The silent album from more than 1,000 musicians protesting the UK government’s proposed changes to copyright law is released on vinyl, with a bonus track from Paul McCartney. 

More than 1,000 musicians have come together to release Is This What We Want?, an album protesting the UK government’s proposed changes to copyright law.

In late 2024, the UK government proposed changing copyright law to allow artificial intelligence companies to build their products using other people’s copyrighted work - music, artworks, text, and more - without a license.

The musicians on this album came together to protest this. The album consists of recordings of empty studios and performance spaces, representing the impact we expect the government’s proposals would have on musicians’ livelihoods.

The silent album is co-written by more than 1000 musicians, including Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, Billy Ocean, Ed O’Brien, Dan Smith, The Clash, Mystery Jets, Jamiroquai, Imogen Heap, Yusuf / Cat Stevens, Riz Ahmed, Tori Amos, Hans Zimmer, James MacMillan, Max Richter, John Rutter, The Kanneh-Masons, The King’s Singers, The Sixteen, Roderick Williams, Sarah Connolly, Nicky Spence, Ian Bostridge, and many more. The group includes recording artists, composers, conductors, singers, and producers, and features winners of Oscars, GRAMMYs and BRIT awards.