(Geneva) With his bandmates ABBA, they have sold hundreds of millions of records around the world. Today Björn Ulvaeus has joined forces with the UN to raise awareness among creators about copyright in the digital age and artificial intelligence.
Free, and available in six languages by the beginning of 2024, the CLIP platform (for Creators Learn Intellectual Property, in English) launched Friday in Geneva aims to raise artists’ awareness of the issue of copyright to help them better defend themselves and obtain fair compensation for their work.
The arts industry has a “great need” for CLIP as artificial intelligence threatens to flood the market with AI-generated songs based on artists’ pre-existing work, said Björn Ulvaeus.
“We must separate what comes from humans and what comes from AI because otherwise the music industry will be destroyed,” he also said during a press conference in Geneva at headquarters of WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization), a specialized agency of the UN.
He took the example of an ABBA-style ballad sung by the voice of Frank Sinatra created with AI.
“In the end, it will be impossible to trace” the influences behind a piece, he added.
“There must be a solution to remunerate those whose catalogs” are used by AI, he continued.
Across the world, creators are producing music, art and other content at unprecedented levels and digital distribution is booming.
But very often, they do not know how to obtain recognition for their work, particularly when it is consumed online, indicates WIPO in a press release.
The new platform, launched by WIPO and the legendary ABBA star, also president of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), aims to improve this situation.
“I know firsthand how important it is for creators to know and manage their intellectual property rights. Nowadays, this aspect is fundamental to a successful career in the music industry,” the Swedish artist said in the press release.
By helping creators “understand the workings of the creative industries, we enable them to best promote their creations,” added the 78-year-old co-founder of the Music Rights Awareness Foundation.
“The music industry is more and more complex today,” underlined Björn Ulvaeus interviewed by AFP.
The development of streaming has certainly curbed piracy, but if musicians do not register their songs to assert their copyright, the services of streaming don’t know who to pay, insisted the singer.
The first version of the CLIP platform will focus on the music industry and will allow users to discover the different players involved in the marketing of a song and to familiarize themselves with the rights of music creators.
“Creators draw on their talent and artistic vision to bring us music, art, songs and dance,” WIPO Director General Daren Tang said in the press release.
“It is essential to support them to preserve the wealth of every society and every country. We must do everything in our power to ensure that they receive due recognition and fair compensation, so that they can flourish in their work and their contribution to society,” he said. observed.
Waterloo, Dancing Queen, Mama Mia, Money Money Money… A pop hit machine that has sold tens of millions of records, the Swedish cult group ABBA reformed in September 2021 for the release of an album and a digital hologram show.