Nadhamuni Gayatri Bharath is a Sydney-based musician and singer originally from Chennai in Tamilnadu, India. She was trained in Carnatic music in the “Guru-Sishya” tradition and performs traditional and contemporary fusions of Carnatic music in Australia and globally. She was recently approached by AI music company Mubert to produce a catalogue of Carnatic music. Unsure of what this meant for the cultural heritage of Carnatic music, Gayatri sought advice. What, she asked, were the implications of selling music that was not even hers but belonged to a cultural tradition, thousands of years old, that didn’t really have authors? What did the AI do with the music? How could she do right by Carnatic music heritage? She’d already consulted the Indian Consulate General in Australia, who was keen to support her acting to protect Carnatic music, but although enthusiastic, these discussions hadn’t eventuated in anything concrete. I was delighted that she...

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