New concerns have been raised by Australian musicians over the use of their music by generative AI companies without compensation. An RMIT expert says while protecting copyright remains important, the discussion creates an opportunity to rethink how artists are valued and paid.
Dr Sam Whiting, School of Media and Communication:
"These concerns follow two recent revelations. Firstly, that thousands of iconic songs by Australian artists have been used by AI companies without consent, without a licence, and without payment.
"Secondly, unverified claims that the Australian government is considering a scheme that would weaken Australian copyright law, in favour of AI companies investing in data centres and providing millions of dollars annually to fund creative workers.
"Artists and rights holders currently have little leverage in the fight against AI. Now a compromise is being offered, albeit an extremely uneven one, which would do away with over a hundred years of intellectual property rights.
"While copyright is to be defended, it is also worth considering other ways of measuring the value of artists and their contribution to society.
"This presents an opportunity to elevate the labour of artists, rather than simply the speculative value of their intellectual property, to a position where they might be renumerated directly via a salary.
"Such a scheme should also be accompanied by local licensing agreements that properly compensate rights holders for the use of their material by AI companies, such as that currently advocated by APRA AMCOS"
"Either way, the debate around AI and music should not just be a case of defending the status quo, but an opportunity to reimagine the role of arts and culture in our lives more broadly."
Sam Whiting is a Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow in the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University and a 2024 Churchill Fellows. His published work is primarily focused on issues of capital, labour, and value as they relate to the creative industries and the cultural economy, specifically the political economy of the music industries.
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