As Ireland takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, our CEO Roberto Neri has written to the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, calling on the Irish government to lead efforts to protect songwriters and composers from the negative impact of generative AI.
The Presidency is an opportunity to strengthen copyright protections across Europe, set the agenda on AI and the creative industries and help safeguard Irish and European cultural heritage.
In our letter, we called on Taoiseach Micheál Martin to:
- Introduce legislation that supports a framework for the proper authorisation, remuneration and transparency for songwriters and composers if they opt-in their work for AI licensing. Consent cannot be imposed through default opt-ins and it should not be a condition of signing a new deal. Artists and songwriters must be able to say no without fear of penalisation.
- Protect songwriters and composers from deep fakes and unauthorised digital replicas by introducing new personality rights for creators. This would protect creators, their voice, lyrics, image, likeness and style from unauthorised copying and mimicry by generative AI tools 3
- Require AI services to introduce transparency over the works they train their models on and properly label AI music to ensure consumers know what they are listening to.
Generative AI is an urgent concern for songwriters and composers. Music creators could see their revenues drop by almost a quarter by 2028 due to generative AI, according to research by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC). This could amount to cumulative losses of €10 billion over five years.
According to music streaming service Deezer, 44% of all tracks uploaded to its platform are now AI generated, more than 75,000 tracks every day, a 650% increase since the start of 2025.
Roberto Neri, CEO of The Ivors Academy said, "The Irish Government has a unique opportunity to protect songwriters and composers across Ireland and Europe. We need authorisation, remuneration and transparency, and we urge the Taoiseach to champion legislation that protects, remunerates and empowers music creators."
Catherine Martin, Head of Policy, Ireland of The Ivors Academy said, “Irish songwriters and composers have a global impact and reach, bringing attention to our culture, language and heritage. The Irish Government should use the Presidency of the Council of the EU to not only showcase our world-class music makers, but to do its utmost to protect them from the immense challenges they face from generative AI.”
The Ivors Academy announced the launch of The Ivors Academy in Ireland earlier this year, its first formal presence outside the UK in more than eight decades of championing songwriters and composers. This milestone creates a new, dedicated home for music writers across the whole island of Ireland, supporting all genres, disciplines and career stages.
Songwriters and composers anywhere in the world can join The Ivors Academy, with a free Discovery membership available. Find out more.
Read the full letter: Letter from The Ivors Academy to Taoiseach on Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU
