"I listened to the Silent Protest album by AI on Spotify, and if you're worried about AI copying the voices of musical icons, you should too."
Silence, in fact, has great meaning.
More than a thousand artists joined in a moving protest against a UK government proposal that would allow artificial intelligence developers to use copyrighted music to train AI models like ChatGPT and Open AI, unless the rights holders choose to opt out. This movement has resulted in a protest album titled Is This What We Want?, which is already available on platforms like Spotify and Tidal.
The album consists of 12 tracks made up of recordings of ambient sound from empty recording studios and other performance spaces, aiming to highlight the impact that this proposal could have on the music industry and the livelihoods of creatives. It is rumored that one of the recordings was made in Kate Bush's studio, who has expressed her concerns by questioning whether in the musical future "our voices will go unheard."
This work is part of a broader reaction to the new bill, which has sparked the Make It Fair campaign, focused on fighting legalized content theft and raising public awareness about these issues. Several British artists, like Ed Sheeran, Ed O'Brien from Radiohead, and Billy Ocean, have joined the cause, along with personalities outside the music realm such as producer Barbara Broccoli and the renowned Stephen Fry. Fry compared the situation to allowing pests to destroy a garden, emphasizing that economic growth cannot be encouraged if creators are stripped of their fruits.
The Make It Fair campaign has been very visible in major UK newspapers, highlighting the growing sentiment that a kind of cultural genocide is taking place, where those who damage the work of artists are not human, although they receive support from people.
Listening to Is This What We Want?, the absence of vibrant sounds and the generation of static frequencies reflect a bleak outlook for the future of the music industry in light of the government proposal. The authenticity of everyday sounds, such as the soft meow of a studio cat or the dragging of a chair, is notably intensified, inviting deep reflection.
This protest album also provides an opportunity to raise funds, as the proceeds from its streaming will be donated to the charity Help Musicians, highlighting the real impact that music can have on the lives of artists, even amidst the critical situation of copyright and royalties on streaming platforms.
