Liverpool City Region Music Board Principles on the Use of Artificial Intelligence

Putting people and creativity at the heart of AI in music

Artificial intelligence is changing the way music is created, distributed and monetised. It brings new opportunities for artists, producers, music businesses and the wider sector, but it also raises important questions around creators’ rights, identity, attribution, consent and income.

Liverpool City Region Music Board has developed a set of principles to support the responsible use of AI across the region’s music ecosystem.

At the heart of the framework is a simple belief:

AI should enhance human creativity – not replace it.

The principles are intended to help artists, music businesses, educators and partners make informed decisions about AI and provide a clear, shared approach that can remain relevant as technology, industry practice and legislation continue to evolve.

The four principles

Consent

Creators should be asked first: Creators should give explicit, informed and opt-in consent before their recordings, compositions or performances are used in AI training, licensing or related activity. Consent should be meaningful rather than assumed. The Music Board does not support the unlicensed scraping, mining or ingestion of musical works for AI purposes.

Control

Creators should remain in control: Creators should retain meaningful control over how their recordings, compositions, performances, voice, image and artistic identity are used, represented or replicated through AI systems. Where AI-generated material makes use of a creator’s name, image, voice, recognisable likeness or other aspects of their artistic identity, this should only happen with their clear understanding and approval.

Attribution and transparency

Human creativity should be recognised: Where AI systems are used in the creation or generation of music, the Music Board supports clear and accurate recognition of human creative contribution wherever practicable. That includes songwriters, performers, producers and other creators whose work has materially informed or been incorporated into AI-assisted outputs. The framework also supports greater transparency, where practicable, around the datasets used to train systems that generate or emulate music.

Compensation

Creators should share fairly in the value generated from their work: Creators should receive fair and transparent compensation where AI-related activity makes use of, derives value from or is materially informed by their work. As AI business models and licensing structures develop, the Music Board supports approaches that ensure creators participate fairly in any resulting economic value. The framework also recognises the potential impact of AI on session musicians, early-career creators and others whose livelihoods depend directly on creative labour.

Why these principles matter

The principles are designed to provide a common starting point for responsible AI use across Liverpool City Region’s music sector. They are not intended to stop innovation or tell people whether they should or should not use AI. Instead, they are there to help people ask the right questions and make informed decisions about how AI is used within creative and professional practice.

The framework is not a regulatory policy or enforcement mechanism. It sets out shared values and expectations that can help guide behaviour, inform partnerships and funding decisions, and support advocacy locally and nationally.

What could adoption look like in practice?

Liverpool City Region Music Board is encouraging anyone operating in the music sector, including artists, music businesses, labels, managers, venues, promoters, educators and other organisations to consider how the principles apply to their own work and work towards adopting them in practice.

That could include:

  • reviewing contracts and agreements for AI-related provisions;
  • being clear about when and how AI is being used;
  • protecting creator credit and attribution;
  • considering consent before using creative work, voice, image or identity;
  • considering how creators are compensated where value is derived from their work;
  • giving staff and artists access to information and training around AI;
  • reviewing policies and working practices as technology develops.

The aim is not simply to say that an organisation supports the principles. It is to encourage practical consideration of how they can be reflected in day-to-day activity and decision-making.

Who developed the principles?

The principles were developed by Liverpool City Region Music Board’s AI and Music Innovation Task & Finish Group. The group is focused on developing a clear, practical and principles-led approach to artificial intelligence within Liverpool City Region’s music ecosystem.

Its immediate priority has been to establish a concise, Liverpool-specific framework around consent, control, compensation and attribution. Rather than developing prescriptive rules or technology-specific guidance, the group has focused on creating a framework that provides clarity for artists, music businesses, educators and partners, supports informed decision-making and responsible experimentation, and can remain useful as technology and legislation evolve.

The group is also working to improve understanding of real-world AI capability and skills needs across the sector, distinguishing between practical operational uses and more speculative applications, and connecting with wider initiatives such as MusicFutures.

Adrian Bell, Artist Manager and Show Producer and a member of the AI and Music Innovation Task and Finish Group, said:

“AI is developing incredibly quickly, and it is already changing the way music is created, distributed and monetised. We knew that trying to create a detailed set of rules for a technology moving at that pace would risk becoming outdated very quickly.

“Instead, we wanted to establish some clear principles that can help the sector navigate that change. There are huge opportunities in AI, but innovation shouldn’t come at the expense of the people whose creativity the music industry is built on. Consent, control, attribution and fair compensation give us a strong foundation for making sure creators remain part of that future.”

Chris Taylor, Record Producer, Sound Engineer and Director of Kempston Street Studios, and a member of the AI and Music Innovation Task and Finish Group, said:

“Working with artists and recordings every day, you see just how personal and valuable a creator’s work is – whether that’s a song, a performance, a recording or the sound and identity they have spent years developing.

“AI creates some genuinely exciting possibilities for music, but creators need to understand when and how their work is being used and have a meaningful say in that. These principles give artists, studios and music businesses a straightforward starting point for having those conversations and thinking about how we use these technologies responsibly.”

Paul Reed, North of England Regional Organiser at the Musicians’ Union, said:

“The MU warmly welcomes the launch of these principles and Liverpool City Region Music Board’s commitment to putting creators at the heart of the conversation. Musicians deserve to know that their work, creativity and identity will not be used without their knowledge or against their interests.

“These principles place consent, control, recognition and fair compensation at the heart of how AI is approached within Liverpool City Region’s music sector, and that is exactly the kind of leadership we would like to see replicated across the country.”

Download the principles and show your support

Use the resources below to understand the principles, consider how they could be applied within your own work or organisation, and publicly show your support.

Music professionals and organisations across Liverpool City Region are encouraged to begin working towards adoption and can download campaign assets to share that they are:

Working towards adopting the Liverpool City Region Music Board Principles on the Use of AI.

Click here to download the LCR Music Board Principles on the Responsible use of AI

Access the toolkit, including guidance for showing you support or adoption of the principles and useful digital assets including pledge cards

 

A framework designed to evolve

Liverpool City Region Music Board recognises that AI technology, business models and the legal landscape will continue to change. The principles will therefore be revisited following significant developments in UK copyright law, industry practice or technological capability, ensuring they continue to respond to the realities facing creators and music businesses.