Latest news with #HelpMusicians
The Independent
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Bryan Adams reveals the surprising origin behind his ‘first real six-string'
Bryan Adams has shared the surprising true story behind the guitar that inspired his iconic hit 'Summer of '69' and why the Covid -19 lockdown ended up being a 'lifesaver' in a revealing podcast episode. Speaking on the season opener of I Never Thought It Would Happen, hosted by Squeeze co-founder Chris Difford, Adams joins a lineup of major artists for the fifth series of the podcast from the music charity 'Help Musicians.' The Canadian singer - who holds the record for the longest-running UK No.1 single with 'Everything I Do (I Do It for You)' - set the record straight on one of his most famous lyrics. While 'Summer of '69' begins with 'I got my first real six-string / bought it at the Five and Dime,' Adams now admits the truth is less Americana and more Berkshire. Adams was just 12 years old when he bought the guitar - a Stratocaster imitation - from a music shop in Reading in 1970. His family moved frequently due to his father's job with the Canadian embassy, and when they left Israel, the guitar was left behind with a neighbour. Years later, Adams received an unexpected email from someone claiming to have found the long-lost instrument. The trail went cold - until, years later, someone approached him in a Berlin nightclub with the same message. The man turned out to be a friend of the original emailer, who had tragically died in a plane crash. The guitar was passed down to him and, honouring his friend's wishes, he returned it to Adams. In the wide-ranging interview, Adams also reflects on his experience during the Covid pandemic. While the sudden stop in touring brought fears that his career might be over, the time at home turned out to be a blessing. 'It was the best time for us as a family,' he said. 'It was great… a lifesaver.' Still, though, he worried about the future of live music: 'I had convinced myself I was not going to work again... we're done.' When touring resumed, Adams recalled playing a show in Portugal where the masked audience left the sound feeling 'muted.' He added that he believes that if a pandemic were to happen again, 'people wouldn't be as compliant.' Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Adams also spoke about writing the music for the West End adaptation of Pretty Woman with long-time collaborator Jim Vallance. Though the project included 20 songs, Adams revealed around 40 were written in total, many rejected in a 'songwriting by committee' process. I Never Thought It Would Happen continues its tradition of intimate conversations with music's biggest names. Previous guests have included Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sting, Robbie Williams, and Olivia Dean. Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp is among those lined up for the new series. Difford, who also serves as an ambassador for 'Help Musicians', said: 'It's so much fun to uncover these untold stories from across music, and we've started with a cracker. Both Bryan and I are ambassadors of Help Musicians, so it was a special start to the fifth season.' Sarah Woods, CEO of Help Musicians, added: 'Being a musician is a truly rewarding career, but it also comes with challenges and barriers that can be difficult to navigate. In 2024 alone, Help Musicians delivered over 17,000 interventions to support musicians across the UK.'
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Damon Albarn, Annie Lennox, Kate Bush Release Silent Album to Protest Proposed U.K. AI Law
Kate Bush, Damon Albarn, Annie Lennox, Cat Stevens, The Clash and Hans Zimmer are among 1,000 artists featured on a new collaborative album surprise released on Tuesday, but you won't hear any of their music. Instead, their new record is merely 47 minutes and 17 seconds of relative silence and white noise, a melancholy display of the sound of music if there's no artists to actually create it. The album, called Is This What We Want?, is a protest record aimed at the UK government, which is considering changes to the law that would grant artificial intelligence companies permission to use copyrighted works unless artists specifically opt out. More from Rolling Stone Jay-Z, Luther Vandross, Emmylou Harris Albums Headed to Grammy Hall of Fame Whoopi Goldberg Slams 'Phony' Weight Loss Ad Using Her Likeness With AI Nicolas Cage Cautions Against Actors Using AI: 'Robots Cannot Reflect the Human Condition' Critics have voiced concern over the opt-out method, with the album's organizers saying it 'reverses the very principles of copyright law.' 'Opt-out models are near impossible to enforce, have yet to be proven effective anywhere else in the world, and place enormous burdens on artists, particularly emerging talent,' organizers said Tuesday. 'In the music of the future, will our voices go unheard?' Bush said. Billy Ocean, Ed O'Brien, Jamiroquai, Imogen Heap and Tori Amos are among other artists who participated in the project. The album is made up of 12 tracks whose individual song titles create the message 'The British Government Must Not Legalise Music Theft uo Benefit AI Companies.' Any profits the album may generate will go to a charity called Help Musicians. Is This What We Want? was organized by Ed Newton-Rex, an early AI music developer who now runs Fairly Trained, a non-profit pushing for AI companies to get licenses to train their models on copyrighted content. '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,' Newton-Rex said in a statement. 'It is a plan that would not only be disastrous for musicians, but that is totally unnecessary: the UK can be leaders in AI without throwing our world-leading creative industries under the bus. This album shows that, however the government tries to justify it, musicians themselves are united in their thorough condemnation of this ill-thought-through plan.' The UK proposal has been expectedly unpopular in the music industry, which has advocated for strict regulations on AI companies to ensure their works could only be used with the express permission of rights holders. The major labels sued two of the most popular AI music generation services — Suno and Udio — last year, claiming the companies infringed thousands of works to train their models without a license. British music icons including Paul McCartney and Elton John have spoken out calling for the government to abandon the proposed changes. 'We're the people, you're the government. You're supposed to protect us. That's your job,' McCartney said in an interview in January 'So if you're putting through a bill, make sure you protect the creative thinkers, the creative artists, or you're not gonna have them.' As John also said in a separate interview: 'This will dilute and threaten young artists' earnings even further. The musician community rejects it wholeheartedly.' Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Fox News
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
British musicians release silent album to protest plans to let AI use their work
A new album called "Is This What We Want?" features a stellar list of more than 1,000 musicians — and the sound of silence. With contributions from British artists including Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Cat Stevens and Damon Albarn, the album was released Tuesday to protest proposed British changes to artificial intelligence laws that artists fear will erode their creative control. The U.K. government is consulting on whether to let tech firms use copyrighted material to help train AI models unless the creators explicitly opt out. Critics of the idea fear that it will make it harder for artists to retain control of their work and will undermine Britain's creative industries. Elton John and Paul McCartney are among those who have spoken out against the plan. The protest album features "almost silence," said composer and AI developer Ed Newton-Rex, who organized the album. The 12 tracks consist of recordings of empty studios and performance spaces, "to symbolize what we expect will happen if the government's proposals go through." "It's a mix of artists that everyone's heard of and, you know, and many musicians who are not household names," he told The Associated Press. "And I think that's really important because this issue is going to affect all of us." The titles of the 12 tracks spell out: "The British government must not legalize music theft to benefit AI companies." Profits will be donated to the musicians' charity Help Musicians. "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," Newton-Rex said. "It is a plan that would not only be disastrous for musicians, but that is totally unnecessary," he said. "The U.K. can be leaders in AI without throwing our world-leading creative industries under the bus." Britain's center-left Labour Party government says it wants to make the U.K. a world leader in AI. In December, it announced a consultation into how copyright law can "enable creators and right holders to exercise control over, and seek remuneration for, the use of their works for AI training" while also ensuring "AI developers have easy access to a broad range of high-quality creative content." The consultation closes on Tuesday. Publishers, artists' organizations and media companies, including The Associated Press, have banded together as the Creative Rights in AI Coalition to oppose weakening copyright protections. Several U.K. newspapers ran wraparounds over their front pages on Tuesday, criticizing the government consultation and saying: "Let's protect the creative industries — it's only fair." The British government said in a statement that it was "consulting on a new approach that protects the interests of both AI developers and right holders and delivers a solution which allows both to thrive." It added that "no decisions have been taken."
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UK creatives protest AI copyright law changes with silent album and campaign
British creatives are speaking out against the government's proposed changes to copyright law. Take Kate Bush, Annie Lennox and Ben Howard, who join over 1,000 musicians in releasing a protest album called Is This What We Want?. Currently, AI developers must follow the same copyright laws as anyone else, meaning they can't use creative material to train models without permission. However, the December 2024 proposal would provide them with a copyright exemption that requires creatives to "opt out" of their materials being used. Tuesday, February 25 is the government's last day seeking views on the change. "The musicians on this album came together to protest this," reads the release statement. "The album consists of recordings of empty studios and performance spaces, representing the impact we expect the government's proposals would have on musicians' livelihoods." See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The album consists of 12 songs with their titles spelling out, "The British government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies." The record's profits go toward UK-based charity Help Musicians. Tuesday also saw the UK News Media Association and publications including The Guardian protest the copyright exemption proposal through the Make It Fair campaign. "The creative works of British artists, authors, journalists, illustrators, photographers, film-makers, scriptwriters, singers and songwriters are being scraped from the internet by tech companies, big and small, to build and maintain AI products that have the potential to reshape our world," the campaign argues. "Without fair reward, our creative industries simply won't survive. The government must stand behind its creative industries. It's time to fairly compensate the creators." On Monday, a range of creatives wrote an open letter to The Times in protest. "There is no moral or economic argument for stealing our copyright. Taking it away will devastate the industry and steal the future of the next generation," it stated. Signatories included Paul McCartney, Elton John, Dua Lipa, Helen Fielding and Ed Sheeran.
CBC
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
British musicians release silent album to protest AI use of their work
A new album called Is This What We Want? features a stellar list of more than 1,000 musicians — and the sound of silence. With contributions from artists including Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Cat Stevens and Damon Albarn, the album was released Tuesday to protest proposed British changes to artificial intelligence laws that artists fear will erode their creative control. Creative industries globally are grappling with the legal and ethical implications of AI models that can produce their own output after being trained on popular works without necessarily paying the creators of the original content. The U.K. government is consulting on whether to let tech firms use copyrighted material to help train AI models unless the creators explicitly opt out. Critics of the idea fear that will make it harder for artists to retain control of their work and will undermine Britain's creative industries. Elton John and Paul McCartney are among those who have spoken out against the plan. In a letter to The Times on Monday, McCartney, John and Andrew Lloyd Webber warned about the proposals, saying the current copyright system "is one of the main reasons why rights holders work in Britain." The protest album features recordings of empty studios and performance spaces, to show what they fear will be the fate of creative venues if the plan goes through. The titles of the 12 tracks spell out "The British Government Must Not Legalize Music Theft to Benefit AI Companies." Artists argue changes reverse copyright law principles Profits will be donated to the musicians' charity Help Musicians. "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," said composer and AI developer Ed Newton-Rex, who organized the album. "It is a plan that would not only be disastrous for musicians, but that is totally unnecessary," Newton-Rex said. "The U.K. can be leaders in AI without throwing our world-leading creative industries under the bus." Britain's Labour Party government says it wants to make the U.K. a world leader in AI. In December, it announced a consultation into how copyright law can "enable creators and right holders to exercise control over, and seek remuneration for, the use of their works for AI training," while also ensuring "AI developers have easy access to a broad range of high-quality creative content." The consultation closes on Tuesday. Publishers, artists' organizations and media companies, including The Associated Press, have banded together as the Creative Rights in AI Coalition to oppose weakening copyright protections.
