Imposters must leave the building under music law
Tennessee, considered the birthplace of country music, has become the first United States state to introduce legislation designed to prevent AI recreating an artist’s voice without their consent.
The Ensuring Likeness, Voice and Image Security Act, or “Elvis Act”, introduces a civil action where offenders can be held liable if they publish, perform or produce an individual’s voice without permission.
It follows the progress made by AI programmes, which has rung alarm bells across the music industry.
Last year the music business was rattled by Heart On My Sleeve, a fake track created with the voices of Canadian musicians Drake and The Weeknd. The song went viral before being pulled from streaming services amid complaints from Universal Music Group.
Tennessee, which employs more music industry professionals than any other US state, hopes its new law will prevent similar cases.
As well as covering the unauthorised use of a musician’s voice, the law bars AI from producing an artist’s photographs or likeness without permission.
While there are high hopes for the law, it remains to be seen how effective Tennessee’s legislation will be.
Despite widespread support from the music industry, and rare unanimous approval from the state legislature, the law is untested. Some experts wonder if it is too broad and could inadvertently cover tribute bands or Elvis impersonators. Despite the concerns of some, the American music industry is overwhelmingly behind the new act.
Luke Bryan, a country music star, has had his voice copied by AI, and was present when the bill was signed. “Stuff comes in on my phone, and I can’t tell it’s not me,” he said. “Hopefully, this (act) will curb it.”