Recording Academy CEO Says Music With AI Components Is Eligible for Grammys

Quincy Jon, Tech Times 04 July 2023, 01:07 pm

The Grammy Awards' organizer, the Recording Academy, has modified rules to reflect the music industry's fast evolution better. Protocols relating to technical developments in machine learning are among the recently implemented standards that have attracted attention and made the news.

The Recording Academy has clarified that only human creators would be eligible to win the music industry's top prize, underscoring their cautious stance regarding using artificial intelligence (AI) in popular music, AP News reported.

The updated regulations state, "AI work that contains no human authorship is not eligible in any category." The Recording Academy's position on AI-generated music is clearly indicated in this statement, which aims to find a balance between embracing technological breakthroughs and maintaining the importance of human creativity.

What Do The New Rules Say?

Harvey Mason Jr., CEO and President of the Recording Academy, highlighted that music composed using AI or featuring AI-generated components may still be submitted for consideration and nominated for Grammy Awards. However, the AI component will not get a Grammy or Grammy nomination from the Academy alone.

The lead vocal on a song performed by an AI or voice modeling software would be admissible in a composition category but not in a performance area, according to Mason, who further defined the qualifying requirements. This difference stems from "what is performing is not a human creation." Conversely, a song performed by a human singer with AI-generated lyrics or sound would not be qualified for songwriting.

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The Recording Academy's strategy is underpinned by preserving and fostering human creativity. According to Mason, as long as the human artist takes part in "a more than de minimis amount, which to us means in a meaningful way, they are and will always be considered for a nomination or a win," as the Academy wants technology to enrich, embellish, and contribute to human creativity, not replace it, as a report from The Hill stated.

After a wave of AI-assisted music composition gained prominence, the Grammy Awards adopted AI rules. Examples of AI-assisted music works include Grimes' voice modeling AI software, David Guetta's "Emin-AI-em," and @ghostwriter977's TikTok compositions.

Thorough Study Conducted

The Recording Academy hosted tech conferences and performed in-depth research to provide detailed recommendations. Mason said that interactions about AI had a turning point in the previous six months, which prompted interactions with organizations like the copyright office to investigate potential future legislative and federal initiatives.

The release of the new AI protocols coincided with Paul McCartney's admission that John Lennon's voice was extracted from an old tape to create "the last Beatles record" using AI. Mason didn't say if the music was Grammy-eligible since the technology's role is unclear.

The ramifications of AI's growing influence are not limited to the music business. For instance, the legal profession discusses AI's benefits and downsides while quoting court cases, per NPR.

The US Copyright Office, meantime, has now released revised instructions on submitting creative work that AI has supported for copyright consideration. This is done to recognize AI's expanding importance in various artistic activities.