Sinatra, Oasis, McCartney, Lennon… Artificial intelligence breaks into the music industry

Some fear it and others find it an “interesting” phenomenon. The programs of artificial intelligence (AI)which recreate the voices of artists, pose a challenge for the music industry, aware that it will have to deal with it.

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“Everywhere”

The voice of Frank Sinatra, who disappeared in 1998, is found in a version of Coolio’s song “Gangsta’s Paradise”, and Angèle was surprised to hear herself take up “Saiyan”, a title by French rappers Heuss L’Salaud and Gazo. The video was viewed more than 1.8 million times on YouTube.

“I don’t know what to make of artificial intelligence. It seems crazy to me, but at the same time I fear for my profession, ”writes the Belgian singer on her networks.

“AI is absolutely everywhere, all the time. Either in the reflections of the music industry or in art. It is more visible than before because technology is democratized”, explains Alexandre Lasch, from the National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing in France (SNEP), for AFP.

“As applications develop, regulation is discussed at the European level. In the United States, the biggest concern is transparency around AI tools, because the most important thing is still respect for the artist and the creation,” he adds.

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rage against the AI

“AI is demonic,” says Californian rapper Ice Cube on the Full Send podcast. “It’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” laments Canadian rapper Drake, who is affected by these processes that imitate voice timbre.

For example, in a version of “Munch”, the title of the American rapper Ice Spice, or of “Heart On My Sleeve”, a false duet created between him and another famous Canadian, The Weeknd, listened to more than 10 million times on TikTok in matter of hours.

And what about intellectual property? “What you protect with copyright is the expression of an idea. The voice is not really that”, estimates Andrés Guadamuz, professor of Intellectual Property Law at the British University of Sussex.

“Interesting” Phenomenon

An entire album by Oasis, a group that broke up in 2009, appeared renamed AIsis (AI for artificial intelligence in English). “I only heard one song,” singer Liam Gallagher comments on his networks, “and it was better than others I’ve heard lately.”

Paul McCartney calls the phenomenon “very interesting” on BBC Radio 4.

underlines.

The pop legend mentions the case of an unpublished Beatles song that will be recorded using AI to recreate John Lennon’s voice, under the control of his heirs.

John Lennon could sing again thanks to artificial intelligence, in an unpublished song by the Beatles. (Photo: AFP) (JIJI PRESS /)

On the other hand, Spotify “is carrying out serious discussions on how to handle the powerful potential of AI technologies,” a spokesperson for the well-known streaming platform told AFP.

The goal of the app, however, remains “to help artists connect with the public, monetize their art, and build their careers,” he adds.

Resist, prove you exist

The French platform Deezer said in June that it had developed technology that allows it to identify songs that clone the voices of music stars through AI.

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“Our goal is to eliminate illegal and fraudulent content, increase transparency and develop a new remuneration system in which professional artists are rewarded for creating valuable content,” it says in a statement.

Universal Music has been asking platforms such as Spotify or Apple Music since April to prevent access to their catalog to those who wish to use it to enrich AI programs, reveals the Financial Times newspaper.

In addition, Google and Universal Music are negotiating possible licenses for the AI-generated tunes and artist voices, according to the newspaper.

The idea is to define tools to be able to reward the heirs when fans create works of their idols with AI programs.

Source: Elcomercio