At Ghent’s WSA Film Music Days, composers and industry figures warned that generative AI threatens jobs, training routes and copyright, while arguing human collaboration remains central to scoring.
01Summary
- 01The WSA Film Music Days ran in Ghent, Belgium, from 8 to 10 October and focused on composers’ concerns, including AI, union rights and entry-level work.
- 02Simon Franglen, speaking about 'Avatar: Fire and Ash', said hundreds of musicians in a room could not be replicated by AI.
- 03ECSA, representing more than 30,000 composers and songwriters across 57 member organisations, received this year’s WSA Industry Award.
- 04ECSA president Helienne Lindvall said AI companies should need permission to train on copyrighted music, pay creators and disclose the catalogues and datasets they use.
- 05Panelists including Martin Phipps, Daniel Pemberton, Adiescar Chase and Paris Hurley argued that human contact, assistant roles and bespoke sound design still matter.
02Why it matters
The debate affects how music is made, paid for and protected as AI tools spread through the industry. It also matters to newcomers, whose first steps into composing work could be reduced if entry-level jobs disappear.
Pulse AIAsk about this story
Answers are generated by AI from the story summary; they are not investment, health or legal advice.
