The role of AI in music has generated both excitement and debate among artists.
The Grammy Awards, known for honoring artistic brilliance, are breaking new ground by acknowledging the growing influence of AI-generated music. In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Harvey Mason Jr., CEO and President of the Recording Academy, shed light on the Grammy eligibility for AI-generated music.
According to him, if an AI voice model takes on the lead vocals of a track, it may be considered for the songwriting category but not for performance. Mason further explained that the performance aspect, which lacks human creation, does not align with the Academy’s vision of artistic expression and, therefore, will not be nominated or awarded.
The Academy’s CEO emphasized that human involvement and meaningful contributions are paramount in Grammy considerations. As long as humans play a crucial role in the creative process, their contributions will always be recognized and eligible for nomination, but not to the AI part.
“As long as the human is contributing in a more than contributing in a more than a minimis amount, which to us means a meaningful way, they are and will always be considered for a nomination or a win. We don’t want to see technology replace human creativity. We want to ensure technology enhances, embellishes, or adds to human creativity. That’s why we took this particular stand in this award cycle,” Mason told AP in an interview.
AI-Generated Songs Are Eligible for Nominations
These clarifications come in response to the Academy’s revised rules and eligibility criteria announced on June 28. The guidelines were introduced after Paul McCartney revealed that an AI was used to extract John Lennon’s voice for the “last Beatles record”.
The newly updated rules explicitly stated that music without human authorship is ineligible in any Grammy category. However, Mason has clarified that the AI-infused compositions will be considered for nominations at the upcoming 2024 Grammy Awards.
“AI, or music that contains AI-created elements, is absolutely eligible for entry and for consideration for Grammy nomination. Period,” Mason said.
Music Artists Express Concerns about AI-Generated Works
The role of AI in music has generated both excitement and debate among artists. Grimes, a Canadian musician who has never received a Grammy award before, welcomed the use of AI technology and even offered to share royalties with creators who successfully incorporated her voice into their tracks.
The Canadian-born artist recently launched AI software that allows her fans and music creators around the world to integrate her voice into their music at will without facing any legal repercussions.
Unlike Grimes, Ice Cube has expressed concerns, referring to AI as “demonic” and expressing a willingness to take legal action against those imitating their voice on AI tracks and the platforms hosting such songs.
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