Recently, a tune created by artificial intelligence-linked deepfakes of the Weeknd and Drake’s singing attracted the attention of people online, despite both of the big names not having anything to do with the song. Grimes then wrote on Twitter offering to give 50% of any revenue generated by an AI-constructed song with her voice in it. On top of that, she went on to express interest in “destroying copyright,” which contradicts her intention to make money off royalties. We may be in the strangest timeline yet, but unless Grimes has created some kind of secret interdimensional transportation system (who knows?), the music biz needs to figure out what their next step is going to be.
Holly Herndon and YACHT have utilized Artificial Intelligence as a way to push their artistic boundaries. YACHT fed AI with over fourteen years of their music and combined the results to produce the album entitled “Chain Tripping.” Herndon also established Holly+, which offers everyone an opportunity to construct deepfake music through her vocal recordings.
Though Herndon encourages people to explore using her image for AI art, still many creators are unaware of the possibilities of creating a digital model of somebody’s voice until it is too late. This is the issue.
At Spotify’s latest financial report, CEO Daniel Ek discussed the firm’s way of dealing with AI-crafted tunes. Even after pulling down the AI song of the amalgamation of Drake and the Weeknd named “Heart on my Sleeve,” Daniel seems to be in favor of this quickly advancing tech.
Ek asserted that Artificial Intelligence should generate more musical output, as this would be beneficial for society as a whole.
For an organization the size of Spotify, this may hold true: As their streaming service experiences a higher influx of users who listen to more music, their profitability is positively impacted. Nevertheless, many musicians and music lovers are uncertain about the implications of artificial intelligence.
Henderson Cole, an entertainment lawyer, expressed to TechCrunch his apprehension about the difficulties that an artist could face if they take a risk.
Musicians have been enduring hardship due to the minuscule online streaming payments in addition to the long term harm the pandemic has had on the live music industry. Now these performers have been used as examples to showcase technology that takes their work without permission.
Erickson said to TechCrunch that music plays a unique role in the evolution of technology, and its ability to be combined with any new technology makes it an attractive asset to help generate fascination and secure capital.
We observed this occurrence in the cybercurrency sector, which once held promise to modify the standard of music royalties and ticket sales, but has yet to become extensively accepted.
Sometimes these new technologies endure. Erickson uses sampling as a past illustration; this involves using bits of another artist’s creation in new recordings. Provided that the musician acquires consent from the musician and their recording label, sampling is permitted.
Erickson discussed sampling and how it was more focused on the community rather than the technology itself. Unfortunately, some prominent legal disputes occurred when music was used without the artists giving their permission. It won’t be too long before the creators of AI-generated music receive the rights they deserve to the works they make.
In some cases, copyrighted content can be employed without the necessity of authorization if it is labeled as “fair use.” A fair use assessment looks at whether or not the work was created for commercial gain, the amount of copyrighted material being used, how much it is being changed, and if it could possibly have a negative economic effect on the original.
Cole does not think that an argument for free usage of AI music is likely to be taken into consideration in reality.
Cole commented that due to Ed Sheeran and Robin Thicke being taken to court for vocal or instrumental similarities to a hit track, it appears improbable that utilizing AI to imitate a musician’s voice or music style would be accepted.
It requires a significant amount of time for the law to be updated to deal with new technology, however, presently, significant music labels like Universal Music Group (UMG) have publicly expressed their disapproval of the utilization of AI generated content.
