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Thousands of Australian musicians have banded together against the threat of artificial intelligence on human-made music and the income and livelihoods of musicians.
A report released today (19 August) by Australia’s music rights management organisation, APRA AMCOS, outlines the danger the technology presents to working human musicians and the detrimental effect it could have on the music and entertainment industries in Australia and New Zealand.
A total of 4,200 people contributed to the report, including major musicians Jimmy Barnes, Peter Garrett, Tina Arena, Kate Miller-Heidke, Bernard Fanning, Clare Bowditch, Julian Hamilton and Missy Higgins.
According to the report, 82 per cent of musicians are concerned that AI will result in them no longer being able to afford to live in an industry already plagued by struggle and low pay.
Furthermore, the report said that 23 per cent of musicians will have their income threatened by 2028. This collectively comes to $519 million.
APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston said the music industry is currently experiencing the “equivalent of a fast-tracked industrial revolution”.
“Global forecasts relating to generative AI (GenAI) wealth generation by 2030 are astronomical, yet no major large language model (LLM) platform or GenAI service has asked for consent or paid for the data used to train platforms and drive GenAI outputs,” Ormston said.
Unlike previous reports into the danger AI presents for human musicians, the APRA AMCOS report also highlights the danger of cultural appropriation, with 89 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island musicians and respondents believing that the use of AI in the creative process will lead to an increase in cultural appropriation.
In light of this, almost all (97 per cent) of respondents believe that policymakers need to respond to the threat of AI in music and copyright.
Despite the hesitation of musicians around AI, 54 per cent believe that the technology could be advantageous in the creative process, while 38 per cent already make use of it when writing and composing music. Sixty-five per cent, however, say that the risks AI presents could outweigh the advantages.
“We now know from this survey that artists are innovators and are embracing this incredible new technology; however, government must put regulation and policy in place now to ensure that everyone is given the adequate credit, consent and fair remuneration for any works being used in AI platforms,” Ormston said.
“If the use of AI is unregulated and unlicensed, it will be economically devastating. Creators pour their hearts and souls into their work, yet they’re facing a reality of seeing their creations exploited by AI platforms.
“We urge the Australian and New Zealand governments to implement EU-style transparency guidelines on tech companies now to disclose the content that has been copied and used without permission to build AI platforms, with sanctions for non-disclosure. Without this, our industry is facing a very bleak future.”
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