Grimes Launches A.I. Vocal Project In Beta: ‘Enjoy the Chaos’
Grimes has encouraged fans to go nuts with her (almost) no-rules A.I. vocal project. Now, the experimental Canadian artist points the way, a digital sandpit where creators can muck around with her vocals, get them away, make some money and create “chaos”.
Though still in beta, Grimes’ Elf.Tech project is the engine room to the project, which, despite her initial take, will definitely operate with some clear IP and copyright rules, and financial splits.
Grimes has been touting the A.I.-generated song concept through open-sourcing audio stems to music creators and AI voice model companies, and pitching her Elf.Tech backend at Ultra Music Festival.
“This is all a beta test so it may be imperfect at first. But! Let’s try this out,” she writes in a thread on Twitter.
Currently, a range of pre-recorded Grimes acapellas are available, though creators can create and upload their own.
“We also have stems on the site if you prefer to train ur own Grimes model! we’ll add more stems over time Feel free to take advantage of Grimes IP! we can collect master recording royalties for you if choose to distribute your song through,” she writes.
Elf.Tech also acts as an aggregator, by uploading songs for distribution to DSPs for $9.99 each year.
Creators who cut a recording with “GrimesAI-1 voiceprint” – that is, the AI-generated audio based on Grimes’ vocals — must share an equal split of the master recording royalties distributed on streaming services, onchain marketplaces (primary and secondary sales) and other DSPs, reads the terms and conditions.
And to be sure, creators “must have the legal right to all elements of their distributed recording,” the exception being the use of the GrimesAI-1 voiceprint.
The creative mayhem will be dampened should copyright lawyers get involved.
“I don’t own the rights to the vocals from my old albums. if you make remixes, they may get taken down. However if you don’t monetize them they prob won’t get taken down. If a remix goes viral we will work with my old labels to ensure distribution/ compensation for you,” writes Grimes, the mother of two with ex Elon Musk.
“We ask for 50% splits on master recording royalties in exchange for a grimes feat and distribution,” she adds. “There’s a *small* chance we can organize getting you publishing $ as well but we can’t guarantee this yet. But I hope we can!! Would be cool.”
Also, concludes the Elf.Tech document, “we will be making consistent updates to the GrimesAI voice model, stems and distribution service, so remember to enjoy the CHAOS.
Lars Brandle
Billboard
