AIM Ireland and other Industry bodies call for consent to be offered to artists on AI deals

AIM Ireland and other industry bodies have written an open letter calling for artists to be offered consent before signing AI deals.

The letter outlines the prevalence of record companies and publishers negotiating AI deals without consulting artists and songwriters “whose works, voices, performances, likenesses and creative identities” have influenced the music involved.

The signees say that artists are forced to opt-in to AI deals by default, without any guarantees on remuneration.

The letter has been signed by the Ivors Academy, the European Music Managers Alliance, the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA), the Music Artists Coalition and more.

“We are increasingly concerned that songwriters and artists are being given little real choice,” the letter reads.

“Those in existing deals are being informed of default AI opt-ins, while those signing new deals are being asked to accept AI rights clauses as standard contract terms.”

Another component of the letter is for fair compensation, meaning that if an artist chooses to participate in AI-related uses, they share in the profits and value made.

“Songwriters must not be expected to sign away their rights without proper authorisation, fair remuneration and full transparency,” said Robert Neri, Ceo of The Ivors Academy.

 

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“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.”

The letter also pushes for more clarity and transparency, meaning that they are given “clear, timely and understandable information about any AI-related deal or proposal.”

The push for change comes as the use of AI in music has become increasingly prominent in recent years; 44% of all daily music uploads on Spotify are now AI-generated.

Although Spotify has cracked down significantly on this content, removing over 75 million spam tracks and implementing stricter filters to prevent AI music from being recommended to users.