The Future of Music? Universal Music Signs Deal for Ultra-Realistic Artist Voices

Universal Music Signs Up for the Future of Vocals with AI!

Universal Music, the music industry giant, is making waves with a new deal involving artificial intelligence startup Soundlabs. They’re aiming to create “ultra-high fidelity vocal models” for artists – basically, super-realistic AI versions of their voices!

Imagine this: Jon Bon Jovi (or any other UMG artist) could potentially record an entire album using AI-generated vocals that sound just like his own. Sounds pretty futuristic, right? The same goes for James Hetfield from METALLICA or any other vocalist on their roster for that matter.

But don’t worry, this deal isn’t about replacing artists with robots (at least not yet!). The key here is artist control. Singers will train the AI models using their own voices, but they’ll also have complete ownership and approval over the final product. This means no rogue AI BON JOVI or METALLICA albums popping up anytime soon!

Transform your soundscape now

In a press release, Universal Music say, “It empowers artists and producers to explore bleeding-edge vocal transformations, including voice-to-voice, voice-to-instrument, speech-to-singing, language transposition, and a myriad of previously impossible vocal transformations. Together, UMG and SoundLabs are collaborating to allow UMG artists to create custom vocal models that will be available for their exclusive creative use cases, and not available to the general public.”

“It’s a tremendous honor to be working with the forward-thinking and creatively aligned Universal Music Group,” adds Soundlabs founder BT, who dance music fans may remember from the 1986 hit Blue Skies, featuring Tori Amos. “We believe the future of music creation is decidedly human.

“Artificial intelligence, when used ethically and trained consensually, has the Promethean ability to unlock unimaginable new creative insights, diminish friction in the creative process and democratize creativity for artists, fans, and creators of all stripes.

Empower your creative journey

“We are designing tools not to replace human artists, but to amplify human creativity.”

Soundlabs describe themselves as producing “ethically trained AI assistive tools for musicians that put the power in musicians’ hands, and keeps it there”, but the use of AI has been proposed in more controversial ways elsewhere.

Soundlabs emphasizes “ethically trained AI” tools that empower musicians. While AI in music has sparked debates before, this approach seems focused on giving artists more creative options, not taking away their voices.

Future music awaits us

Is this the future of music? Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure: Universal Music is betting big on AI to revolutionize how we experience music.

AI Rocks Out: How Artificial Intelligence is Infiltrating Rock and MetalThe thunderous riffs and soaring vocals of rock and heavy metal might seem far removed from the world of artificial intelligence, but AI is quietly making its presence felt in these genres.

Here’s how: Supercharged Songwriting: AI can analyze vast libraries of music to identify patterns and song structures common in rock and metal. This data can inspire new song ideas, helping bands overcome writer’s block or experiment with fresh approaches.

Elevate your sound experience

Enhanced Production: AI plugins can analyze and optimize audio recordings, suggesting adjustments for better clarity, punch, and overall mix quality. This can be a valuable tool for independent bands working with limited resources.

The Rise of “Virtual” Bandmates: While not yet commonplace, AI can potentially generate realistic drum tracks or even guitar solos based on a musician’s style preferences. This could be helpful for solo artists or bands wanting to flesh out their sound in the studio.

Personalized Experiences: While many hard rock and heavy metal listeners prefer discovering new artists through channels such as YouTube, word of mouth or online radio streaming services like Loaded Radio, AI algorithms can also offer the convenience of suggesting new bands based on your listening habits. This can expose fans to a wider range of rock and metal subgenres, potentially leading to the discovery of new favorites.

Imagine concert evolution now

The Future of Live Shows: AI might one day be used to create interactive concert experiences, with virtual musicians responding to the crowd’s energy or even generating visuals that complement the music in real-time.

While AI’s role in rock and metal is still evolving, it’s clear that this technology has the potential to empower musicians, enhance the listening experience, and even redefine how we experience live shows.