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Kate Bush, Damon Albarn, Annie Lennox and Hans Zimmer are among the artists who have contributed to a new “silent” album to protest the U.K. government’s stance on artificial intelligence (AI).
The record, titled Is This What We Want?, is “co-written” by more than 1,000 musicians and features recordings of empty studios and performance spaces. In an accompanying statement, the use of silence is said to represent “the impact on artists’ and music professionals’ livelihoods that is expected if the government does not change course.”
The record was organized by Ed Newton-Rex, the founder of Fairly Trained, a non-profit that certifies generative AI companies that respect creators’ rights. The tracklisting to the 12-track LP reads: “The British government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies.”
Is This What We Want? is now available on all major streaming platforms.
Also credited as co-writers are performers and songwriters from across the industry, including Billy Ocean, Ed O’Brien, Dan Smith (Bastille), The Clash, Mystery Jets, Jamiroquai, Imogen Heap, Yusuf / Cat Stevens, Riz Ahmed, Tori Amos, James MacMillan and Max Richter. The full list of musicians involved with the record can be viewed at the LP’s official website. All proceeds from the album will be donated to the charity Help Musicians.
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The release comes at the close of the British government’s 10-week consultation on how copyrighted content, including music, can lawfully be used by developers to train generative AI models. Initially, the government proposed a data mining exception to copyright law, meaning that AI developers could use copyrighted songs for AI training in instances where artists have not “opted out” of their work being included.
The government report said the “opt out” approach gives rightsholders a greater ability to control and license the use of their content, but it has proved controversial with creators and copyright holders. In March 2024, the 27-nation European Union passed the Artificial Intelligence Act, which requires transparency and accountability from AI developers about training methods and is viewed as more creator-friendly.
Speaking at the beginning of the consultation, Lisa Nandy, the U.K.’s Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said in a statement: “This government firmly believes that our musicians, writers, artists and other creatives should have the ability to know and control how their content is used by AI firms and be able to seek licensing deals and fair payment. Achieving this, and ensuring legal certainty, will help our creative and AI sectors grow and innovate together in partnership.”
Industry body UK Music said in its most recent report that the music U.K. scene contributed £7.6 billion ($9.6 billion) to the country’s economy, while exports reached £4.6 billion ($5.8 billion).
“The government’s proposal would hand the life’s work of the country’s musicians to AI companies, for free, letting those companies exploit musicians’ work to outcompete them,” said Newton-Rex in a statement on the album release. “It is a plan that would not only be disastrous for musicians, but that is totally unnecessary: the UK can be leaders in AI without throwing our world-leading creative industries under the bus. This album shows that, however the government tries to justify it, musicians themselves are united in their thorough condemnation of this ill-thought-through plan.”
Jo Twist, CEO of the British Phonographic Institution (BPI), added, “The UK’s gold-standard copyright framework is central to the global success of our creative industries. We understand AI’s potential to drive change including greater productivity or improvements to public services, but it is entirely possible to realise this without destroying our status as a creative superpower.”
Speaking to Billboard U.K. in January, alt-pop star Imogen Heap — a co-writer on Is This What We Want? — expanded on her approach to AI. “The thing which makes me nervous is the provenance; there’s all this amazing video, art and poetry being generated by AI as well as music, but you know, creators need to be credited and they need to tell us where they’re training [the data] from.”
Hank Azaria‘s Bruce Springsteen tribute band has gotten The Boss’ stamp of approval.
The Friends actor joined Live With Kelly and Mark on Monday (Feb. 24), where he discussed his Springsteen tribute band, the EZ Street Band, and what inspired its formation. “I’m from Queens. Queens is just like Asbury Park but less water,” he joked of his and Springsteen’s different hometowns, before explaining while imitating the rocker, “I’ve been imitating Bruce since I was a teenager. A lot of my early impressions are based on hero worship, Bruce being at the top.”
When asked if Springsteen knows about the band, Azaria revealed that he does — thanks to his friend, who is an oral surgeon in New York City. “He texted me one day, ‘Text me your favorite video of the band.’ So, I text him ‘Thunder Road’ — he’s a big Springsteen fan,” he recalled. “Later that night, he texted me that Patti Scialfa, Bruce’s wife, was in his chair. I said, ‘Oh, dear, if I had known that, I really wouldn’t have sent the video.’ Then he sent me a text that Patti showed it to Bruce, and they had watched it twice, actually. What he got is that it’s a loving tribute, which is what it is. I was like, ‘Please make sure they know it’s all for charity.’”
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While Springsteen hasn’t made it to a show yet, Azaria said that “is a goal of ours.”
Azaria and the EZ Street Band went on to perform Springsteen’s 1985 hit “Glory Days” on the show, with Azaria looking and sounding exactly like the superstar. Watch the performance here.
The EZ Street Band are touring throughout the spring, with a full list of tour dates and ticket information available on the group’s website here.
Watch Azaria’s full Live With Kelly and Mark interview below.
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Source: Unique Nicole / Getty / Kamala Harris
In her first TV appearance since leaving office, our MVP, Kamala Harris, delivered a moving speech at the NAACP Image Awards that left social media reflecting on the kind of energy we could have had in the White House instead of what we are currently dealing with.
Saturday Night at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California, everyone was on their feet as Kamala Harris accepted the organization’s Chairman’s Award.
“This organization came into being at a moment when our country struggled with greed, bitterness and hatred. And those who forged the NAACP, those who carried its legacy forward, had no illusions about the forces they were up against — no illusions about how stony the road would be,” said to the audience members.
She continued, “We use our power; we organize, mobilize, we educate and we advocate. Because, you see, our power has never come from having an easy path. Our strength flows from our faith — faith in God, faith in each other, and our refusal to surrender to cynicism and destruction. Not because it is easy, but because it is necessary. Not because victory is guaranteed, but because the fight is worth it.”
The applause didn’t stop as Harris continued her speech.
Harris ended her speech by saying, “While we have no illusions about what we are up against in this chapter of our American story, this chapter will be written not simply by whoever occupies the Oval Office — nor by the wealthiest among us. The American story will be written by you, written by us — by we the people. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States.”
Social Media Had Plenty To Say
Social media was in their feelings during the speech, mainly reflecting on what could have been had she won the 2024 Presidential Election and not forgiving those who didn’t vote for Harris.
“I will never forgive any of you who voted against her or sat on the sideline. You get zero grace from me,” one user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
Another X user said, “Ugh I can feel the pain and frustration of many people in this room. Every time VP Harris speaks, there’s hope, yes, but also a reminder that America messed up.”
A missed opportunity. You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
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From now on, the Yankees will celebrate being the kings of the hill only if they’ve earned it. As announced this week, the Major League Baseball team has decided to end its tradition of playing Frank Sinatra‘s “New York, New York” over stadium speakers at the end of each game, win or lose, now opting […]
Kevin Durant wants rap fans to stop arguing and enjoy the music. Over the weekend, the Phoenix Suns star took to X to share his opinion on J. Cole‘s latest song “Clouds” in a since-deleted tweet. “I don’t care about none of that fake tough guy sh–,” he quote-tweeted over a post sharing the song. […]
Chilean icon Myriam Hernández headlines Day 2 of the 2025 Viña del Mar International Song Festival, performing Monday night (Feb. 24) at the Quinta Vergara amphitheater in the coastal city of Viña del Mar in Chile.
The Chilean singer has charted 13 singles on Hot Latin Songs and six times on Latin Pop Albums. In 2024, she was recognized as a Fundamental figure of Chilean music by the Sociedad Chilena de Autores e Intérpretes Musicales.
The singer, known for a roster of love standards that spans over three decades, will perform in her first full-length show at the celebrated festival in over a decade. In 2023, headliner Karol G invited Hernández to sing “El Hombre Que Yo Amo,” a Hernández hit Karol G had long professed to love. Hernández also hosted the festival for five consecutive years, from 2001 to 2006, but hadn’t performed a full set since 2001.
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Hernández is slated to perform at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by Ha*Ash, the duo made up of sisters Hanna Nicole and Ashley Grace, born in Louisiana but raised in Mexico. The duo, known for their dramatic pop fare with a dollop of country, are slated to perform at at approximately 11:15 p.m. ET, closing out the show.
Both performances are part of the six-day lineup of the 64th annual Viña del Mar broadcast, which year after year is Chile’s highest-rated television show. Each night features a headliner, a supporting artist, a comedian and an international song festival in folk and pop categories, where contestants compete every night for a winner in each.
Viña will continue Tuesday (Feb. 25) with Colombian’s Morat headlining and Sebastian Yatra closing; Wednesday (Feb. 26) with Carlos Vives headlining and Carín León closing; Thursday (Feb. 27) with Incubus, Juan Carlos López and The Cult; and Friday (Feb. 28), urban night, with headliner Duki, Eladio Carrión and Kid Voodoo.
All nights will be livestreamed in the United States on Billboard.com and Billboard Español. Performances can be viewed on the player in this story beginning at 7:15 p.m. ET, or throughout billboard.com and billboardespañol.com.
Roberta Flack, the chart-topping, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter whose string of hits bridged sophisticated pop and vintage soul, died Monday (Feb. 24) at age 88. A product of piano-based classical training and the gospel stylings of the AME Church, Flack signed with Atlantic Records in 1968 after years as an educator and club performer around Washington, D.C.
In January 1970, Flack’s debut album, First Take, arrived on Billboard’s charts, including a No. 195 start on the Billboard 200. Among its eight tracks was a cover of a popular folk song, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” which emerged as a mainstream hit after Clint Eastwood borrowed it for his film directorial debut, Play Misty for Me, in late 1971. The track became Flack’s fourth career hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1972, and by mid-April, became the singer’s first No. 1. Six weeks at the summit fueled “Face” to the year-end No. 1 Hot 100 honor, and it won Grammy Awards for record and song of the year in 1973. First Take, too, enjoyed spoils, pushing to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a five-week reign.
The following year repeated many of the same triumphs, with another No. 1 Hot 100 single, “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” and the record of the year Grammy Award. Flack nearly landed both victories for a third consecutive year, as her third and final Hot 100 leader, 1974’s “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” was also nominated for record of the year.
In all, Flack achieved 18 Hot 100 hits in her career, including six duets with her most frequent collaborator, Donny Hathaway, with classics “The Closer I Get to You” (No. 2) and “Where Is The Love” (No. 5) finding the strongest success. Her last appearance came in 1991, with the Maxi Priest collaboration “Set the Night to Music,” which peaked at No. 6.
Her material touched a new generation, too, through the Fugees’ rendition of “Killing Me Softly” from their seminal album, The Score. The hip-hop trio’s version soared to No. 2 on the Radio Songs chart from chart-topping results across multiple formats, including Pop Airplay and R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, and won a Grammy Award for best R&B vocal performance by a duo/group.
To review the legend’s impact across popular music, here’s the official recap of Roberta Flack’s biggest hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
Roberta Flack’s Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits ranking is based on weekly performance on the Hot 100 from its Aug. 4, 1958, start through Feb. 22, 2025. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates during various periods.
“If Ever I See You Again”
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