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A new investigation by The Atlantic has uncovered millions of Australian and New Zealand musical works stolen by AI companies
Lorde
Joseph Okpako/WireImage/Getty Images
AI is coming for us all — including our music.
A new investigation by The Atlantic has uncovered millions of Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand musical works stolen as part of four “giant datasets of songs that are being shared within the AI-development community.”
The US publication’s AI Watchdog tool allows anyone to look up an artist and see exactly which of their songs have been fed into AI training systems without consent, without a licence, and without payment.
According to APRA AMCOS, some of the biggest names in Australian and New Zealand music are implicated.
From New Zealand, Bic Runga, Marlon Williams, Six60, Dave Dobbyn, Stan Walker, Split Enz, Lorde, Aldous Harding, Kaylee Bell, Ché Fu, and more are included.
“These are early findings from a search that will take days to complete. The full picture will be larger still,” APRA AMCOS states.
“Midnight Oil. Sia. Crowded House. Lorde. Yothu Yindi. This week, AI companies are asking the Australian and New Zealand Governments for a copyright carve-out. This week, we can show you exactly what they have already taken. No permission. No licence. No payment. These are not bargaining chips, they are the life’s work of Australian and New Zealand songwriters,” APRA AMCOS Chief Executive Dean Ormston says.
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Dame Hinewehi Mohi DNZM, Manukura Puoro Māori/Director of Māori Membership APRA AMCOS, adds: “The theft of our music strikes at the very heart of our identity and cultural heritage. Once taken, its integrity cannot truly be restored.
“Through the indiscriminate scraping of AI systems, our music is stripped of its context, distilled, diluted, and disconnected from its origins. This erasure cuts deeply into the essence of who I am, not only as a creator and advocate for local music, but as an Indigenous person whose culture, stories, and identity are woven into every note.”
According to APRA AMCOS’s recent ‘AI and Music Report’, ANZ songwriters and composers face a 23% revenue hit without a mandatory licensing framework. APRA AMCOS further reports that ANZ creators “stand to miss out on more than $500 million over just four years.”
New Zealand currently has no laws governing the use of AI in creative and commercial work, which Copyright Licensing NZ Chief Executive Sam Irvine recently flagged as an urgent matter.
“We don’t have any AI law and we need it now,” he said (as per 1News).
The New Zealand Government did recently announce some changes to copyright law, which will reportedly give iconic Kiwi songs like “I See Red” by Split Enz and “Gutter Black” by Hello Sailor extended copyright protection.
“Last week, we announced a 20-year extension to copyright protection, keeping some of our most iconic works earning for the artists who created them,: Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Cameron Brewer said (as per the NZ Herald).
“Now we’re going further with a set of changes that strengthen creators’ rights and help safeguard our cultural treasures for future generations.”
When asked specifically about AI, Brewer said he had been asked by Cabinet to draw up policy options.
“Cabinet has invited me to report back by 31 March 2027 on a possible copyright framework for generative AI in New Zealand. Issues around AI and copyright are complex, and different countries have taken various approaches,” he said.
In This Article: AI, AI Aotearoa, AI Australia, AI Music, AI New Zealand, AI New Zealand Music, Aldous Harding, APRA AMCOS, APRA AMCOS AI, Bic Runga, Bic Runga AI, Lorde, Lorde AI, Marlon Williams, Marlon Williams AI, Six60, Six60 AI
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