Paul McCartney Joins Artists Protesting AI By Releasing Songs That Are Completely Silent
Paul McCartney has released his first recording in five years. This single, however, is a part of a larger protest from UK artists fighting against the use of artificial intelligence in the music industry and using real artists’ voices and likeness to train the bots.
The former Beatle will be releasing a track of almost complete silence to protest copyright theft. Instead of melodies and lyrics, there is only the sounds of a quiet hiss and odd clatter, according to reports.
The track is suggesting that if AI companies are going to exploit the intellectual property of musicians in order to train their generative AI models, the entire creative entity of the music industry becomes essentially useless with original artists losing opportunities and thus, being silenced.
McCartney is currently touring in North America, and has added the new silent track to the B-side of an LP called ‘Is This What We Want?’
The LP is filled with other silent recordings and will be pressed on vinyl and released later this month.
This LP project is McCartney’s contribution to an overall campaign from musicians and artists in the UK urging their government to pass regulations that will stop technology companies from training their AI models without approvals or paying royalties to the artists.
McCartney’s album track listing spells out: “The British government must not legalize music theft to benefit AI companies.”
Ed Newton-Rex, composer and campaigner for copyright fairness, vocalized his support for the protest album as well.
“I am very concerned the government is paying more attention to US tech companies’ interests rather than British creatives’ interests.”
Sam Fender, Kate Bush, Hans Zimmer, and the Pet Shop Boys are among the other artists that are supporting the campaign.
The newest track from McCartney is entitled (bonus track) and begins with 55 seconds of tape hiss before 15 seconds of indeterminate clattering that teases the possibility of a build up to something, but instead settles into another 80 seconds of “rustle-punctuated hiss and concluding with a slow and poignant fadeout,” the Guardian reports.
McCartney has been a vocal advocate leading the musicians and artists of Britain in protesting this AI use.
“We[’ve] got to be careful about it (AI) because it could just take over and we don’t want that to happen, particularly for the young composers and writers [for] who, it may be the only way they[’re] gonna make a career,” McCartney said.
“If AI wipes that out, that would be a very sad thing indeed.”
Kate Bush is another notable advocate for the regulation of AI training and copyright frustrations, who’s also been involved in the protest album. “In the music of the future, will our voices go unheard?”
Composer Max Richter said: “The government’s proposals would impoverish creators, favouring those automating creativity over the people who compose our music, write our literature, paint our art.”
A government spokesperson stated that it’s putting the interests of UK citizens and businesses first when responding to McCartney’s advocacy and protest project.
Responding to McCartney’s intervention, a government spokesperson said it put the interests of the UK’s citizens and businesses first.
“We’ve always been clear on the need to work with both the creative industries and AI sector to drive AI innovation and ensure robust protections for creators,” the spokesperson said.
“We are bringing together both British and global companies, alongside voices beyond the AI and creative sectors, to ensure we can capture the broadest possible range of expert views as we consider next steps.”
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.