A Great Time Talking With RIAA CEO Mitch Glazier About AI and Music

A career comes full circle

The host says Napster’s arrival during college led to a career in copyright law. After defending students sued for using Kazaa, the host moved into journalism and covered copyright issues. That history made speaking with Glazier a personal milestone. Glazier joked that the RIAA’s past policies helped put the host’s career on track, adding that the outcome had “some silver linings.”

The RIAA’s Napster years

Glazier said Napster was the major issue when he joined the RIAA, during a period when digital change seemed more abrupt than the shift to CDs. The organization sent him to college campuses to speak against peer-to-peer technology.

He recalled facing students wearing anti-RIAA shirts and once following musician Chuck D at an event. Expecting to be booed, Glazier put a garbage bag over his head before walking onto the stage.

Shared concerns over AI

The host says that in 2026, the RIAA, record labels, artists and ordinary music fans are concerned about AI companies training on creative work without permission and filling feeds with low-quality content. As the RIAA’s chairman and CEO, Glazier is involved in lobbying for legal changes as well as lawsuits affecting record labels and distributors. The conversation examines AI-generated deepfakes and how restrictions could affect other forms of expression.

Detection and platform questions

The discussion also considers how AI detection and labeling systems might work in practice. The host raises the question of whether those systems can be effective if major services such as Spotify and YouTube do not participate. The conversation connects AI, law, art and commerce, focusing on the legal complexity behind possible responses to AI-generated material.