Artiesten en liedjesschrijvers mogen niet onder druk worden gezet om akkoord te gaan met AI-deals zonder hun uitdrukkelijke en geïnformeerde toestemming

MMF NL heeft in samenwerking met EMMA en diverse andere (managers)belangenverenigingen een brief en campagne opgezet waarin we reageren op de AI addenda en ons positioneren in het AI debat.

Over de hele wereld sluit de muziekindustrie AI-overeenkomsten die de toekomst van muziek kunnen vormgeven. Toch worden de artiesten en songwriters van wie het werk, de stemmen, uitvoeringen, beeltenissen en creatieve identiteiten deze deals waardevol maken, niet op betekenisvolle wijze betrokken bij deze gesprekken.

Artiesten met bestaande platen- en publishingovereenkomsten ontvangen brieven van grote labels en uitgevers waarin staat dat zij zullen worden meegenomen in AI-gerelateerde toepassingen, bijvoorbeeld trainingsdoeleinden. Soms zonder dat zij daarin daadwerkelijk een keuze krijgen. Tegelijkertijd krijgen artiesten die nieuwe overeenkomsten aangaan AI-clausules voorgelegd als een standaardvoorwaarde voor het tekenen van een contract.

Het resultaat is een ernstige disbalans: artiesten wordt gevraagd toestemming te geven zonder voldoende informatie, duidelijke voorwaarden of gegarandeerde vergoeding. Daarom willen we drie kernprincipes bespreken:

- Toestemming & Controle

- Transparantie

- Eerlijke compensatie

Op 24 juni organiseren we samen met Michiel Steenhuis een webinar over dit onderwerp!

Hieronder lees je het orginele bericht van EMMA.

Artists And Songwriters Must Not Be Pressured Into AI Deals Without Meaningful Consent

Monday, 22 June 2026

Across the global music industry, record companies and publishers are negotiating AI deals

that could shape the future of music. Yet the artists and songwriters whose works, voices,

performances, likenesses and creative identities make those deals valuable are not being

meaningfully consulted.

Artists and songwriters remain the primary holders of many of the rights at stake, including

moral, neighbouring, image and personality rights. These rights are not label or publishers

assets to be licensed without clear authority, consent and accountability. This means that

artists and songwriters should be (where applicable, through their managers) the primary

parties approached by AI companies to discuss such rights.

We are increasingly concerned that artists and songwriters in existing recording and

publishing agreements are receiving letters from major labels and publishers

informing them that they will be opted in to AI-related uses by default, with little actual

choice offered. At the same time, artists and songwriters signing new agreements are being

presented with AI rights clauses as a standard condition of signing.

The result is a serious imbalance: artists and songwriters are being asked to give

permission without sufficient information, clear terms or guaranteed remuneration.

We support innovation and recognise that AI can create new opportunities for music.

However artists are not simply catalogue assets, and innovation cannot be used to override

artists’ rights.

We therefore call on record companies, publishers, policy makers, AI companies, digital

platforms and all industry partners to respect and consider three core principles:

Consent & Control

Artists and songwriters must actively and specifically consent before their works, voice,

performance, likeness or creative identity is used in connection with AI. There must be

clarity around what they are being asked to approve, and they must have control over

how it will be used. It cannot be buried in broad catch-all contract language or include

rights in perpetuity. Consent cannot be imposed through default opt-ins and it should not

be a condition of signing a new deal. Artists and songwriters must be able to say no

without fear of penalisation.

Fair Compensation

Where artists and songwriters choose to participate in AI-related uses, they must

receive fair and meaningful remuneration. They must share in the value created by their

works, and it cannot be considered a general label asset. Artists and songwriters must

be consulted and it must be clear which percentage of revenue goes to the creator, to

the label and to the AI company.

Clarity & Transparency

Requests must be purpose-specific. Artists, songwriters and managers must be given

clear, timely and understandable information about any AI-related deal or proposal

affecting their rights in order to make informed decisions. The information must

encompass which rights it includes, what uses are permitted, the safeguards in place,

duration of permission and how consent can be withdrawn.

We call on all companies entering into AI music deals to make a clear and public

commitment:

- No default opt-ins.

- No forced AI clauses.

- No use of artists’ work, voice, performance, likeness or creative identity

without meaningful consent, fair remuneration and full transparency.

At a time when policymakers are reviewing copyright rules in response to AI, the protection

of artists’ and songwriters’ rights, voices and remuneration is not negotiable. The structures

being created now will shape the music ecosystem for years to come. The future of music

must be built with artists, songwriters and their representatives, not imposed on them.