Independent music publishers play an essential role in investing in songwriters and composers, developing diverse European repertoire and bringing that music to audiences across borders. We therefore particularly welcome the Declaration’s recognition of the cultural and creative sectors as drivers of Europe’s identity, democracy, innovation, economic growth and competitiveness, alongside its support for cultural diversity, fair remuneration, discoverability and the circulation of European works.
The Declaration’s commitment to a human-centric and rights-based approach to artificial intelligence is especially important. Its explicit recognition that intellectual property rights must be protected, that the impact of AI on creators and fair remuneration must be addressed, and that greater transparency is needed between human- and AI-generated content provides an important political foundation.
That foundation must now be converted into concrete and enforceable actions. This should include full transparency regarding the use of copyrighted works by AI systems, prior authorisation and effective licensing, fair remuneration for songwriters, composers and their publishing partners, and clear responsibility across the AI value chain.
IMPF looks forward to working with the European institutions and Member States to ensure that the Declaration and its principles deliver meaningful results for Europe’s independent music publishers, and the songwriters and composers, they represent.
See the full declaration here.