Live and Let AI
The closest Beatles, Wings or McCartney song to two minutes 45 seconds is With a Little Help From My Friends. The Ringo Starr-sung track comes in at 2:44 — just one second shy.
Sir Paul's first 2:45-long "recording" doesn't include Ringo's warm vocals, cheerful optimism or any cheeky nod to getting high. In fact, it features barely anything.
The James Bond theme tune artist is releasing a track that's pretty much a silent recording studio. It's part of a music-industry protest against AI companies helping themselves to musicians' copyrighted work.
Instead of one of Macca's catchy melodies, listeners get gentle hiss, the occasional clatter and a whole lot of nothing. The point? If AI companies keep raiding artists' intellectual property to feed their models, the creative world could fall silent.
The 83-year-old has popped the track on the B-side of an LP called Is This What We Want?, which is filled with other "silent" recordings. You can "listen" to it when it's released later this month. Profits from the album go toward the UK charity Help Musicians.
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Joe Emery
Joe is Editor of For Bond Fans Only and a writer by trade. When he's not watching Bond, he can be found listening to The Beatles and worrying about West Ham. You can find him on X @joeemerywrites
