The world’s largest record label is making a deal with an AI company—an abusive business that is clearly violating artist copyrights. But there’s no transparency here, and it’s unclear if any money will go to the musicians whose songs are stolen.

This is bad news, but it’s what I’ve been fearing from the start. The big music companies will pursue their own (short-term) interests, even if musicians suffer.

In a better world, the music industry would shut down AI plagiarism entirely. They have the legal precedent to do so. But instead they prefer to cut deals in order to make a few dollars from illegal activity.

This is a sad moment in the history of the music, maybe event the saddest of them all.