Creators from across Europe met MEPs and EVP Virkkunen to call for urgent action on AI and streaming
Executive Vice-President Virkkunen joined MEPs and over 30 renowned creators—such as DJ Reinier Zonneveld and singer-songwriters Marika and Pernille Rosendahl—at the European Parliament yesterday evening to discuss issues severely impacting the creative sector.
The event, called Meet the Authors and organised by GESAC (the association of European authors’ societies), was co-hosted by MEPs Laurence Farreng, Marcos Ros Sempere, and Bogdan Zdrojewski. It brought creators together with policymakers to discuss issues impacting their livelihoods and a how to construct mutually beneficial future for innovation and creation in Europe to support cultural and creative industries - one of Europe's most globally-competitive sectors.
Topping the agenda were issues to do with generative AI, exploitative buy-out contracts, and transparency and fairness in the streaming market.
Authors and their collective management organisations (CMOs) call for a meaningful implementation of the AI Act to ensure generative AI companies' transparency and adherence to EU legislation. This would entail AI companies that use copyright protected works obtaining licences from CMOs.
MEPs recalled the several initiatives taken and efforts given by the EP as regards creators' challenges vis-à-vis global major AI and streaming platforms and expressed their expectations of dedicated EU-wide solutions from the European Commission.
MEP Farreng said: "Culture is at the heart of the European project and creators are its very source. The European Parliament expects that the Commission takes the needed steps to properly implement the AI Act and propose the dedicated legislation on buy-outs and music streaming that are critical for creators and have already been asked by several Parliamentary resolutions.” (TBC)
MEP McNamara said: “While it presents many exciting new opportunities, we cannot let generative AI companies escape their responsibilities towards the creators who feed their products. The priority should be the creation of a sustainable and healthy licensing market.” (TBC)
MEP Sempere says: “We recall the European Parliament’s January 2024 resolution, which asked for more fairness, transparency, and cultural diversity in streaming. Proposed reforms included making algorithms transparent and ensuring European works are more discoverable – steps that would fix existing imbalances and give music creators a fair stake in the streaming economy.”
MEP Zdrojewski says: “Buy-out contracts severely undermine the livelihoods of our European creators, tilting the balance of power in favour of global VOD platforms. The European Parliament has condemned these practices and called for legislative action. It's crucial that the European Commission enforces rules for fair remuneration and prevents these exploitative contracts from bypassing EU protections." (TBC)
[CREATOR QUOTE] said:” Buy-out contracts undermine European creators’ livelihoods and perpetuate power imbalances with global video-on-demand platforms. The EU must introduce laws that prevent these coercive practices and ensure that platforms outside the EU cannot bypass Europe’s rules and protections. It’s time for EU policymakers to take action to tackle coercive buy-outs.”
GESAC’s President, David El Sayegh, says: “As AI continues to evolve, it raises questions about its impact on human creativity. The main political perspective should be that creators and their works are protected in this rapidly changing environment. Collective licensing plays a vital role in this mission and offers the best solution facilitating access to broad and diverse repertoires, providing legal certainty, generating appropriate remuneration and preserving cultural diversity.”
Adriana Moscoso del Prado, General Manager of GESAC, says: “We are encouraged by the fact that so many MEPs, and EVP Virkkunen, took part in Meet the Authors, and by hearing their concerns, their vision for Europe, and the support they’ve pledged to achieving our common objectives. The creator community is watching what EU decision-makers do next very closely, knowing that it will be decisive for their professional future. As the link between creators and the users of their work, authors' societies are well-positioned to play a vital role in shaping future European policy on copyright and innovation.”