Paul joins music industry protest against AI with silent song release
17.11.2025Is This What We Want?
The silent album from more than 1,000 musicians
Featuring a bonus track from Paul McCartney
Out 8th December 2025
Pre-order here
In February 2025, more than 1,000 musicians came together to release a silent album protesting the UK government’s planned changes to copyright law, which would make it easier to train AI models on copyrighted work without a licence. The album, titled Is This What We Want?, featured recordings of empty studios and performance spaces, representing the impact on artists’ and music professionals’ livelihoods that is expected if the government does not change course.
The digital release in February 2025 reached no. 38 in the UK album charts. Now, it is being released on vinyl, with a bonus track - a recording of an empty studio - from Paul. The vinyl is being released by The state51 Conspiracy.
The album’s track listing spells out a simple message: “The British government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies.”
