On Monday, a collective of 1,000 musicians released a "silent album" to protest upcoming copyright law changes. Artists argue these changes would make it easier for technologies to train on copyrighted works without permission or payment.
Entitled Is This What We Want?, the album features contributions from prominent musicians including Kate Bush, contemporary classical composer Max Richter, Thomas Hewitt Jones, Imogen Heap, and hundreds more such as Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, Billy Ocean, members of The Clash, Mystery Jets, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Riz Ahmed, Tori Amos, and Hans Zimmer.
But this isn't a charity compilation or a traditional music collection. Instead, the artists compiled recordings of empty studios and performance spaces, symbolically representing their concerns about the potential impact of the copyright law changes.
Composer Hewitt Jones describes his contribution: "You can hear my cat walking around. I have two cats in my studio, and they always interrupt me when I'm working." More directly, the twelve tracks' titles collectively deliver a clear message: "The UK government cannot legalize music theft for the benefit of tech companies."
The "silent album" release is the latest protest in the UK regarding copyright treatment, echoing similar concerns in other markets. Project organizer Ed Newton-Rex has been actively leading a larger movement against unauthorized technology training.
This stance is gaining traction among artists worried about the implications of emerging technology applications. A petition launched by Newton-Rex has garnered over 47,000 signatures from writers, visual artists, actors, and creative industry professionals—nearly 10,000 within five weeks of the UK government announcing its ambitious tech strategy.
Newton-Rex says he "spent last year running a tech non-profit that certified companies scraping and training on others' work without permission." After advocating for tech companies, Newton-Rex shifted to championing artists. He's classically trained in composition and founded Jukedeck, a tech startup that developed a technology-based music creation platform allowing users to create music without using copyrighted works. Jukedeck won the 2015 TechCrunch Disrupt competition for its innovative approach. The company was eventually acquired by TikTok, where Newton-Rex also oversaw music services.
After years working at tech companies like Snap and Stability, Newton-Rex began reconsidering the balance between the future of technology development and the protection of traditional creation. Currently residing in the Bay Area, he has a unique perspective on this issue.
The album's release coincides with the UK's planned copyright law changes. In short, to encourage more tech activity and attract companies to set up and operate in the UK, the government proposes allowing technology models to use artists' work without permission or payment. Artists would have to actively "opt out" if they don't want their work used.
However, Newton-Rex argues this "opt-out" mechanism would disadvantage artists, as there's currently no effective opt-out pathway nor a clear way to track what specific material is fed into these systems. "We're quite clear that the opt-out scheme is unworkable," he says. "It will shift 90% to 95% of the burden onto artists. That's undeniable."
Musicians suggest a solution might be to create in other markets that may offer better protection. Hewitt Jones recently threw a still-functional keyboard into a Kent harbor during a live protest—though he retrieved it, it's now broken. He's considering releasing future work in markets like Switzerland.
The Kent harbor incident pales in comparison to the early days of the internet. "For decades, we've been told to share our work online; it's good for exposure. But now, tech companies and certain governments are turning around and saying, 'Okay, you can put your work online for free…'," says Newton-Rex. "So, now artists are starting to stop creating and sharing their work. Many artists have contacted me telling me they are doing so."
Organizers say the album will be available on major music platforms on Tuesday, with donations or proceeds going to the charity "Help Musicians."
