The findings in CISAC’s global study on the economic impact of Generative AI on music are both alarming for songwriters and media composers, and urgent for legislators.
The report reveals that, without decisive intervention, human creators – the very heart of the music industry – stand to lose nearly a quarter of their income within four years due to Generative AI’s rapid rise.
While Generative AI companies stand to gain immense rewards – £4 billion from the unlicensed reproduction of creators’ works – creators face a double threat: their works being used without consent or payment and their revenue being eroded by AI-generated outputs.
By 2028, AI-driven music is projected to account for 20% of traditional streaming revenues and 60% of music libraries’ revenues. This represents a profound shift of economic value from human creators to tech companies, facilitated by inadequate regulation.
This is why policymakers must act now. Songwriters and composers must be at the centre of legislative decisions shaping the AI landscape. We urgently need rules that ensure:
1. Transparency: Songwriters and composers must know when and how their works are being used.
2. Fair remuneration: AI companies must compensate creators for the value of their works.
3. Consent and control: Songwriters and composers must have the right to authorise and control the use of their works by AI models.
AI offers exciting possibilities to enhance efficiencies in the global music industry and support human creativity, but it must not be a zero-sum game where technology thrives at the expense of human creators.
The Ivors Academy is committed to advocating for policies that protect, empower, and champion our songwriters and composers everywhere. Their rights must be upheld, and their contributions respected.
Legislators around the globe must prioritise creators’ rights to ensure a future where human creativity thrives. Anything less would be a failure to respect and protect the invaluable role songwriters and composers play in driving economic growth and enriching cultural life.
