Protect Human Creativity: Reopen the AI Act and Establish Clear Rules for the Use of Music by Generative AI
Petition to the European Parliament and the European Commission
We, the undersigned creators, performers, songwriters, composers, producers, independent labels, music businesses and citizens of Europe, call on the European Parliament and the European Commission to urgently reopen the legislative discussion surrounding the Artificial Intelligence Act and adopt dedicated legislation governing the use of music and copyrighted works by generative AI systems.
The current legal framework fails to adequately protect creators and rightsholders from the unauthorised use of their works in the development and commercialisation of generative AI technologies.
We therefore call for the adoption of the following measures:
1. Mandatory Transparency
All developers of generative AI systems operating in the European Union must disclose, in a clear and accessible manner, all copyrighted works, recordings and datasets used to train, fine-tune or improve their models.
2. Prior Authorisation and Consent
No copyrighted musical work, recording, performance, voice or other protected content should be used for AI training purposes without the prior authorisation of the relevant rightsholders.
3. Fair Licensing and Remuneration
The use of copyrighted works for AI training must be subject to licensing agreements and fair remuneration mechanisms, ensuring that creators and rightsholders are compensated whenever their works contribute to the development of commercial AI products.
4. Protection of Artistic Identity
European legislation must recognise and protect an artist’s voice, likeness, style and other distinctive artistic attributes from unauthorised commercial exploitation by generative AI systems.
5. Effective Opt-In and Opt-Out Mechanisms
Creators and rightsholders must be provided with simple, standardised and enforceable mechanisms to authorise or prohibit the use of their works for AI training.
6. Mandatory Labelling of AI-Generated Content
All AI-generated musical works and synthetic performances distributed or made available in the European Union must be clearly and visibly labelled as AI-generated.
7. Independent Auditing and Enforcement
Generative AI companies must be subject to independent audits and effective oversight by European regulators to verify compliance with copyright and transparency obligations.
8. Meaningful Penalties for Non-Compliance
Companies that fail to disclose training data, obtain authorisation or comply with licensing obligations must face significant financial penalties and legal consequences proportionate to the scale of the infringement.
9. A Right to Information for Creators
Any creator or rightsholder should have the legal right to request and obtain information on whether and how their works have been used by a generative AI system.
10. Protection of Europe’s Cultural Diversity
European legislation must ensure that artificial intelligence strengthens rather than undermines cultural diversity, human creativity and the sustainability of Europe’s creative industries.
11. Accountability for Streaming Platforms and AI Integration
Streaming platforms such as Spotify must also be held accountable when integrating, promoting or distributing AI-generated music.
We call for clear rules requiring streaming platforms to:
- visibly label AI-generated music;
- disclose when AI-generated content is being recommended, playlisted or monetised;
- prevent AI-generated content from diluting royalty pools at the expense of human creators;
- ensure that AI-generated music trained on copyrighted works without authorisation is not monetised;
- protect local, independent and underrepresented music from being pushed further down by AI-generated volume and algorithmic manipulation;
- provide transparent reporting on the share of AI-generated music uploaded, recommended and monetised on their platforms.
The European music ecosystem cannot be protected only at the level of AI model developers. Distribution platforms, streaming services and recommendation systems must also be regulated when they profit from, amplify or prioritise AI-generated content.
Music is not raw material to be extracted without permission.
It is intellectual property, cultural heritage and the livelihood of millions of European creators and cultural workers.
Without urgent action, Europe risks creating an environment in which technology companies can appropriate human creativity at an unprecedented scale without transparency, consent or compensation.
We therefore urge the European Parliament and the European Commission to introduce a robust and enforceable legal framework that protects creators while enabling responsible innovation.
Protect music. Protect creators. Protect human creativity.