The American Federation of Musicians (AFM)— the largest musicians union in the U.S. that covers more than 80,000 professional artists — is asking the nation’s major labels to give them contract safeguards as AI technology continues to develop.
On Tuesday, the AFM launched “Human Made, Human Paid,” an advocacy campaign to raise awareness to the AFM’s demands. In November, the group will restart negotiations on the Sound Recording Labor Agreement (SRLA), a written union contract that sets things like royalty rates and healthcare agreements. They are asking Universal Music Group, Sony, Warner, and Hollywood Records (Disney) for new rules giving musicians the right to approve or refuse to let their music be used to train AI models, transparent credit, and payment for both AI use and label licensing deals.
“The record labels cannot pocket profits built on the backs of human artistry while cutting working musicians out of the equation. Human Made, Human Paid is about consent, credit, and compensation,” AFM International President Tino Gagliardi tells Rolling Stone in a statement. “The AFM will not stand by and allow tech deals to bypass the very artists who made those music catalogs valuable in the first place.”
In a March report, industry experts told Rolling Stone that “the train has left the station” in regards to AI use in music production and that tech developments represent a “profound shift” in the way artists will make music going forward. AI’s shake-up of the music production landscape is a controversial one. But because there’s no set rules, boundaries, or compensation schemes around AI, artists say record labels are making millions licensing their catalogs and artists aren’t being cut in on the deal — even though it’s their work making the money.
Will Wells, an AFM member, composer, and producer who’s worked with Anthony Ramos, Cynthia Erivo, and the hit Netflix series Emily in Paris, tells Rolling Stone that the music industry thrives on its respect of intellectual property. “If I’ve witnessed anything in my group of colleagues, be it fellow union members or the broader music community, the idea that theft of intellectual property would be tolerated is chilling,” Wells says. “That idea that we don’t have a say in how our music is exploited is chilling. I think that’s what gives so many people unrest.”
Wells adds that the SRLA demands are not about the “villainization” of AI or tech advancements in music production but a focus on the viability of music as a career path.
“We are pro-human creators and pro compensation for our labor. That’s what it comes down to. We don’t want to stop the advancement of technology,” he says. “We just want to make sure that people can have a viable career and there’s a viable pathway forward for music makers to sustain a living. That’s what we’re fighting for. We need more music in the world, not less.”