest album titled “Is This What We Want?” to oppose proposed UK legislation that would allow tech companies to use copyrighted material for AI training without explicit artist consent.

The album, released today, features recordings of silent studios and performance spaces, symbolizing the potential silencing of creative artists if the proposed changes are enacted. The track titles collectively spell out the message: “The British government must not legalize music theft to benefit AI companies.” All profits will be donated to the musicians’ charity Help Musicians.

The controversial proposal, currently under government consultation, would allow tech firms to use artists’ work to train AI models unless creators actively opt out. Critics, including Elton John and Paul McCartney, fear this will erode artists’ control over their work and harm the UK’s creative industries.

Composer and AI developer Ed Newton-Rex, who spearheaded the album’s creation, stated the government’s proposal would effectively hand musicians’ life’s work to AI companies for free, enabling them to exploit artists’ work for unfair competitive advantage. He argued that the UK can lead in AI without sacrificing its creative industries.

The UK government, aiming to make the country an AI leader, initiated a consultation in December to explore balancing artists’ rights with AI developers’ access to creative content. This consultation ends today. The Creative Rights in AI Coalition, a group including publishers, artists’ organizations, and media companies, is actively opposing the weakening of copyright protections. Several UK newspapers featured prominent front-page articles urging the protection of the creative industries.

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