APRA AMCOS says works by artists including Kylie Minogue, Midnight Oil, Crowded House and Lorde have been identified in leaked AI training datasets, reigniting debate over copyright protections and licensing for artificial intelligence platforms.
by Paul Cashmere
APRA AMCOS has accused artificial intelligence companies of using Australian and New Zealand music without permission after a new investigation revealed that thousands of songs by local artists appear in datasets used to train AI systems. The findings, published through a new tool developed by The Atlantic, have intensified concerns over copyright, creator compensation and the use of culturally significant works in the rapidly expanding AI sector.
The disclosure comes as technology companies continue lobbying governments in Australia and New Zealand to reconsider copyright settings around AI development. According to APRA AMCOS, the newly uncovered datasets contain works by some of the most significant songwriters and recording artists from both countries, raising questions about how copyrighted material has been acquired and used by AI developers.
Among the artists identified are Kylie Minogue, Midnight Oil, Cold Chisel, INXS, AC/DC, Sia, Crowded House, Flume, Lorde, Tina Arena, Bic Runga, Split Enz, Stan Walker, Slim Dusty, Hilltop Hoods, Troy Cassar-Daley, Marlon Williams, Dave Dobbyn, Gotye, Men At Work and many others. The organisation says the datasets also include classical works, screen compositions and culturally significant Indigenous and Māori music.
The discovery stems from an investigation by The Atlantic, which examined four large music datasets circulating within the AI development community. Through its AI Watchdog tool, users can search artist names and identify tracks that appear to have been included in AI training material.
APRA AMCOS Chief Executive Dean Ormston said the findings provide tangible evidence of concerns that creators have been raising for several years.
“Midnight Oil. Sia. Crowded House. Lorde. Yothu Yindi. This week, AI companies are asking the Australian and New Zealand Governments for a copyright carve-out. This week, we can show you exactly what they have already taken. No permission. No licence. No payment. These are not bargaining chips, they are the life’s work of Australian and New Zealand songwriters,” Ormston said.
The organisation argues that the issue extends beyond commercial concerns and into the broader future of creative industries. APRA AMCOS’s recent AI and Music Report estimated that, without a mandatory licensing framework, songwriters and composers in Australia and New Zealand could lose 23 per cent of their income from music rights. The report projected more than $500 million in lost revenue across a four-year period.
The debate arrives at a significant moment in copyright policy. Australia rejected a proposed copyright exception for AI platforms in late 2025, a decision welcomed by many creator organisations. APRA AMCOS says AI companies have instead continued to pursue policy changes through lobbying efforts while failing to negotiate comprehensive licensing arrangements with rights holders.
“Major tech platforms have not come to the table. Not once,” Ormston said. “Instead they have lobbied governments, circulated policy papers, and proposed solutions designed to extinguish any obligation to pay. The only path forward is a genuine licensing conversation with the people whose work they have been using.”
Particular concern has been expressed over the inclusion of Indigenous Australian and Māori works. APRA AMCOS identified artists such as Yothu Yindi, Gurrumul, Warumpi Band, William Barton, Christine Anu, Dan Sultan, Emma Donovan, Barkaa, AB Original and David Gulpilil among those whose work appears in the datasets. Māori artists including Stan Walker, Six60, Maisey Rika, Marlon Williams and Horomona Horo were also identified.
Dame Hinewehi Mohi DNZM, Director of Māori Membership at APRA AMCOS, said the issue involves more than copyright ownership.
“The theft of our music strikes at the very heart of our identity and cultural heritage,” she said. “Through the indiscriminate scraping of AI systems, our music is stripped of its context, distilled, diluted, and disconnected from its origins.”
Leah Flanagan, APRA AMCOS Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Programs and Strategy, said Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property must form part of any future regulatory response.
“Many of these recordings carry cultural knowledge, language and connection to Country,” Flanagan said. “Their use without consent is not acceptable.”
The controversy is playing out globally. Hundreds of copyright infringement cases have been launched against AI companies, with more than 100 currently active in the United States alone. At the same time, rights holders across music, publishing and news media are negotiating licensing agreements that would allow AI companies to legally access copyrighted content while ensuring creators are compensated.
Earlier this month, APRA AMCOS joined creator organisations representing more than five million creators worldwide at the CISAC General Assembly in Paris, where members signed the Paris Commitment, a declaration supporting creator rights in the age of artificial intelligence.
For APRA AMCOS, the latest findings strengthen its position that licensing, rather than copyright exemptions, remains the only workable path forward.
“The Australian Government made the right call,” Ormston said. “We are ready to license. We know how to do it. We have been doing it for over 100 years. But it has to be a real licensing framework, not a carve-out dressed up as a compromise.”
As governments continue weighing the economic promises of AI investment against the rights of creators, the discovery of Australian and New Zealand music in training datasets is likely to become a central part of the debate.
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