Deacon Blue have urged fellow artists to "wake up" as artificial intelligence continues to threaten the creative industry.
These comments were made by two original band members of Deacon Blue, Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, who praised the artists who got behind the release of the silent album, 'Is This What We Want?'. The album, which featured more that 1,000 artists including Kate Bush and Annie Lennox, was released as a protest against these planned changes to copyright laws.
Now, Deacon Blue have had their say on the matter, as the British Government seeks to allow AI firms the freedom to use copyright protected material without permission. They have urged musicians to "take charge of their career", and for the music industry to protect these songwriters in the ongoing war with AI.
In a recent interview, frontman Ricky Ross praised the artists for "taking up the fight" in the ongoing battle with AI copyright laws.
"The silent album that came out, I think that was a really good thing", he said. "Musicians have got to wake up and fight back".
"When I started in songwriting and publishing, it was common then for publishers to have 50 per cent of royalties. We all fought back against these things. Things don't happen by osmosis, you know", Ross added.
"So it's important for musicians to take charge of their career and for the music industry to look and see what the future is, and make sure that you're protecting songwriters", he added. "So, yes, it’s really important stuff, and I’m grateful for people who are taking up the fight".
Elsewhere, Ricky Ross explained that the uncertainty surrounding AI means it is a "scary time" for bands making music in the future.
"It’s a scary time across all these things, and it’s such a new world that no one really quite knows", he said. "I mean, there are some great things about AI, don’t get me wrong. I’m very excited about what’s going to happen in terms of medical stuff and so on".
"But, I think we’ve got to wake up and be quite strong".
Fellow band member Lorraine McIntosh, insisted that AI needs to be regulated, and that it cannot simply be just "unleashed".
"It has to be regulated, doesn't it? It can’t just be unleashed, which it seems to be being", she said.
A UK Government spokesperson has said that any planned changes to this legislation would “protect the interests of both AI developers and right holders [to] deliver a solution which allows both to thrive", something which Lorraine and Ricky would have doubted.
This year sees Deacon Blue celebrate 40 years since their formation, and the band will release their latest album, 'The Great Western Road' tomorrow (March 21).
They are also set to perform a string of shows in the UK to support this album, as well as a show in Ireland at Dublin's 3Arena next October. Find out more here.
