The Beatles legend amplifies a growing movement against a UK proposal that would allow AI firms to use music without permission.
In a powerful and silent protest, Sir Paul McCartney has joined over 1,000 artists by contributing a track to the vinyl release of Is This What We Want?, an album of empty studio recordings fighting a proposed AI copyright law.
The law would create an “opt-out” system, allowing AI companies to train their models on copyrighted music without permission or payment, a move artists decry as “legalised music theft.”
The original digital album, a stark symbol of the silenced creativity that could result from the policy, charted in the UK earlier this year.
This new vinyl edition, available December 8, will see all profits donated to the charity Help Musicians.
McCartney’s involvement amplifies a growing backlash from the creative sector, which has already pressured the government to step back from the proposal as its “preferred option.”
The album’s tracks spell out a clear message: “The British government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies.”
