Grimes Says Anyone Can Use Her Voice to Generate AI Songs – for a 50% Cut of Royalties

Breaking with others in the music industry, singer and former Elon Musk girlfriend Grimes has okayed the use of her voice in AI-generated songs, promising 50 percent royalties to anyone who achieves success with an AI-generated song using her voice.

“I’ll split 50% royalties on any successful AI generated song that uses my voice,” said the singer in a tweet last night. “Same deal as I would with any artist i collab with. Feel free to use my voice without penalty. I have no label and no legal bindings.”

I’ll split 50% royalties on any successful AI generated song that uses my voice. Same deal as I would with any artist i collab with. Feel free to use my voice without penalty. I have no label and no legal bindings. pic.twitter.com/KIY60B5uqt

— (@Grimezsz) April 24, 2023

The artist made the tweet in response to news about a viral AI-generated song that was taken down by multiple platforms using the voices of chart-topping artists Drake and the Weeknd.

Grimes, who has an on-and-off relationship with big tech billionaire Elon Musk, a frequent commentator on AI issues and was a former backer of OpenAI, is breaking with the wider music industry in her open stance on AI-generated music.

Last week, Universal Music Group, the music company whose roster of stars includes Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, and Taylor Swift, sent a letter to streaming platforms including Apple and Spotify, urging a blanked ban on AI-generated music.

The platforms, said a UMG spokesperson, have “a moral and commercial responsibility to our artists to work to prevent the unauthorized use of their music and to stop platforms from ingesting content that violates the rights of artists and other creators.”

“We expect our platform partners will want to prevent their services from being used in ways that harm artists.”

“The training of generative AI using our artists’ music … begs the question as to which side of history all stakeholders in the music ecosystem want to be on,” said UMG in an earlier statement.

Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. He is the author of #DELETED: Big Tech’s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal The Election.