by FilmInk Staff
Acclaimed Sonar Music composer Antony Partos leads screen music’s AI copyright protest with Human Made
Four-time nominee Antony Partos will launch the Australian Guild of Screen Composers’ Human Made campaign at Wednesday’s APRA AMCOS Screen Music Awards.
It opposes using Australian creative work to train AI without creators’ consent, licensing or fair payment as the government considers weakening copyright protections in favour of AI giants.
In a visible show of solidarity, composers, musicians and industry leaders at the Brisbane ceremony will wear campaign badges shaped like a record bearing the © copyright symbol.
“The message is simple: Australian creativity is not free training data,” says Antony, co-founder of Sonar Music.
“If AI needs copyrighted material to train its models, then a license system needs to be implemented to compensate those artists who chose to opt in.”
APRA AMCOS already has established frameworks for licensing music and compensating creators – yet has not been consulted or even contacted.
As the AI copyright debate intensifies, the irony of the timing is not lost on Antony, who heads up the Guild’s Industrial Relations Committee.
He’s nominated for:
- Best Feature Film Score and Best Soundtrack Album – Christy (with Sydney Sweeney)
- Best Music for a Television Drama – Disney’s The Artful Dodger
- Best Music for a Documentary – Edge of Life
His fellow Sonar Music co-founder, Matteo Zingales, is also up for Best Music for a Television Drama with Sunny Nights.
“The Screen Music Awards are our industry’s annual gathering, recognising the extraordinary talent, originality and hard work behind Australian film and television,” adds Antony.
“But while we’re celebrating the achievements of our composers, we’re also having to fight to protect their future.
“Why should Australian artists be expected to hand over a lifetime of work so multinational technology companies can profit from it?”
Australian film and TV drama production generated $2.7 billion in Australia in 2024–25, underscoring the economic significance of an industry built on human creativity.
“Our intellectual property represents decades of investment and sacrifice by people who have dedicated their lives to building careers and businesses in an already challenging industry,” he adds.
“It generates billions in economic activity, supporting local jobs and businesses. We should be protecting it, not trading it away.
“If the government is serious about supporting Australian culture and innovation, then creators need a seat at the table.”
Antony, who got into Conservatorium High School when he was 11, says the greatest risk is not only the displacement of established composers, but the potential disappearance of career pathways for the next generation.
“There were no other formal film composition courses available anywhere in Australia at the time of entering tertiary education, so I ended up going to the Australian Film and Television and Radio School, completing a BA in Film and Television, Majoring in Sound.
“What happens to Australian film, television and music when there is no viable future for the people who create it?” he asks.
Antony shot to global stardom in David Michôd’s gritty crime drama Animal Kingdom in 2010, cementing his “melancholic, darker themes and satire” signature sound.
It launched their long-running partnership, including Christy, and won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival; Australian Film Institute Award and Best Original Music Score.
About Antony Partos
Antony’s film and TV credits also include Poker Face (with Russell Crowe); Mystery Road; Last King of the Cross; Total Control; The Rover; The Slap, Academy Award-nominated Tanna; Sherpa (AGSC Awards – Best Music for a Documentary and Best Soundtrack Album); The Director and the Jedi; Deeper and Fahrenheit 451.
About Sonar Music
Based at Disney in Sydney’s Entertainment Quarter, Sonar Music was co-founded in 2010 by Antony, Jono Ma, David McCormack (Bluey’s “Bandit” and Custard frontman), Matteo Zingales and Andrew Lancaster. It’s home to Australia’s most awarded composers and sound designers. Its broader catalogue spans over 250 TV series’, 100 films, 300+ awards, global campaigns for Coca-Cola, Toyota, Qantas and Commonwealth Bank, and over 150 million Spotify streams.
