Happy Friday. It’s tech reporter Alexandra Sternlicht.
Remember last year when Grimes announced that anyone could use the AI version of her voice so long as she got a portion of the royalties? Well, on Tuesday DJ 3LAU released a song combining the GrimesAI with an artificially intelligent version of his own music—and it's quite a bop.
But it’s more than just an EDM banger with velvety vocals; it’s an advertisement for curious technologists to tap the 3LAU AI and GrimesAI models to produce their own tracks. Today Justin Blau, aka 3LAU, released his entire library of songs made over 12 years as an open-source AI model so users can see how the DJ who attracts over 1 million monthly Spotify streams makes his tunes, and utilize the technology for their own 3LAU AI-generated songs.
He’s tracking users and controlling distribution through blockchain technology via his Web3 company Royal, but, unlike Grimes, Blau is not planning to make money from users releasing 3LAU AI-made songs. Right now, it costs just 0.011 ETH—or about $25—for unlimited access to the 3LAU AI library for unlimited use of 3LAU AI. To protect from a flood of 3LAU AI-generated songs: He’s capping the number of licenses at 333, meaning that the 333 people who first buy access to the 3LAU model will have the ability to make unlimited 3LAU AI music.
“I was like, 'Screw it. I’m going to open everything up to these engineers so they can figure out how I do what I do,'” Blau told Fortune.
At this infant stage of AI music, it’s hard to say what this AI model collaboration means for the music industry. Blau believes AI music models like 3LAU AI will first disrupt the electronic and pop music fields as these genres are more “mathematical” than others.
This will likely raise alarm bells for a sect of the music community that fears a loss of artistry from AI-generated songs. The most notable example of this was the intense backlash from Ghostwriter977’s song “Heart on My Sleeve” which utilized AI-made vocals in the likeness of Drake and The Weeknd. The song was ultimately deleted from streaming platforms as Universal Music Group, which represents the human versions of Drake and The Weeknd, argued it was unlawful to use these vocals without licenses from the artists and labels.
But for artists like Grimes, who is allowing anyone to license an AI version of her vocals so long as she retains 50% of royalties, AI models collaborating is a step in the right direction. “We are already cyborgs,” says Grimes’s manager Daouda Leonard, a music industry veteran who has managed the careers of DJ Snake and Grimes, among others. “To have machines that are going to be on your side or part of you, enhancing what you’re already capable of, I think that’s a beautiful thing.”
It stands to reason that AI’s dominance over the music industry will be slow and only partial—for now. Blau notes that live performances and relatable human vocalists will always be in demand. “To be honest, I think we’re way too early,” says Blau. “It’s gonna be a really long time before this whole concept goes mainstream.”
That said, Blau says he sold all 333 licenses for 3LAU AI five minutes after launching the product.
Here's what else is going on in tech news today.
Alexandra Sternlicht
Want to send thoughts or suggestions to Data Sheet? Drop a line here.
