Joint statement: Artists And Songwriters Must Not Be Pressured Into AI Deals Without Meaningful Consent

Across the global music industry, record companies and publishers are negotiating AI deals that could shape the future of music. Yet the artists and songwriters whose works, voices, performances, likenesses and creative identities make those deals valuable are not being meaningfully consulted.

Artists and songwriters remain the primary holders of many of the rights at stake, including moral, neighbouring, image and personality rights. These rights are not label or publishers assets to be licensed without clear authority, consent and accountability. This means that artists and songwriters should be (where applicable, through their managers) the primary parties approached by AI companies to discuss such rights.

We are increasingly concerned that artists and songwriters in existing recording and publishing agreements are receiving letters from major labels and publishers informing them that they will be opted in to AI-related uses by default, with little actual choice offered. At the same time, artists and songwriters signing new agreements are being presented with AI rights clauses as a standard condition of signing.

The result is a serious imbalance: artists and songwriters are being asked to give permission without sufficient information, clear terms or guaranteed remuneration. We support innovation and recognise that AI can create new opportunities for music. However artists are not simply catalogue assets, and innovation cannot be used to override artists’ rights.

We therefore call on record companies, publishers, policy makers, AI companies, digital platforms and all industry partners to respect and consider three core principles:

Consent & Control
Artists and songwriters must actively and specifically consent before their works, voice, performance, likeness or creative identity is used in connection with AI. There must be clarity around what they are being asked to approve, and they must have control over how it will be used. It cannot be buried in broad catch-all contract language or include rights in perpetuity. 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.

Fair Compensation
Where artists and songwriters choose to participate in AI-related uses, they must receive fair and meaningful remuneration. They must share in the value created by their works, and it cannot be considered a general label asset. Artists and songwriters must be consulted and it must be clear which percentage of revenue goes to the creator, to the label and to the AI company.

Clarity & Transparency
Requests must be purpose-specific. Artists, songwriters and managers must be given clear, timely and understandable information about any AI-related deal or proposal affecting their rights in order to make informed decisions. The information must encompass which rights it includes, what uses are permitted, the safeguards in place, duration of permission and how consent can be withdrawn.

We call on all companies entering into AI music deals to make a clear and public commitment:

– No default opt-ins.
– No forced AI clauses.
– No use of artists’ work, voice, performance, likeness or creative identity
without meaningful consent, fair remuneration and full transparency.

At a time when policymakers are reviewing copyright rules in response to AI, the protection of artists’ and songwriters’ rights, voices and remuneration is not negotiable. The structures being created now will shape the music ecosystem for years to come. The future of music must be built with artists, songwriters and their representatives, not imposed on them.

Signatories
European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA)
European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA)
Music Artists Coalition (USA)
SONA – Songwriters of North America (USA)
NITO – National Independent Talent Organisation (USA)
IAO – International Artists Organisation
Artists Rights Alliance (USA)
Black Music Action Coalition (USA)
Association of Artist Managers (Australia)
Music Managers Forum Aotearoa (New Zealand)
Music Managers Forum Canada
Featured Artists Coalition (UK)
The Ivors Academy (UK)

EMMA members who have signed also directly:

Music Managers Forum UK
UMAN – Union des Manageuses et Managers de la musique (France)
Music Managers Forum Netherlands
NEMAA – Norwegian Entertainment Managers and Agents Association
IGMAP – Polish Artists Chamber of Commerce.
IMUC – Interessenverband Musikmanager & Consultants (Germany)
Music Managers Forum Sweden
AIM Ireland
MMaF – Music Managers Federation (Flanders, Belgium)
Music Managers Forum Finland
ZEME – Hungarian Managers Forum (Zenei Menedzserek Egyesülete)
Music Estonia Managers
Danske Artist Managers
Music Managers Forum Ukraine
Music Managers Forum Iceland
Music Managers Forum Suisse
FORMA – Foro de Mánagers (Spain)
Fédération des Bookers et Managers Unies (Wallonia, Belgium)