#019 | Grimes will give 50/50 royalties to artists who use her voice with AI

Muse-Letter 019 - May 08, 2023

Yoooooo! What's up fam!

Welcome back to The Muse-Letter. We are talking about the sick move that artist Grimes has made which is to allow musicians to use her voice in AI and gain the opportunity to receive 50/50 split royalties. In light of all the AI news and mostly negative responses, it’s interesting to see a new perspective. We are also talking about Labrinths recent 30-minute moody album that features popular artists, Zendaya and Billie Eilish.

I love all things music and I enjoy getting to share all the latest news and releases with you all. Without further ado, let's get into it.

This Week in Producer News 📰

Grimes Is One Of The First Artists To Announce That Anyone Can Use Her Voice To Make AI-Powered Songs and Will Get 50/50 Royalties

With AI making its way into the music industry, we are seeing lots of musicians, artists, and companies posting and stating their opinions on it. Some are on board, and many are outwardly sharing their disapproval. That’s why it’s great to see an artist like Grimes, share that she is willing to split royalties 50/50 to anyone who creates songs with her voice using AI.

We know that Drake and UMI have spoken out about how AI is negatively affecting music, but Grimes is on the opposing side. Grimes announced through Twitter on April 23 that she is happy for anyone to use AI models of her voice “without penalty” and that she’s willing to split the royalties that come from any successful songs that are created. We know it wasn’t an empty offer as she’s since uploaded an online platform at elf.tech that enables users to post their Grimes-styled songs on Spotify and other streaming services under the name GrimesAI-1.

Grime’s manager, Daouda Leonard spoke with Rolling Stone about how they believe AI is going to change music. Leonard explained how Grimes views music as something special to be shared with others, not stored away.

“She often says that creativity is a conversation with those who came before us and those who are going to come after us,” he says. “And so the idea is that instead of attempting to control what is a gift from the universe, she’s like, ‘Well, let me open-source that. Let me allow people to access what the universe gave me as a gift. And if I do that, what are the new experiences that can be created out of that?'”

What I really appreciated is how Leonard and Grimes see the similarity of voice-cloning to fan-fiction or fan-created artwork.

“What’s the difference between this and what people have been doing with properties like League of Legends, Harry Potter, Star Wars, etcetera, where they’re making all of this amazing fan art and monetizing that amazing fan art? That’s a beautiful relationship between the consumer and the fan and the creators of that IP. And so that’s what we’re jumping on. That’s what we’re excited about.”

Even though Leonard and Grimes share enthusiasm towards AI-powered music, they acknowledge UMI’s choice to push for the takedown of the fake Drake/The Weeknd song. They agree with the fact that it’s rather degrading to the artists.

“I agree with them taking it down because it just felt like there was no consent,” he says. “That’s the worst of human behaviour coming to haunt us.”

I believe that AI could be great if people are given consent by artists to use their voices. In regard to the Drake/The Weeknd song, it’s sick and so many people were loving it, but it goes against the fact that the artists themselves don’t appreciate it and that’s fair enough. It’s their voices. So, I understand the takedown of the song. This only makes me excited for what might be created if we see more artists like Grimes giving the okay for musicians and creators to use their voices to make some sick tracks.

Article of the Week 📜

Labrinth’s Third Album is 30 minutes of a Lifetime of Feels, Drama, and State of Mind

Labrinth releases his third album, 'Ends & Begins' just after two of Coachella's most talked-about performances.

Labrinth explores the cycle of life through the course of ten tracks on his latest album. The production of the album is engaging, his lyrics are like a confession, and the vocals are brilliant as always. Among the moody tracks, is an emotional single titled “The Feels” featuring well-known actress Zendaya, who is also known for her vocals.

Zendaya joined Labrinth on stage to deliver some songs together at Coachella which has now gone viral for the surprise performance.

The album's melancholy tracks talk about loneliness and love and make you feel for Labrinth. His stunning vocals express so much emotion and it’s definitely an album to sit with and be in your feelings. It’s a great skill to be able to move people with your vocals, and your music. Labrinth has done a fantastic job to create such a powerful album.

Ends & Begins has a great tracklist and features two duets. The first one Labrinth collaborates once again with Zendaya for “The Feels”, and the long-awaited official version of the duet with Billie Eilish on “Never Felt So Alone.” Labrinth produced “The Feels” and co-produced the “Never Felt So Alone” with, as well as others, Eilish’s brother and collaborator FINNEAS, who is ridiculously talented when it comes to producing music and makes for a great match with Labrinth too.

Labrinth clearly has great chemistry with these famous artists and together they deliver a powerhouse of emotion and top-tier songs. I highly recommend anyone who hasn’t heard the latest album, to go and have a look. You will be forced into your feelings in the best way.

Check out the first track on the album “The Feels” which features Zendaya below.

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-O