Sir Paul McCartney has become the latest artist to contribute to a silent album protesting the UK government’s recent changes to copyright law that allow AI companies to train their models using copyrighted work without a license.
McCartney is contributing a bonus track to the physical release of Is This What We Want?, which was originally released digitally in February. Spanning 12 tracks, the initial album was credited to more than 1,000 artists, including Damon Albarn, Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Ed O’Brien of Radiohead, The Clash, Tori Amos, Hans Zimmer, Pet Shop Boys, Jamiroquai, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens.
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The tracklist spells out a message that reads, “The British government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies.” Pre-orders for the physical edition of Is This What We Want? are ongoing ahead of its release on December 8th via The state51 Conspiracy. All proceeds will be donated to the UK charity Help Musicians.
Featuring recordings of empty studios and performance spaces, the album was specifically released in response to the Data (Use and Access) Bill, which includes an opt-out approach to artists allowing their work to be used to train AI models.
“The government must commit to not handing the life’s work of the country’s musicians to AI companies for free,” said Ed Newton-Rex, the British composer and former AI executive behind the album. “Doing so would be hugely damaging to our world-leading creative industries, and is totally unnecessary, only benefiting overseas tech giants. It should listen to Paul McCartney and the 1,000 other musicians who took part in this album, and resist calls to legalize music theft from the big tech lobby.”
McCartney was also among more than 400 British musicians who signed an open letter in May, calling on UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to back an amendment to the bill that would have given rightholders transparency into when AI companies used their work without permission. However, this amendment was rejected, and the bill is expected to become law by mid-2026.
Notably, McCartney has used AI technology in the past. However, that instance was to remove a loud hum from John Lennon’s original demo recording to complete The Beatles’ final song, “Now and Then.”
McCartney currently has a handful of remaining dates on his first North American tour in three years. See the schedule below, and get your tickets here.
