A new Kate Bush studio recording dropped unexpectedly today? Well, kind of, yes! As we saw in her recent Christmas message, the challenges and concerns posed by AI technology are not far from Kate’s mind of late and in a letter in today’s UK Times newspaper she joins many prominent artists and writers in a protest at the UK government’s AI copyright proposals. Many media reports single out Kate’s involvement in their headlines this morning. A similar campaign has paid for prominent wrap-around paid advertising on all major UK print newspapers this morning with the slogan “Make it Fair“.
The letter states “There is no moral or economic argument for stealing our copyright. Taking it away will devastate the industry and steal the future of the next generation.” It is signed by Simon Beaufoy, Barbara Broccoli, Kate Bush, Stuart Camp, Matthew Dunster, Sam Fender, Helen Fielding, Rachel Fuller, Sir Stephen Fry, David Furnish, Dame Pippa Harris, Sir Kazuo Ishiguro, Sir Elton John, Paul King, Simon Le Bon, Dua Lipa, Alastair Lloyd Webber, Lord Lloyd-Webber, Sir Paul McCartney, Martin McDonagh, Sir Michael Morpurgo, Lucy Prebble, Sir Simon Rattle, Philip Ridley, Michael Rosen, Dame Hannah Rothschild, Ed Sheeran, Sting, Sir Tom Stoppard, Pete Townshend, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Matthew Warchus, Jeanette Winterson, Andrew Wylie.
As part of this campaign, a new “silent” album, called “Is This What We Want?” has been released today on streaming platforms including here on Spotify. The album includes contributions from Kate, Damon Albarn, Tori Amos, Annie Lennox, Pet Shop Boys, Billy Ocean, the Clash, Hans Zimmer, Imogen Heap, Cat Stevens, Max Richter, and many other names. Kate has written about the project on her official site:
Over one thousand musicians are jointly releasing this album today to protest the UK government’s planned changes to copyright law.
If these changes go ahead, the life’s work of all the country’s musicians will be handed over to AI companies for free. None of us have a say in it.
The UK is full of pioneering, highly creative and imaginative artists. The government’s willingness to agree to these copyright changes shows how much our work is undervalued and that there is no protection for one of this country’s most important assets: music.
Each track on this album features a deserted recording studio. Doesn’t that silence say it all?
I’m very happy to have contributed a track to this project and to join the protest.
Please help protect the music makers and our heartfelt work. We make it for you, not for it to be taken and used against us.
In the music of the future, will our voices go unheard?
Kate
The recordings of dormant music studios and performance spaces, represents the impact on artists’ livelihoods if the government pushes ahead with its plans, according to Ed Newton-Rex, the British composer and former AI executive behind the idea. He warns that livelihoods are under threat from these proposed changes to copyright law. According to an article in The Guardian today, “…the album contains 12 recordings with more than 1,000 artists credited as co-writers, with the individual artist behind each of the dozen “silent” tracks uncredited. However, it is understood that Kate Bush has recorded one of the dozen tracks in her studio. Bush said: “In the music of the future, will our voices go unheard?”
The 12 track titles spell out the following sentence: The British Government Must Not Legalise Music Theft To Benefit AI Companies. And we note that the final silent track 12, “Companies” does faintly feature the birdsong of a dawn chorus, a lot of cat purring sounds and what sounds like the sipping of hot tea (at the 3 minute 10 second mark)!! So, do we think this is Kate’s contribution to the project? Listen and see what you think.
len
For once in my life, I must bloody well shut up. Schopenhauer was right and Spinoza was proof.
Davie
BRAVO KATE…AND EVERYONE INVOLVED.
WE ALL WANT TO HEAR THE REAL CREATIVE “THING” AND FOR THOSE WHO CREATE IT TO TRULY OWN IT.
Jacqueline Margaret James
I whole-heartedly support Kate and the other artists in this protest. Do we really want to live in a world of homogenized ‘lift muzak’ which is what I fear will happen if these tech billionaires have their way. If they expect to have other peoples’ work without paying for it, then why don’t they give away their AI for free?
Henny
Dear Kate, this is a powerful and very necessary statement of all of you. I hope all people admiring art, whether it be music, literature, film, painting or sculpting, will back you to avoid this menacing development – just like I do…
We want to enjoy man (and woman) made things, not something that was made (created is not exactly the word that covers this cargo) for and by humans, and other furry or funny animals, not by machines using original art to vampirize on.
Please go on with what humans are best in, and coont on ‘common people like me’…
Yours,
Henny
(once living in Abbey Wood, and close to where you were born and raised, which added a dimension to my admiration of you and your art)
Sky Boswell
This protest is so very much needed. AI is ruthless and its progress – with all its faults – bothers me greatly. I’m sure all music lovers can get behind this, and it’s great that Kate is involved.
Thomas Bean
It is Kate who had brought this government sponsored theft to me. It is not right on any level. Love the concept of the silent Album. KEEP YOUR MITS OFF OTHER PEOPLES WORK greedy gangsters!
Kathleen
Well done it’s a beautiful piece of art as protest
Kathleen
Recognising Creativity in the Age of AI: A Call for Fair Credit and Compensation
Why Recognition Matters
In a world where artificial intelligence can generate art, music, and literature in seconds, it’s more important than ever to ensure that creative individuals receive proper recognition and compensation for their work. Every painting, melody, and design has an origin—a human mind behind it. If AI can track and credit musicians for when their work is played, why shouldn’t artists, illustrators, and designers receive the same recognition?
This isn’t just about protecting income—it’s about upholding integrity, celebrating originality, and ensuring that creativity remains valued in our society.
The Challenge: Creativity vs. AI and Uncredited Use
Today, many AI models are trained on vast datasets, including artwork, music, and literature created by real people. However, there are often no mechanisms in place to credit or compensate the original creators.
Imagine a world where:
• Artists are notified when their work is used, just like musicians receive alerts when their songs are played.
• Creators can choose whether to allow AI to use their work—with an option to charge a nominal or fair fee.
• Companies using AI tools commit to ethical data use, ensuring that human creators remain at the heart of the creative process.
If AI is built on the foundation of human creativity, shouldn’t that foundation be acknowledged?
A Collaborative Solution: Technology That Credits Creators
Rather than viewing AI as a threat, we can use technology to build fairer systems. Here’s how:
1. Digital Attribution & Tracking – Just as YouTube’s Content ID system detects copyrighted music, a similar system could track visual art, design, and text, automatically crediting the original creator.
2. Opt-In & Fair Compensation Models – Creators should be able to decide whether AI can use their work, with the option to receive micro-payments or licensing fees.
3. Transparent AI Training – Companies training AI models should disclose which works are used, giving artists the opportunity to approve, decline, or be compensated.
4. AI-Assisted Copyright Protection – AI can help detect unauthorized use of artwork and alert creators when their work appears elsewhere.
5. Industry & Government Support – Legal frameworks must evolve to ensure ethical AI use, and companies should commit to fair data sourcing.
A Call for Ethical AI and Industry Collaboration
This is not about limiting innovation—it’s about ensuring that AI enhances creativity rather than exploiting it. Ethical AI is possible when we work together—artists, musicians, tech companies, and policymakers—to build a system that values originality.
We invite industry leaders, policymakers, and creatives to join this conversation. Let’s work together to create a future where technology and human creativity coexist in harmony—where recognition, fairness, and artistic integrity remain at the core of innovation.
Join the Movement
If you are an artist, musician, or creative professional, your voice matters. If you are a company developing AI tools, you have the power to set a new standard. Let’s collaborate to build a world where creativity is valued, credited, and protected.
Sign Petition https://chng.it/bM8KKSH4jb
Gabriella Smith
good on you Kate …. i support this to and no it is not we want … the government can and need to protect your music,… all artist music … AI need to be in check with new laws ,… it all so fast AI has become … hard to keep up what is going on … however no excuses for government ,.. they need to do the right thing asap,..
thank you be brave
<3 Gabi