Are you worried about the kind of generative AI tools that Alphabet/Google/YouTube might be able to produce in the years ahead?
Do you fear a future where a bazillion tracks from ‘fake Drakes’, built on Google technology, are uploaded to streaming services daily – without any compensation going to the musicians/music rightsholders whose work ‘inspired’ this AI output?
If so, today (August 21) brings some news that might just deliver you a more restful night’s sleep: YouTube and Universal Music Group have formed an alliance that they say will jointly develop AI tools that offer “safe, responsible and profitable” opportunities to music rightsholders.
Other music industry players are being invited to get involved.
There are two key aspects to this partnership.
First is a freshly-announced ‘Music AI Incubator’ at YouTube – a program by which new tools and innovations will be developed at the company in close conjunction with artists and the music biz.
For now, this ‘Incubator’ is kicking off via a partnership between YouTube and UMG, incorporating feedback and guidance from UMG-signed talent.
Said talent includes the likes of Brazilian star Anitta (recently signed to UMG’s Republic Records), ABBA genius Björn Ulvaeus, hitmaking producer Louis Bell, fast-rising artist d4vd, the Frank Sinatra estate, neo-classical composer Max Richter, plus the likes of Don Was, Ryan Tedder, Rodney Jerkins, Rosanne Cash, and Juanes.
“Working together, we will better understand how these technologies can be most valuable for artists and fans, how they can enhance creativity, and where we can seek to solve critical issues for the future.”
Neal Mohan, YouTube
According to YouTube’s CEO, Neal Mohan: “This talented group [of artists/producers] will help gather insights on generative AI experiments and research that are being developed at YouTube.”
Adds Mohan: “We’re also excited to welcome our partners across the industry into the program as we move forward.
“Working together, we will better understand how these technologies can be most valuable for artists and fans, how they can enhance creativity, and where we can seek to solve critical issues for the future.”
Those words are taken from a newly-published blog from Mohan which also unveils the second major element of today’s YouTube x UMG announcement.
YouTube says that, within and beyond its new AI ‘Incubator’ project, it is publicly committing to three principles/pledges that will guide its development of music-based generative AI tools in the future.
In the words of YouTube/Mohan, those three principles are:
- Principle #1: AI is here, and we will embrace it responsibly together with our music partners. As generative AI unlocks ambitious new forms of creativity, YouTube and our partners across the music industry agree to build on our long collaborative history and responsibly embrace this rapidly advancing field. Our goal is to partner with the music industry to empower creativity in a way that enhances our joint pursuit of responsible innovation.
- Principle #2: AI is ushering in a new age of creative expression, but it must include appropriate protections and unlock opportunities for music partners who decide to participate. We’re continuing our strong track record of protecting the creative work of artists on YouTube. We’ve made massive investments over the years in the systems that help balance the interests of copyright holders with those of the creative community on YouTube.
- Principle #3: We’ve built an industry-leading trust and safety organization and content policies. We will scale those to meet the challenges of AI. We spent years investing in the policies and trust and safety teams that help protect the YouTube community, and we’re also applying these safeguards to AI-generated content. Generative AI systems may amplify current challenges like trademark and copyright abuse, misinformation, spam, and more. But AI can also be used to identify this sort of content, and we’ll continue to invest in the AI-powered technology that helps us protect our community of viewers, creators, artists and songwriters–from Content ID, to policies and detection and enforcement systems that keep our platform safe behind the scenes. And we commit to scaling this work even further.
All three of those will be of great interest to the music industry, of course.
But perhaps, in particular, rightsholders will be comforted by the idea of YouTube/Alphabet ensuring that future music AI tools will both “include appropriate protections and unlock opportunities for music partners”.
Going back to ‘fake Drake’: one of the big questions pinging around the music industry today is whether, in future, this kind of ‘deep-fake’ will ultimately compensate the artists and/or rightsholders whose work/name/likeness etc. informs AI-powered audio and video productions.
Cue visions of a new ‘Content ID’-style technology from YouTube being built and launched in the future – one that tracks samples of recordings and compositions, or the name/likeness/vocal stylings of artists, whenever they’re used as the basis for new AI-powered creations.
(The timing of today’s announcement, interestingly enough, comes in the same month that the Financial Times reported that Universal Music Group and Google were engaged in talks to secure licenses for artists’ vocals and musical melodies on which new AI-powered recordings could be created.)
YouTube boss Neal Mohan isn’t the only entertainment business leader to pen his thoughts today on the new UMG x YouTube AI partnership: UMG’s Chairman & CEO, Sir Lucian Grainge, has also shared some interesting thoughts.
In contrast to the image of a record executive running scared from AI developments, Grainge begins a blog – published on YouTube’s platform – with the following words: “I was still a young talent scout in 1980s London when the Fairlight CMI — the world’s first commercially available sampler – hit the scene.
“When I heard what it could do in tracks from Kate Bush to Frankie Goes to Hollywood, from Duran Duran to Art of Noise, among others, it was clear that music production was changing forever. Almost immediately, some decried this digital ‘manipulation’ as ‘artificial’. I was in the other camp: curious at first, then enthusiastic, about the musical creativity it made possible.
“Over the next decade, as more affordable options such as MIDI and Pro Tools came on the market, just about everyone who was interested could use digital synthesizers and samplers to help create the sound they wanted. But as big an impact as that technology had on music, I sense even greater potential in Generative AI to inspire and empower a new generation of talent.”
“Today’s rapid technological advancements have enabled digital manipulation, appropriation and misattribution of an artist’s name, image, likeness, voice and style – the very characteristics that differentiate them as performers with unique vision and expression.”
Sir Lucian Grainge
However, Grainge then highlights AI’s potential for “misappropriation and misinformation” in music.
He comments: “Today’s rapid technological advancements have enabled digital manipulation, appropriation and misattribution of an artist’s name, image, likeness, voice and style – the very characteristics that differentiate them as performers with unique vision and expression.”
Under the title ‘An artist-centric approach to AI innovation’, Grainge says that the music industry, working in partnership with platforms like YouTube, must now “establish effective tools, incentives and rewards – as well as rules of the road – that enable us to limit AI’s potential downside while promoting its promising upside”.
Adds Grainge: “Central to our collective vision is taking steps to build a safe, responsible and profitable ecosystem of music and video — one where artists and songwriters have the ability to maintain their creative integrity, their power to choose, and to be compensated fairly.”
“Today, our partnership [with YouTube] is building on… a shared commitment to lead responsibly, as outlined in YouTube’s AI principles, where Artificial Intelligence is built to empower human creativity, and not the other way around.”
Sir Lucian Grainge
He continues: “Today, our partnership [with YouTube] is building on… a shared commitment to lead responsibly, as outlined in YouTube’s AI principles, where Artificial Intelligence is built to empower human creativity, and not the other way around.
“AI will never replace human creativity because it will always lack the essential spark that drives the most talented artists to do their best work, which is intention.
“From Mozart to The Beatles to Taylor Swift, genius is never random.”
Discussing his decision to join/contribute to the YouTube Music AI Incubator, Björn Ulvaeus said: “While some may find my decision controversial, I’ve joined this group with an open mind and purely out of curiosity about how an AI model works and what it could be capable of in a creative process.
“I believe that the more I understand, the better equipped I’ll be to advocate for and to help protect the rights of my fellow human creators.”
Juanes commented: “Music is fundamental to the human experience – culturally and personally. For artists, our music is part of who we are.
“Given music’s role, artists must play a central role in helping to shape the future of this technology. I’m looking forward to working with Google and YouTube as part of this influential group of UMG artists to assure that AI develops responsibly as a tool to empower artists and that it is used respectfully and ethically in ways that amplify human musical expression for generations to come.”
“While some may find my decision controversial, I’ve joined this group with an open mind and purely out of curiosity about how an AI model works and what it could be capable of in a creative process.”
Björn Ulvaeus
And Max Richter said: “Like every new technology, AI brings with it opportunities, but it also raises profound challenges for the creative community. The tech world and the music distribution ecosystem are quickly evolving to embrace this transformative technology and, unless artists are part of this process, there is no way to ensure that our interests will be taken into account.
“We have to be in this conversation, or our voices won’t be heard. Therefore, I’m very happy to be part of the “artist incubator” which will allow me to advocate for the interests of the creative community in the applications of AI to music and music distribution.”Music Business Worldwide
Denial of responsibility! My Droll is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
