Paul McCartney Releases Silent Track to Protest AI Music Exploitation Laws

Nov 20, 2025
Rolling Stone
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Summary

Paul McCartney releases a 2 minute and 45 second silent track called 'Bonus Track' for a protest album of complete silence, challenging proposed U.K. copyright laws that would allow AI companies to exploit recorded music without compensating creators.

Key Points

  • Paul McCartney contributes a 2 minute and 45 second silent track called 'Bonus Track' to the updated vinyl release of the protest album 'Is This What We Want?' releasing December 8
  • The album consists entirely of silence and background noise to protest proposed U.K. copyright law changes that would allow AI companies to exploit recorded music without proper compensation to creators
  • McCartney expresses concern that AI infiltration prevents young musicians from owning their work, stating tech giants profit from streaming platforms instead of the original songwriters

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