Universal Music Group, also known as UMG, has announced their collaboration with SoundLabs. This partnership is meant to provide the artists working under UMG with an AI voice cloning tool.
According to Loudwire, this new software is called MicDrop, and it has been programmed to replicate a person’s voice through machine learning techniques.
This plan has many potential benefits for artists that choose to use it— they can produce a song in another language, produce music after health issues that might prevent an artist from using their vocal cords, and artists could even continue to produce music after they’ve passed away. MicDrop could also open the doors to more creative opportunities, since the voice model could be used as a synthesizer. (via Loudwire)
There are also protections in place for artists that choose to utilize MicDrop. According to Loudwire, since the artist has full control over the software, it won’t be available to the public, and it won’t be used without permission. The owner will be the only one able to profit off of their use of MicDrop.
UMG recently made headlines over another dispute involving TikTok. At the beginning of February this year, UMG pulled all of their music from TikTok after negotiations between the two allegedly went south. UMG allegedly cited three main issues for this action— artist compensation, AI protections, and protections for fans and artists. The stalemate went on for three months, until the two reached licensing agreement in May, causing UMG to reinstate the music it initially restricted.
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