A new investigation by The Atlantic has revealed that millions of songs, including a vast number of Australian and New Zealand musical works, have been incorporated into four massive datasets circulating within the artificial intelligence development community.
The publication’s AI Watchdog tool enables artists and rights holders to search for their works and identify tracks that have been used to train AI systems without consent, licensing agreements, or financial compensation.
The findings emerge as AI companies intensify lobbying efforts in Australia and New Zealand, urging governments to revisit copyright laws amid discussions surrounding major data centre investments and claims of potential productivity benefits.
Initial searches of the datasets have already uncovered works from some of the most prominent names in Australian and New Zealand music. The scope of material linked to APRA AMCOS’s 128,000 songwriter, composer and publisher members has raised significant concerns within the organisation.
Artists, songwriters and composers identified in the datasets span a wide range of genres and disciplines, including popular music, classical works, screen composition, contemporary music and traditional cultural creations. Names found include Kylie Minogue, Midnight Oil, Cold Chisel, INXS, AC/DC, Sia, Crowded House, Flume, Bic Runga, Slim Dusty, Don McGlashan, Troy Cassar-Daley, Tina Arena, Marlon Williams, Nigel Westlake, Troy Kingi, Peter Sculthorpe, Alien Weaponry, Jenny Morris, Trinity Roots, Tim Minchin, Six60, Hilltop Hoods, Dave Dobbyn, Stan Walker, Split Enz, Lorde, Gotye, Men at Work, Aldous Harding, Australian Chamber Orchestra, The Clean, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Tkay Maidza, Che Fu, Kaylee Bell, Benee, Beastwars, King Stingray, Horomona Horo, Mike Nock, Jed Kurzel, Burkhard Dallwitz and Joseph Tawadros.
APRA AMCOS said these results represent only the early stages of its investigation, with further analysis expected to reveal an even broader use of copyrighted material.
Dean Ormston, Chief Executive APRA AMCOS, said:
“Midnight Oil. Sia. Crowded House. Lorde. Yothu Yindi. This week, AI companies are asking the Australian and New Zealand Governments for a copyright carve-out. This week, we can show you exactly what they have already taken. No permission. No licence. No payment. These are not bargaining chips, they are the life’s work of Australian and New Zealand songwriters.”
Australia last October rejected proposals for a copyright exception that would have benefited AI platforms, a decision that APRA AMCOS noted has since influenced policy discussions in other jurisdictions.
Ormston criticised major technology companies for failing to engage directly with creators and rights holders.
“Major tech platforms have not come to the table. Not once. Instead they have lobbied governments, circulated policy papers, and proposed solutions designed to extinguish any obligation to pay. The only path forward is a genuine licensing conversation with the people whose work they have been using. We are ready. We have always been ready. The question is whether they are.”
The organisation also pointed to the economic consequences highlighted in its AI and Music Report. According to the study, Australian and New Zealand songwriters and composers could face a 23 per cent decline in revenue without a mandatory licensing framework. The report estimates creators across both countries could lose more than $500 million over a four-year period.
The datasets are also reported to contain works by numerous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, including Yothu Yindi, Gurrumul, Warumpi Band, William Barton, Christine Anu, Dan Sultan, Emma Donovan, Barkaa, AB Original and David Gulpilil. Māori artists identified include Stan Walker, Six60, Maisey Rika, Marlon Williams and Horomona Horo.
Dame Hinewehi Mohi DNZM, Manukura Puoro Māori and Director of Māori Membership at APRA AMCOS, expressed concern about the impact on Indigenous cultural heritage.
“The theft of our music strikes at the very heart of our identity and cultural heritage. Once taken, its integrity cannot truly be restored. Through the indiscriminate scraping of AI systems, our music is stripped of its context, distilled, diluted, and disconnected from its origins. This erasure cuts deeply into the essence of who I am, not only as a creator and advocate for local music, but as an Indigenous person whose culture, stories, and identity are woven into every note.”
Leah Flanagan, APRA AMCOS Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Programs and Strategy, said the findings highlighted the need for protections tailored specifically to Indigenous cultural and intellectual property.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists have not given permission for their work to be used to train these AI datasets. Many of these recordings carry cultural knowledge, language and connection to Country. Their use without consent is not acceptable, these are not just recordings, they are cultural expressions governed by protocols as well as copyright.
“In some cases, this is material that has never been available for commercial use by anyone, on any terms. Any response to AI and copyright must address Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property specifically and must be developed with First Nations communities at the centre.”
The issue was also raised internationally during the CISAC General Assembly in Paris this month, where APRA AMCOS joined organisations representing more than five million creators in endorsing the Paris Commitment: Creation is a human right. We commit to protect it for every generation.
Globally, legal disputes over AI training practices continue to grow. More than 100 copyright infringement cases have been filed in the United States alone, while licensing arrangements between AI developers and rights holders are currently being negotiated across the music, news and broader creative industries.
Ormston reiterated that AI companies must extend licensing arrangements to all rights holders in every market where they operate.
“The Australian Government made the right call last October. The pressure being applied right now by tech platforms alongside the Tech Council of Australia and Business Council of Australia is designed to reverse it. Our message is the same as it has always been: we are ready to license. We know how to do it. We have been doing it for over 100 years. But it has to be a real licensing framework, not a carve-out dressed up as a compromise,” said Dean Ormston.
