3 Key AI Policies Impacting The Music Industry Today

For 25 years, GRAMMYS On The Hill has brought music creators to Washington, D.C., to advocate for and protect the future of the industry. Presented by the Recording Academy, the annual event has helped drive real policy change, turning conversations into legislation that protects music and the people behind it.

GRAMMYS On The Hill, the Recording Academy's signature music advocacy and policy event in Washington, D.C., celebrates its 25th anniversary this month. This year, the event will directly address one of the most urgent challenges facing music and its creators today: artificial intelligence and its impact on the music community.

AI is transforming music at a rapid pace. It can help artists write, produce, and experiment in new ways. But it also raises serious concerns, especially when it comes to consent, ownership, and fair compensation.

GRAMMYS On The Hill 2026 is centered on one clear message: innovation should not come at the expense of human creativity.

At GRAMMYS On The Hill 2026, taking place this week in Washington, D.C., the Recording Academy is championing three bipartisan bills designed to bring accountability, transparency, and protection into the AI era: the NO FAKES Act, the TRAIN Act, and the CLEAR Act. Together, they form a comprehensive approach to protecting music creators.

With GRAMMYS On The Hill 2026 under way, here is an overview of these three critical bills and their potential impact on the music industry and its creators.

The NO FAKES Act: Protecting Artists From AI Impersonation

The NO FAKES Act focuses on one simple idea: your identity should belong to you.

AI can now replicate a singer's voice or likeness so convincingly that it's hard to tell what's real. Without legal protections, that opens the door to misuse, from fake songs to unauthorized endorsements.

The NO FAKES Act would:

• Establish a federal right protecting a person's voice, image, and likeness

• Prevent the creation and distribution of unauthorized AI "deepfakes"

• Hold platforms and companies accountable for violations

• Ensure creators can control and monetize how their identity is used

In plain terms: If someone wants to use your voice or image, even with AI, they need your permission.

The TRAIN Act: Giving Creators Visibility Into AI Systems

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Right now, AI training largely happens behind closed doors. Artists often have no way of knowing if their music was used to train an AI model. The TRAIN Act aims to fix that.

The TRAIN Act would:

• Give creators the ability to find out if their work was used in AI training

• Allow creators to request that information through a legal process

• Create a path to hold companies accountable if a creator's work was used without consent

This critical bill creates transparency and gives creators leverage. It turns an opaque, convoluted system into one that can be examined and challenged.

The CLEAR Act: Requiring AI Companies To Be Upfront

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While the TRAIN Act helps creators ask questions, the CLEAR Act requires companies to provide answers upfront.

The CLEAR Act would:

• Require AI companies to disclose the copyrighted works used to train their models

• Mandate reporting to the U.S. Copyright Office before a model is released

• Create a public, searchable database of training data

This means creators wouldn't have to guess or investigate; they could simply look up whether their work was used for AI training.

The CLEAR Act brings a basic expectation to AI: Transparency should be the standard, not the exception.

Why These Protections Matter

Each of these bills addresses a different part of the same issue. But together, they create a system that works for creators:

• The NO FAKES Act protects who you are

• The TRAIN Act helps you find out what's being done with your work

• The CLEAR Act ensures companies are transparent from the start

Combined, they help ensure that creators:

• Maintain control over their identity and work

• Have visibility into how AI systems operate

• Receive fair compensation when their work is used

The Recording Academy's Leadership In The AI Era

Through GRAMMYS On The Hill, the Recording Academy is proactively helping shape how AI is governed by bringing creators directly into policy conversations and advocating for fair, pro-music legislation.

Serving as the music community's trusted voice on creator rights in a rapidly evolving AI landscape, the Recording Academy is fighting to ensure that laws keep pace with technology and that creators remain at the center of the music ecosystem.

GRAMMYS On The Hill 2026 is about setting those safeguards now. Because in the end, our message is simple: Human creativity isn't optional. It's essential to music, and it deserves to be protected.

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How To Get Involved

As GRAMMYS On The Hill 2026 gets underway, now is the time to stand with music creators. Reach out to your elected officials and encourage them to support the TRAIN Act, the NO FAKES Act and the CLEAR Act.

Join the conversation: Use our 2026 GRAMMYS On The Hill social media toolkit and post on social media to make your voice heard.

Learn how you can join the effort to support creators throughout the year by visiting our Advocacy page and following our Facebook page.

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