A new album called “Is This What We Want?” features over 1,000 musicians, including big names like Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Cat Stevens, and Damon Albarn.
The album, released on February 25, 2025, is a protest against proposed changes to artificial intelligence (AI) laws in the U.K. that many artists fear will take away their control over their work.
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The U.K. government is considering allowing tech companies to use copyrighted material to train AI models, unless artists choose to opt out. Critics worry this could make it harder for creators to protect their work and hurt Britain’s creative industries.
Famous artists like Elton John and Paul McCartney have spoken out against these plans.
The protest album includes recordings of empty studios and performance spaces to symbolize what artists fear will happen to creative venues if the law changes. The 12 tracks’ titles together send a message: “The British government must not legalize music theft to benefit AI companies.”
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The profits from the album will go to ‘Help Musicians’, a charity supporting musicians. Ed Newton-Rex, a composer and AI developer who organized the album, said, “The government’s proposal would hand musicians’ work to AI companies for free, allowing these companies to use it to replace musicians.”
He added that the plan is unnecessary and could harm U.K. musicians while also damaging the country’s strong creative industries.
The Labour Party, which leads the U.K. government, wants to make the country a global leader in AI but also aims to protect the rights of creators.
Publishers, artists, and media companies, including The Associated Press, have come together to form the Creative Rights in AI Coalition to oppose the plan. Several U.K. newspapers also published special front-page messages on February 25, calling for the protection of creative industries, saying, “Let’s protect the creative industries – it’s only fair.”