Universal Music Group announced last Tuesday that it will collaborate with SoundLabs, an emerging music technology company based on artificial intelligence. Thanks to this agreement, UMG artists and producers will be able to create their own voice clones.
This technological feat is made possible thanks to MicDrop, a proprietary tool created by SoundLabs. As explained by the companies in their press release, the tool is a plug-in that allows artists to create models of their own voice using the data they provide. SoundLabs grants full control over the ownership and use of these voice models. Additionally, they will not be available to the general public.
However, MicDrop can do more than replicate voices; it’s also capable of turning a voice into an instrument. This is a technology similar to the one that allows a keyboard to emulate guitar sounds or other instruments. In addition, the company has also incorporated a function that allows for song translation. In theory, it would serve to help artists by facilitating the release of their songs globally.
Sin duda, es una noticia muy controvertida. El uso de la inteligencia artificial para crear clones de voz se ha vuelto cada vez más popular en los últimos tiempos; solo basta con echar un vistazo a YouTube para encontrar las innumerables versiones de canciones interpretadas por voces generadas por IA.
Last year, an anonymous composer named Ghostwriter went viral with his song Heart On My Sleeve, which used artificial intelligence-generated voices from Drake and The Weekend, both UMG artists. A few days later, the song was removed from streaming services due to increasing pressure from the record label.
Recently, Drake was in the eye of the storm for using Tupac’s artificial voice in his song against Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Made Freestyle. However, a cease-and-desist order caused the song to be withdrawn shortly after its release.
Source: Rolling Stone
