Some (actually, most, now I read more) of these artists are well-known for their mentorship and community efforts, I'd like to take the kinder approach and assume they are using their powerful voices to support those artists who don't have such power.
> "When used irresponsibly, AI poses enormous threats to our ability to protect our privacy, our identities, our music and our livelihoods," the open letter states.
Note it says "our" not "the young artists and communities that we mentor and support".
So yes, if they really mean protecting the community along with young artists, they have to explicitly and clearly state it to be believable.