Panteia presents research on music discoverability at ECSA conference on authors' rights and AI
Panteia contributed to the recent conference “Authors’ Rights and Music Streaming in the Age of AI”, organised by the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA) at MEDAA – Maison européenne des Auteurs et des Autrices in Brussels.
The event brought together policymakers, authors’ rights experts, music sector representatives, researchers and creators to discuss the implications of generative AI for authors’ rights, transparency and fairness in today’s music streaming ecosystem.
As part of the programme, Martin Clarke, Project Manager at Panteia, presented findings from the study “Discoverability of Diverse European Cultural Content in the Digital Environment”, carried out by a consortium led by Panteia for the European Commission.
GenAI and the discoverability challenge for European music
Martin’s presentation focused on how generative AI is intensifying existing challenges around the online discoverability of European music. In a digital environment increasingly shaped by streaming platforms, playlists, recommender systems and rapidly growing volumes of AI-generated content, the key question is no longer only whether European cultural content is available online, but whether it can actually be found, recommended and heard.
Drawing on the study’s findings, the presentation highlighted how European music is competing for attention in an already crowded digital environment. Algorithmic recommendations, platform curation, metadata quality, user behaviour and the rise of AI-generated content all influence which works become visible to audiences.
The presentation also set out recommendations to improve the discoverability of European cultural content, including through better metadata, greater transparency, provenance information, creator capacity-building, audience literacy, and support for diverse cultural exposure across platforms and Member States.
A timely debate on AI, transparency and fairness
The conference included two panel discussions addressing some of the most urgent questions facing music creators and rightsholders.
The first panel, “Generative AI and Authors’ Rights: Where Do We Stand?”, explored recent EU and national developments in copyright and AI, including questions around transparency, consent and remuneration for creators.
The second panel, “AI, Transparency, and Fairness in Today’s Music Streaming Ecosystem”, focused on the impact of AI-generated music on streaming, algorithmic recommendations and the challenges facing music creators in an increasingly automated and data-driven environment.
Speakers at the event included representatives from the European Commission, the European Parliament, ECSA, IMPALA, GEMA, FIA, Ircam Amplify, academia and the wider music sector.
Continuing the conversation
For Panteia, the event provided an important opportunity to connect the findings of its European Commission study with current policy and sector debates on AI, authors’ rights and the future of music streaming.
As generative AI continues to reshape the cultural and creative sectors, questions of visibility, transparency and fairness will remain central. Ensuring that diverse European music can be discovered by audiences will require cooperation between policymakers, platforms, rightsholders, creators, researchers and cultural organisations.
The full recording of the conference is available here: https://lnkd.in/esk6BQ_U
The study “Discoverability of Diverse European Cultural Content in the Digital Environment” can be read here: https://lnkd.in/eRaQ6p8w
