A Little Knowledge… #30

Welcome to Edition 30 of our A Little Knowledge – don’t forget it’s easy and FREE to sign up to the full edition!

📬 BULLETIN NEWS: AI and copyright in the US and UK this week   There were two key developments this week around creative AI and copyright. Firstly, the US Copyright Office requested comments for its latest study of copyright law and policy issues raised by AI systems:

• The study will zero in on three topics in particular: "those involved in the use of copyrighted works to train AI models, the appropriate levels of transparency and disclosure with respect to the use of copyrighted works, and the legal status of AI-generated outputs".
• All three are matters which the music industry has already been considering, and indeed, setting out its opinions: there are the principles announced by the Human Artistry Campaign, for example, as well as UK Music's position paper on artificial intelligence. July brought two separate open letters to policymakers from organisations in Europe, meanwhile: here and here.
• What will be interesting will be the opportunity to compare that to what companies in the AI sector think - until now, they haven't really set out their views as publicly and fully as the rightsholders have.
• Read the full story here

Secondly, debate is heating up again in the UK over whether AI developers should be given an 'exemption' to enable them to train their models on copyrighted content without licensing deals:

• The prospect reared its head last year but was then shelved by the British government early in 2023, cheered on by the music industry which had been dead against any such exemption.
• Now the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee - the same group of politicians that held inquiries into music-streaming economics and misogyny in the music - has published a report focusing on AI's implications for the creative industries.
• It comes out against a training exemption, but highlights issues for smaller AI startups who want to properly license this material.
• There have been numerous attempts to launch music-licensing 'sandboxes' for startups down the years, and few have had a lasting impact. Sometimes publishing rights have been the snag; other times a key evangelist for the project has moved on and momentum has ebbed away.
• Read the full story here

👉 Music Ally archive: Artificial Intelligence

🌍 COUNTRY PROFILE: Nigeria’s vast pool of musical talent is well known - but what about its music industry? 

Country Profiles are one of our most popular and data- and insight-rich resources. Our reports are based on speaking to the people on the ground, and are packed with info you need to know.

The global music industry is excited about Nigeria, a big, music mad country with Africa’s largest economy, a vast diaspora and lots of musical talent. Figures vary wildly about how much recorded music revenue Nigeria actually brings in - but sources agree that streaming is driving consumption. There is no doubt that there is huge potential for the future, but there are one or two potential clouds on the horizon, too.   

👉 Music Ally subscribers can read the Nigeria country profile here – and the Nigeria page, which collects all Nigeria-focused news in one place, is accessible to everyone. 

 💼 Music Ally Jobs

The latest and best jobs for the global music business, trusted by both top music industry companies and experienced professionals on top of their game.

Are you looking for a job? Click here to see the full list of vacancies!

🤔 A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA...

And finally… our daily Bulletin newsletter is loved by subscribers for its instant industry analysis - but secretly, the part they like most is the ‘A Little Something Extra’ section at the bottom of the email. Here's a few of the best recent links:

•  A new way to discover music: only songs that have the current time in their title.
• Wait, what, Steel Panther are competing on America's Got Talent?
• We have a new favourite winter jacket.

This is only a glimpse into this week's The Knowledge newsletter – subscribe for FREE and every Friday it’ll arrive in your inbox with:

🎓 Exclusive access to selected courses in our LEARNING HUB 🛠️ The best new platforms in TOOLS, 🌍Highlights from our latest COUNTRY PROFILE REPORTS 😵 💫 Some great and/or strange music in SOMETHING 4 THE WEEKEND, 🕰 A look back in TIME MACHINE, 🎧 The Music Ally Focus PODCAST, and 🤔 more links to our favourite unusual stuff in A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA.