MISSION STATEMENT

The Future of Electronic Music Has a Consent Problem; AFEM Proposes a Fix

The Association for Electronic Music (AFEM) has introduced a comprehensive set of AI Principles aimed at protecting music creators’ rights amid the rapid advancement of generative AI technologies.

These Principles establish enforceable, global standards for responsible AI use in music ensuring transparency, artist consent, licensing, and downstream compensation so that innovation respects the rights and contributions of creators and rights holders.

Electronic music is one of the most globally streamed genres, driving over 1.5 billion monthly plays across platforms and powering a multi-billion-euro ecosystem of festivals, technology firms, and digital-first labels. Its culture shaped by innovation has always embraced technology — from sampling and synthesizers to live streaming and blockchain-based rights management.

According to the 2025 IMS Business Report, the global electronic music industry reached a valuation of $12.9 billion in 2024, marking a 6% increase from the previous year.

Generative AI presents opportunities, but also serious risks if creators are not part of the solution. AFEM’s Principles offer a roadmap not only for the music industry, but also for technology companies and platforms looking to build trust, accountability, and long-term value in AI-powered creative tools.

AFEM sees this as an opportunity to avoid the mistakes of past tech shifts in music, where innovation outpaced rights and left many creators behind. By acting now, the industry can build scalable, trustworthy AI infrastructure that delivers long-term value for both tech and talent.

“Electronic music has always thrived on innovation — blending new and old technologies with pure human talent to forge new musical languages. We’re excited about AI not just as a sound generator, but as a tool to help surface and identify music, so creators and rights holders are both creatively fulfilled and fairly compensated.”
Jay Ahern (AFEM Chief Strategy Officer)

At the heart of the Principles is a clear message: innovation in music must happen in partnership with creators, not at their expense.

Key Points of the AFEM AI Principles

AI Training Requires Licensing & Explicit Consent

AI developers must obtain explicit authorization from rights holders before using copyrighted works for training. TDM and Fair Use exemptions do not apply to generative AI, and creators/(exclusive) right holders retain the right to prohibit unauthorized uses. To secure the legal position of creators/(exclusive) right holders, reserving rights as a precaution with respect to TDM is recommended.

Historical Agreements Do Not Cover AI Training

Existing music industry agreements were never designed for AI use. Labels, publishers, and distributors must not assume prior contracts automatically grant rights for AI training. New agreements must include AI-specific clauses to ensure proper authorization and compensation.

Creators Retain Moral and Usage Rights Over AI Uses

Even when labels or publishers control both recordings and compositions, creators’ moral rights remain intact. Authors and performers must approve or decline AI uses before their rights are licensed for AI training or generative outputs by labels or publishers.

Fair Compensation & Transparent Accreditation

Creators and rights holders must receive fair remuneration for both AI training and AI-generated outputs that incorporate copyrighted works. Accreditation must be maintained wherever possible, ensuring proper recognition across all AI applications, alongside transparency of data used in AI training.

AFEM’s initiative responds to growing industry concern about how AI will reshape creative ownership and revenue. It also coincides with mounting pressure in the UK and other markets, where policy proposals around copyright exemptions have alarmed creators across the arts and entertainment sectors.

The organisation advocates for a balanced approach that fosters innovation while protecting the creative and economic rights of those who make the music. AFEM’s AI Principles reject the exploration in courts of loopholes in existing copyright laws, calling instead for clear interpretation of agreements, protection of moral rights, and transparent crediting of all AI-generated outputs.

“The problem with Gen AI has been that all involved are operating in the absence of a generally agreed framework for what is acceptable and what is not. By formulating a simple set of core principles which define the parameters of acceptable Gen AI operations, we will create the environment in which this new technology can flourish without violating the rights of creators and rightsholders of existing copyrights.”
Kurosh Nasseri (AFEM Co-founder and Co-chair)

This is a business-first response to a structural shift already underway — one that allows artists, managers, labels, publishers, and platforms in electronic music to align around a shared reality: AI is here to stay.