While the music industry fights against Big Tech and AI, some homegrown Aussie artists are doing great things. Music guru David Kowalski brings you the latest.
Proposed updates to Australian Copyright Law
In the news this week, the Productivity Commission has released an interim report on the changes to the Copyright Law to allow for the use of artificial intelligence (AI), and to allow access to large datasets to train AI models on. The big issue of contention is the issue around access to copyrighted works of text, film and audio to train AI models on.
AI is one of the greatest existential threats of our time, with potential to be the saviour of many additional working hours and, as the government sees it, the solution to our productivity problems. However, creative industries have seen the rapid advancement of AI into graphic design, film creation and music generation as a potential threat to their livelihoods.
The issues surrounding this are extremely complex, and a solution to suit everyone is never likely to be found. That said, the solution could be better than is being proposed, according to the Australian Performing Rights Association (APRA).
In the Productivity Commission’s report, Harnessing Data and Digital Technology, the proposal is to allow Big Tech to mine text and data at no cost in order to train their AI models. This proposal is listed in the report under the Text and Data Mining Exception. The proposal is to introduce a Fair Use clause to the Copyright Act (which exists in other countries, such as the USA, but never here) as a way around this.
This reads to this writer as a step beyond fair use. There is technology already available to generate a new piece of music and have it sound similar, if not identical in style and sound, to existing recordings and this will only continue to get more and more realistic so as to fool most people, and it is currently available for free.
In their statement, APRA have cited studies by the International Confederation of Music Publishers who have concluded that Big Tech have conducted “’the largest IP theft in human history’, with tech companies systematically scraping music by The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran and Bob Dylan without permission or payment.”
The commission has only consulted one creative organisation for the PC report, but have contacted ten Big Tech companies, such as Google, Atlassian and Amazon according to the APRA statement. If that is the case, the government is getting a seriously one-sided view of how this issue should be resolved.
I am all for AI to improve the way we operate in business. However, if realistic imitations of human-created works become accepted as standard over the creative endeavours of humans, we will have traded authenticity for convenience. We would be telling artists that their lived experience, emotion, and craft are less valuable than a machine’s approximation.
I consider that a tragedy.
New Little Quirks
Little Quirks, hailing from the NSW central coast, have been a group for well over a decade now, starting way back before their youngest member, drummer Mia Toole, was 10. Mia’s older sister, Abbey and cousin Jaymi augment the group, while Jaymi’s brother Alex plays bass and a ring-in named Jordan Rouse plays lead guitar. As young ladies, they are navigating their way through life and love, and it’s these relationships, for better but mainly worse, that drive the songwriting.
Their latest track, ‘I Waited Up’, is a tune about entering into a relationship with someone who seems perfect on paper, but something isn’t quite right. The clever video was shot in Queensland while on their recent tour. It was inspired by the recently cancelled talk show host Jimmy Kimmel‘s segment, where famous bands play a song of theirs on kids’ instruments. It’s filmed in a single shot with one camera, with Jaymi staring deadpan down the barrel, looking seriously unimpressed with the protagonist in the song. That said, it once again showcases the ladies’ incredible harmony vocals.
The new EP The Beast is out Friday 19th September on all streaming platforms.
New Rions
Sydney based indie-rock favourites The Rions have had a spectacular start to their career, with their last EP Happiness In a Place It Shouldn’t Be charting at #35 on the ARIA Charts, and doing some big shows in the UK and Europe. They are preparing to drop their debut album on October 3, 2025 entitled Everything Every Single Day and the latest track to drop from the record is ‘Cry‘.
It is drenched in a similar sand-and-surf vibe of their fellow Northern Beaches peers such as Lime Cordiale and Ocean Alley, however this track has a real ache in its bones. Of the new album, the Rions told Amnplify:
“It’s the most open wound we’ve allowed the world to see thus far, and an insight into our lives as humans. All our triumphs, our regrets, our shortcomings, our philosophies, our hopes, and our dreams on a 13-track silver platter.”
I look forward to seeing the album’s success when it hits the streets.
New Kaki King
Guitar virtuoso Kaki King returns with her third release of the year, an EP titled Stop Sometime. Rolling Stone once called her “a genre unto herself,” and it’s easy to see why — her playing style blends rhythm and melody in ways that feel almost otherworldly. She uses both hands on the fretboard and taps the body of the guitar to create rich, percussive music. One standout track, ‘Playing The Vein‘, features a custom device placed under the strings called a Passerelle Bridge. This transforms her guitar into something closer to a traditional Asian instrument, producing sounds reminiscent of the Japanese Koto or Chinese Guzheng.
This is truly fascinating and deeply immersive music, designed to soothe the soul and colour the atmosphere. Stop Sometime is available on all streaming platforms.
Until next time…
LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S SPECIALLY CURATED PLAYLIST BELOW:
David Kowalski is a writer, musician, educator, sound engineer and podcaster. His podcasts ‘The Sound and the Fury Podcast’ and ‘Audio Cumulus’ can be heard exclusively HERE. You can follow David on Twitter/X @sound_fury_pod.
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