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Is This What We Want? is a 12-track protest album released on 25 February 2025 by more than 1,000 musicians. Its recordings of empty studios and performance spaces turn silence into a warning: the artists feared that a proposed UK copyright exception for AI training could let companies use their work without permission or payment unless they opted out.
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What is the 1,000 artists’ silent album?
Is This What We Want? is a coordinated campaign against proposed changes to UK copyright rules—not a conventional collection of silent music. The recordings capture empty studios and performance spaces. Their absence of performers is meant to represent what musicians fear could happen to their livelihoods if AI companies can train on copyrighted work without first obtaining permission or paying creators.
The album’s 12 track titles join to form a single sentence: “The British government must not legalize music theft to benefit AI companies.” The message makes the album’s purpose explicit: its silence is a protest device, while its titles carry the argument.
Why did musicians release an album of silence?
The campaign’s central concern was that AI-generated music could be trained on musicians’ existing work under a system in which creators had to opt out, rather than give permission in advance. Participants argued that this could let technology companies use creative work without compensation and then compete with the people who made it.
Ed Newton-Rex, the campaign’s organizer and a composer and AI developer, told the Associated Press: “The government’s proposal would hand the life’s work of the country’s musicians to AI companies, for free, letting those companies exploit musicians’ work to outcompete them.” He also argued that the UK could lead in AI without undermining its creative industries.
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What UK AI copyright proposal were they protesting?
The protest addressed a proposal under consultation, not a confirmed final legal outcome. As described in reports about the consultation, the proposed approach would have allowed AI companies to train on copyrighted music and other creative works without prior permission or payment unless creators opted out. The cited reporting does not establish what became law afterward, so the proposal should not be described as the UK’s current rule.
The disagreement was about who should have to act, and what protections would mean in practice:
| Question | Proposed opt-out approach | Permission-first / AI-training-right approach sought by opponents |
|---|---|---|
| Permission | Training could proceed unless a rights holder reserved or opted out of their work. | AI developers would need permission before using protected work for training. |
| Payment | The proposal, as described in the cited accounts, did not require prior payment for training unless creators opted out. | Opponents sought a right that would allow creators to control licensed use and seek remuneration. |
| Enforceability and transparency | Creators would need a workable way to reserve rights and determine whether those reservations were respected. | A permission-based right would put control with rights holders, while still requiring clear information about training uses to be enforceable. |
| Access for AI developers | Would give developers broader access unless creators took action to exclude their work. | Would make access depend on permission, potentially limiting unlicensed training while allowing licensed use. |
The Musicians’ Union opposed the exception and called for a new AI-training right. The BPI’s Make It Fair campaign made a parallel case, arguing that opt-out protection would be ineffective. These positions reflect the campaigners’ arguments; the album itself did not settle the policy debate.
Who is on Is This What We Want??
More than 1,000 musicians took part. Named participants include Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Imogen Heap, Riz Ahmed and Hans Zimmer. The campaign’s scale and the track-title message make this a collective intervention in a copyright debate, rather than a project by a single artist.
Did the album reach the charts, and what happened to its proceeds?
The campaign reported that the digital release reached No. 38 on the UK album chart in 2025. That is a chart position, not a sales or streaming total; no independent audience, sales or streaming figure is established here. Album profits were designated for Help Musicians.
Can you buy the silent album on vinyl?
A vinyl edition was announced, with a Paul McCartney bonus track. The campaign listed a £28 pre-order price at the time of its notice. That is a historical price, not confirmation of today’s price or availability; current stock is not established here.
For a prospective buyer, the practical distinction is between the album’s documented announcement and a live offer: check the campaign’s or retailer’s current listing before relying on the old pre-order price or assuming copies remain available.
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