Originally Posted by Elliott Kayne
Very interesting Dave I hadn't heard of that law, but I suppose many new laws to govern the use and publication of AI will be debated on years to come.
I think that's fair to say. laugh

Quote
My question is ... How is this different from a Elvis impersonator singing on a record? Or the thousands of Tribute Bands who are touring the country making money on artists work many without permission from the artists.
Good question. The short answer is... they aren't necessarily legal.

Unsurprisingly, Elvis is probably one of the most copyright protected artists in existence, including his songs, likeness, and voice.

If a tribute band is covering Elvis' songs, they are required to pay royalties on those songs.

Using Elvis' physical likeness also requires a license.

Names can't be copyrighted, but they can (and often are) trademarked. Elvis' name is trademarked, of course. And Elvis' trademark is aggressively protected.

As to singing on a record, that's a bit more complex. Most people singing with Elvis' voice are protected by parody laws, as people won't actually think that Elvis is singing, but an impersonator. But that assumes the song is a parody.

Someone releasing a song "in the style of Elvis" is likely to also be protected, as they aren't going to be confused with an actual recording by Elvis.

Then again, Elvis' estate could decide that it was close enough to confuse a consumer, and sue on those grounds.

Using the voice of an artist also uses their name recognition and established goodwill. You are arguably not just using their voice because they sound good, but because they are a well known singer with popular songs to their name.

Elvis' estate could reasonably claim that the recording causes damage to them by diluting the brand value. The artist and the estate have curated the songs that are available to the public, ensuring a level of quality. Releasing an unauthorized song in the style of Elvis arguably diminishes the value of the brand by lowering the level of quality of songs associated with his voice.

Quote
How is this different from using Real Tracks instead of Real Musicians?
With RealTracks and Real Musicians, you've got a contract that authorizes you to use their product.

So not only are they getting compensation, they agreed to that compensation before creating the product.

With AI, you're using their voice, yet they have no say in the matter. You're literally putting words in their mouth.

And the artist is getting no compensation for that.

Apples and oranges.

OK, any further comments will go to a different thread! laugh

-- David Cuny
My virtual singer development blog

Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?