MBW Reacts is a series of analytical commentary written by Music Business Worldwide in response to recent major entertainment events or news reports. only MBW+ users Get unlimited access to these articles. The following article originally appeared in the latest MBW+ audit emails, Issued exclusively to MBW+ subscribers.
What’s the most worrying thing you’ve ever seen? 2024 US election So far?
I know, I know – we have too many choices. One party leader called his opponent real nazi In this regard “They’re eating the dogs” disaster Recently, an idiot made an offensive “joke” about the target Puerto Rico.
But (he said, tiptoeing carefully through choppy political waters), I would assume music industry Specifically, something more disturbing is happening.
website open secret This is a gold mine of information for those interested in who real Control of American politics – its financial backers.
open secret Allows you to view people and organizations with: Donate the maximum amount Contributions to U.S. political campaigns in the past year, whether through direct donations, PACs (political action committees), federal 527 organizations, or other means.
(Technically, a company cannot legally donate to U.S. political candidates, but its founders can, and so can family members of those founders.)
“One name stands out among the largest donors in the 2024 U.S. election cycle: Andreessen Horowitz”.
You can find a lot of information at open secret This isn’t a big surprise.
For example, it says Space X’s Musk ($76 million) and Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman ($39 million) Already donated more than US$100 million arrive republican party past year. lead Democratic Party Donors Included within the same time frame Michael Bloomberg ($43 million) and founder of LinkedIn Reid Hoffman ($32 million).
However, one name among the top donors of the 2024 election cycle stands out more: Andreessen Horowitz.
The California-based technology investment firm is 10th largest donor Distributed to any party based on contribution size. So far it’s just shy of funding $53 million Activities through 2024.
In doing so, Andreessen Horowitz Hope to live up to the great old American tradition: buy influence
most Anderson Horowitz’s Donations were made to a group called a “super PAC” fershackwhich supports representatives who sympathize with reducing regulation cryptocurrency in the United States.
in turn, fershack It also scares lawmakers that they might no Sympathize with the crypto agenda. Earlier this year, a political action committee reportedly released a relentless attack ad targeting a Democratic representative in Orange County, calling her a ” “Bully” and a “liar”.
She failed miserably in the Senate primary polls, winning only 15% Vote locally.
as Charles Duhigg Recently written in new yorker: “The tech industry has quietly become one of the most powerful lobbying forces in American politics… and it is wielding that power much like corporate special interests did before it: to bully, cajole, and reshape the country as it sees fit.
nature, cryptocurrency Not the only big tech focus Andreessen Horowitz mind.
Also very keen on Eliminate legal penalties Unauthorized use of copyright generative artificial intelligence platform.
This brings us back to music career.
Andreessen Horowitz Best known as supporters of tech giants such as Airbnb, Twitter, Facebook, Stripe, Ripple, Robloxand sub stack.
In the world of music, however, the company’s name became infamous for a different venture.
ah led a US$10 million A funding round earlier this year share, A generative AI music maker that spits out content 10 songs per second.
like rivals sunUdio is sued by major music companies Suspected of mass infringement. Both platforms have oneadmit train their artificial intelligence Copyrighted music But it needs to be proven from a legal perspective that this is “Fair use” Under U.S. law.
from audio Documents filed in New York District Court in August: “According to long-standing doctrine, what share Completed—Using existing recordings as data for mining and analysis [to] enabling people to make their own new creations – is a typical “Fair use” Under copyright law.
“This is deeply disturbing for music industry rights holders (and their investors).”
This argument is copied almost directly from another important AI-related document in this story: Andreessen Horowitz oneself towards U.S. Copyright Office Starting last year, it argued that U.S. generative AI platforms must be able to ingest copyrighted material without legal penalty. Otherwise, AH points out, America will have insecurities at the core of politicians. “beyond” In the development of future science and technology China.
“There is a very real risk, Excessive copyright enforcement when it comes to Artificial Intelligence Training…could cost the United States in the battle for global artificial intelligence dominance. Ah wrote.
It’s a fair assumption Andreessen Horowitz Now looking to use a means to amplify that message in the corridors of U.S. political power $53 million shape loudspeaker.
Other companies making large political donations during this U.S. election cycle include Alphabet/Googlethe company also submitted documents to the U.S. Copyright Office, arguing that the music ingested by the artificial intelligence model was “fair use.” OpenSecrets says Alphabet has made $12.3 million Political donations 2024 to present.
All of this is deeply unsettling for music industry rights holders (and their investors), who are understandably keen to prevent any loosening of legal protections that could halt the music industry’s growth. blatant mass infringement Copyrighted assets.
Lately, my home country, the UK, and the recently elected Labor government have been sending flashing red flags on this topic. Keir Starmer.
In July, Starmer’s government was widely expected to set out a set of basic principles through the King’s Speech. Artificial Intelligence Act This will clearly indicate that music cannot be Large Language Model (LLM) Providing support for artificial intelligence platforms without the express permission of the copyright owner.
Strangely, the bill never appeared.
Then, on October 14th, Starmer Hosted an “investment summit” where he appeared alongside former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Starmer’s message leans very clearly towards Deregulate artificial intelligence platforms.
“Are we, like me, looking at this as an opportunity?” said Starmer Generative artificial intelligence. “Or do we lean out and say “It’s pretty scary and we’d better regulate it,” I think it will be Wrong approach”.
“Obviously, Eric Schmidt and kyle Starmer’s Snuggle arrived a month later Google Published an optimistic-sounding white paper: Unlocking the UK’s artificial intelligence potential.“
Schmidt idea Starmer’s What a great attitude. That’s why the ex-Googler half-jokingly suggested the UK should appoint a “Minister of Deregulation”.
obviously, Schmidt and Starmer’s Snuggle arrived a month later Google Published an optimistic-sounding white paper: Unlocking the UK’s artificial intelligence potential.
In this file, Google call Text and Data Mining (TDM) Exception UK copyright law…aka: Let’s scrape what we want for our product artificial intelligence modelwithout any explicit permission.
two weeks ago, The other shoe has dropped.
this financial times reported that StarmerCurrying favor with big tech companies, and indeed considering making one Copyright exceptions For AI platforms scraping copyright material in the UK – unless copyright holders are proactive “opt out” Use each individually.
this is direct Opposite The music industry’s preferred framework. (Like sony Already preparing for the end of the world, hundreds of tech companies are preemptively notifying: “opt out” Clean its directory for artificial intelligence training.
The most touching sentence Keir Starmer’s Report says plan to ‘opt out’ of artificial intelligence comes from Justin RobertsFounder of Mumsnet, an online forum for mothers that has Open artificial intelligence Suspected of plagiarizing its content.
roberts Says the “opt-out” framework “is similar to Require homeowners to post a notice outside their property Ask the thieves not to rob them, otherwise the contents of their house can be stolen.
Add to roberts: “Some people in the government seem Drinking the Kool-Aid They believe that in order to ensure the rapid development of artificial intelligence, everything needs to be cleared. In fact, what they should pay attention to is The voracious appetite of big tech companies Dominance and the dollar And what was destroyed along the way.
Dominance and dollars. This is a large language model Andreessen Horowitz I can already speak fluently.
Now it’s whispering into the next person’s ear President of the United States.global music business
