It appears like Pretend Drake received’t be taking residence a Grammy. Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. mentioned this week that though the group will take into account music with restricted AI-generated voices or instrumentation for award recognition, it’ll solely honor songs written and carried out “largely by a human.”
“At this level, we’re going to permit AI music and content material to be submitted, however the Grammys will solely be allowed to go to human creators who’ve contributed creatively within the applicable classes,” Mason mentioned in an interview with Grammy.com. “If there’s an AI voice singing the tune or AI instrumentation, we’ll take into account it. However in a songwriting-based class, it has to have been written largely by a human. Similar goes for efficiency classes – solely a human performer may be thought-about for a Grammy. If AI did the songwriting or created the music, that’s a unique consideration. However the Grammy will go to human creators at this level.”
The CEO’s feedback imply the faux Drake / The Weeknd tune “Coronary heart on My Sleeve,” which went viral earlier this 12 months earlier than getting wiped from streaming platforms over copyright takedowns, wouldn’t be eligible. One other AI-generated scammer bought faux Frank Ocean tracks in April for a reported CAD 13,000 ($9,722 in US {dollars}), whereas Spotify has been busy purging tens of 1000’s of AI-made songs from its library.
Alternatively, it raises questions on artists like Holly Herndon, who used an AI model of her voice for a canopy of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” (The AI-generated efficiency would counsel not, however would the truth that it’s her personal voice make a distinction?) Or, for that matter, there’s the upcoming “last” Beatles monitor that Paul McCartney says will use AI to isolate a garbled recording of John Lennon’s voice. And would Taryn Southern, who (additionally transparently) used AI to co-produce her 2018 debut album, be eligible? We reached out to the Recording Academy for clarification about these examples and can replace this text in the event that they reply.
Awards or not, Mason acknowledged that AI would upend the music trade. “AI goes to utterly, unequivocally have a hand in shaping the way forward for our trade,” Mason mentioned. “So, we now have to begin planning round that and excited about what which means for us. How can we adapt to accommodate? How can we set guardrails and requirements? There are loads of issues that should be addressed round AI because it pertains to our trade.” The CEO added that the Recording Academy not too long ago held a summit “with trade leaders, tech entrepreneurs, streaming platforms, and folks from the artist neighborhood” to debate AI’s future. “We talked concerning the topic and mentioned how the Recording Academy may be useful: how we will play a task and the way forward for AI in music.”
