SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland discusses union support of key legislation protecting singers and recording artists.
In continuing the union’s efforts to further protections for its members and industry creatives from the harmful effects of generative artificial intelligence, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland made an appearance at the Vanderbilt University Music Law Summit on April 4. The inaugural event was a symposium on music and generative A.I. with subject-matter experts from the music industry, academia and government organizations.
As a featured speaker on the Voice, Image, Name and Likeness (NO FAKES Act/No A.I. FRAUD Act) panel, Crabtree-Ireland discussed the changes singers and recording artists are experiencing since the advent of A.I. alongside other industry professionals and lawyers: Recording Industry Association of America Chief Legal Officer Ken Doroshow; lawyer and Kaplan, Hecker & Fink LLP partner Joshua Matz; Univ. of Pennsylvania Law School professor Jennifer Rothman; Digital Media Association Executive Vice President and General Counsel Colin Rushing; and Motion Picture Association Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Law & Policy Ben Sheffner. In addition to sharing his thoughts on how regulatory legislation can ensure performers retain control of their likeness and be fairly compensated for the uses of their work, he discussed the union’s backing of key legislation such as the Nurture Originals, Foster Art and Keep Entertainment Safe, or NO FAKES Act and No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas And Unauthorized Duplications Act, or No A.I. FRAUD, Act. He also praised Tennessee's passing of the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security, or ELVIS, Act. The ELVIS Act, which was passed by the state legislature in March, extends protection laws to include songwriters, performers and other music industry professionals.
A Q&A session followed the panel, during which Crabtree-Ireland pointed out the benefits of joining a union, including having collective bargaining agreements that guarantee protections for its members that can help resolve legal conflicts with employers.
The Vanderbilt University Music Law Summit was hosted by the Vanderbilt Law School, which is located in Nashville, Tennessee.