AIR Opposes Copyright Reform Proposals
The Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR), which represents thousands of independent music businesses across Australia, firmly opposes the Government’s copyright reform proposals for AI training.
AIR welcomes new legislation in the field of artificial intelligence that protects and preserves human creativity, but these proposals miss the mark in their current form. They would create a very damaging exception to Australia’s exclusive copyright rights, and they are being considered without adequate consultation with the creative sector or proper assessment.
The proposals would allow large language models (LLMs) to be trained on copyrighted works without authorisation from rights holders and without any guaranteed right to remuneration, leaving creators to bear the burden of opting out. The Government already ruled out a text and data mining exception in 2025, and AIR urges it to stay on that path.
“Copyright is not a barrier to AI development; it is the foundation of innovation, enabling it by balancing rights and protections. Exceptions that would strip Australian creators of their rights are not needed to serve AI development, and they would jeopardize creators’ ability to earn a living,” commented Maria Amato, AIR Chief Executive Officer.
It is essential that any AI framework acknowledges that the use of music and other creative content at any stage of AI development is subject to copyright, and that all necessary permissions must be obtained from rights holders. Any other approach would put at risk the economics of the music and other creative sectors. Licensing is already happening, and responsible AI developers have already reached agreements with music licensing bodies such as Merlin on an “opt-in” basis, as well as with individual record labels and publishers.
“Partnerships between rights holders and AI developers are already happening under existing laws. Introducing new exceptions is not only unnecessary, but risks undermining our efforts to foster ethical AI development and a fully functioning marketplace for music and AI.
Australian independent music businesses play a key role in promoting diversity and creativity. They are true innovators who embrace new technologies and the vast potential of AI for music production, distribution, and promotion. If the rights of creators are not protected, we risk a future where AI eventually displaces human labour across all creative fields,” concluded Amato.
AIR calls on the Government to review the proposals so that they promote AI that truly prioritizes human creativity, safety, and transparency. This is the way forward, not exceptions that allow global technology companies to exploit Australian music.