28.05.2025: As the row over AI and copyright laws between the creative industries and the Government rages on, UK Music Chief Executive Tom Kiehl has called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to stop big tech firms from stealing creators’ work and protect one of the UK’s most valuable drivers of economic growth.

Since the start of 2025, the UK music industry and the wider creative sector has been at loggerheads with the Government over its plans to rip up existing copyright laws and allow big tech firms to train AI systems on the work of creators without payment or permission.

As part of its strategy for growth, the Government has made clear its ambitions to turn the UK into a global hub for AI firms. And in order to allow these big tech firms to train their generative AI systems on the work of creators, it is seemingly willing to sacrifice the foundations of our £125 billion creative sector as part of the deal.

In place of the longstanding copyright protections it plans to scrap, the Government is proposing a solution which would force artists to ‘opt out’ from AI firms being able to train systems on their work – an impractical and ineffective scheme that has been rolled out across the EU with negligible impact.

In an unprecedented show of unity and strength, stars and leaders from across the arts, as well as MPs from across the political divide, have come together to send a loud and clear message that such changes will result in industrial scale theft from creators and music companies.

Speaking to the BBC’s Laura Keunssberg, Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney said: “You get young guys, girls, coming up, and they write a beautiful song, and they don’t own it. They don’t have anything to do with it. And anyone who wants can just rip it off.

“The truth is, the money’s going somewhere. Somebody’s getting paid, so why shouldn’t it be the guy who sat down and wrote Yesterday?

“So, if you’re putting through a bill, make sure you protect the creative thinkers, the creative artists, or you’re not going to have them.”

UK Music Chief Executive Tom Kiehl also told Laura Keunssberg: “It appears the Government is on the brink of offering the UK’s world-leading music industry as a sacrificial lamb in its efforts to cosy up to American-based tech giants.

“As one of the sectors that the Government has named as a key area in its drive for growth, it would be a catastrophic mistake to let AI firms steal the fantastic work of our creative industries without needing to pay the people who created it or ask their permission.

“Sir Keir Starmer holds the dreams of the next generation of singers, songwriters, musicians, music creators and music companies in his hands. He must not sell them down the river and allow all that talent to be crushed by letting soulless AI bots plunder their work.”

UK Music took the argument to Government with a demonstration outside Parliament, with artists, producers, technicians, and business leaders from across music and the arts gathering to reinforce the existential threat facing the sector should it fail to adjust its strategy.

Speaking at the demonstration, award-winning producer Giles Martin said: “I would like the Government to realise that the way they are approaching big tech and artists is simply wrong. The idea that anyone can steal anything unless you stop it from happening is absolutely crazy.

“The Government should be protecting artists right now; they should be protecting individuals and their creations. It’s not a question of greed on behalf of the artists community, it’s a question of making sure big tech doesn’t have control over all creation.

“So the way the Government is approaching this is completely wrong – it doesn’t make sense for us to be in a situation where a young person can write a song or create something and the only way that can’t be stolen is if they ask for it not to be. It should be for the Government to protect them.”

UK Music Chair Lord Watson also commented: “We need protections for music businesses, publishers, creators, songwriters and musicians. If Government wants export-led growth, they need to protect us.”

Meanwhile, Sir Elton John didn’t hold back in his assessment of the situation, describing the Government as “absolute losers” when speaking to Sunday with Laura Keunssberg. The music legend said he felt “incredibly betrayed” by the Government over its proposals to exempt tech firms from copyright rules.

Sir Elton said he was “very angry” about the plans and warned that plans to let AI firms use creators’ content without paying would be “committing theft, thievery on a high scale”. He said the danger was that young artists did not have the resources to fight the big tech firms.

For Tom Kiehl, the music sector and the Government must work together to achieve an outcome that facilities AI-driven growth without compromising the future of our world-beating music industry.

He told the Daily Mail: “We want to be part of the Government’s growth strategy, yet this plan to tear up our existing copyright rules would allow that growth and value to be freely siphoned away to tech giants.

“These proposals would be catastrophic for our world-leading creative industries. The opt-out system being put forward prioritises AI firms over human creativity, enabling big tech firms to effectively steal the work of music creators without their consent and without paying them.

“This would deliver a devastating blow to the entire industry which contributes £7.6 billion to our economy and supports 216,000 jobs in the UK.

“The proposed changes could drastically impact the next generation of emerging UK talent to take on the mantle of stars like Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John who have already warned about the damage these changes could wreak.

“Our creative industries are united against these deeply damaging proposals to let AI bots plunder the work of the UK’s creative talent.”

You can read UK Music’s guide to what the Government’s proposals could mean for the future of the music industry here.