Google and Universal Music are in talks to license artists’ VOICES as the industry battles the rise of AI tools that can flawlessly emulate Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra and Kanye West
- Music executives and Google look for ways to protect the industry from AI, which has flawlessly mimicked the voices of the world’s most successful artists
- One option is to license the voices of artists to provide legal protection against AI copying
- Universal Music and Google could reportedly develop a tool that will allow fans to recreate musicians’ voices and pay copyright owners
Universal Music bosses are in talks with Google to license artists’ voices and tunes, protecting them from the growing threat of AI copying.
Executives have reportedly been brainstorming ideas, including an app that would allow fans to create tracks using the AI-generated voices of their favorite artists, with the money shared between the copyright holders. Artists could opt in or out.
The industry is struggling to keep pace with AI developments that have flawlessly recreated the vocals of famous artists past and present.
Recent examples include Johnny Cash ‘singing’ a mash-up of Barbie Girl and Party in the US over the backing track to his hit Folsom Prison Blues. AI was also used to create a version of Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise sung by Frank Sinatra.
Other YouTube channels are dedicated to creating music using AI-generated vocals from Drake, The Weeknd, and Kanye West.
Music executives are looking for ways to deal with AI technology that has been able to flawlessly recreate the vocals of legendary artists like Frank Sinatra and Johnny Cash
Universal Music bosses are in talks with Google to license artist voices and tunes, protecting them from the growing threat of AI copying
Universal Music’s general counsel Jeffrey Harleston highlighted the industry’s concerns about the technology when he told U.S. lawmakers last month, “An artist’s voice is often the most valuable part of their livelihood and public persona, and to to steal it, regardless of the means, is wrong.’
Google, which owns YouTube, has also been in talks with Warner Music about a product, the Financial Times reported.
The report pointed out that music executives have compared the AI dilemma to when YouTube launched and users would use popular songs as backing tracks for their videos, leading to copyright accusations.
YouTube ended up making a deal with the music industry worth a whopping $6 billion a year.
Some artists have complained about the trend. Drake responded that one AI-generated song featuring his voice was the “final straw”.
His record label also recently fought to rid the internet of one viral AI song that used his likeness.
In April, an AI-generated song featuring the simulated voices of Drake and The Weeknd was pulled from streaming services by Universal Music Group for “infringing content created with generative AI.”
The song went viral and by the time it was taken down had been streamed 600,000 times on Spotify and 15 million views on TikTok and 275,000 times on YouTube.
The song, Heart On My Sleeve, was said to have been created using AI programming trained with artists’ music, something that UMG said “represents both a violation of our agreements and a violation of copyright law.”
Several channels on YouTube are dedicated to creating cover music with AI-generated vocals. Kanye West is a popular artist whose voice has been imitated by AI
The Weeknd also had his voice cloned by AI and Drake said a song imitating his voice was the ‘last straw’
The music label told Billboard magazine that the viral posts “demonstrate why platforms have a fundamental legal and ethical responsibility to prevent their services from being used in ways that harm artists.”
It added that the episode “begs the question of which side of history all stakeholders in the music ecosystem want to be on: the side of artists, fans and human creative expression, or the side of deep falsifications, fraud and artist denial.” their due compensation.
“We are encouraged by our platform partners’ involvement in these issues as they recognize that they must be part of the solution.”
Canadian musician Grimes, Elon Musk’s former partner, told artists they can use her voice in AI-generated songs for a fair distribution of royalties.
The singer, 35, said fans could use her music “without penalty” in exchange for a 50 per cent profit – following an AI hit song performed in the voices of Drake and The Weeknd.
Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, said nothing was off limits and that her “ultimate goal has always been to push boundaries rather than make a fun song.”