Music Industry Forms Council to Address AI Challenges, Protect Artists’ Rights

The Yomiuri Shimbun

2:00 JST, January 27, 2024

Nine music organizations, including the Recording Industry Association of Japan and the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers, said Thursday that they jointly launched a council concerning artificial intelligence and the music industry. The council said it “will study and propose measures toward the realization of a framework for the harmonious use of AI in the music industry.”

The council has expressed its concern that “opportunities for creators and artists to be active will be limited,” if generative AI become able to mass-produce high-quality works at low cost.

Regarding Article 30-4 of the Copyright Law, which allows the use of copyrighted materials for AI training without the need for permission, the council expresses concern that “right holders cannot reflect their will on the use of their works when they are used for the training of generative AI for commercial purposes.”

The council also claims that it is problematic that no safeguard has been established to protect artists from deepfakes generated by the reproduction of their likenesses and voices.