The proposed agreement with record labels mandates consent and compensation prior to releasing songs featuring digital replicas of artists’ voices.
Entertainment industry workers have struck a preliminary agreement with top record labels like Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, securing higher minimum wages and safeguards against the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI).
According to a statement on the website of the Hollywood actors’ union — the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the agreement spans from 2021 to 2026 and has received unanimous approval from SAG-AFTRA’s executive committee, representing about 160,000 actors and media personnel.
As the music industry is particularly struggling with songs produced by generative AI, a technique that allows internet users to easily replicate the voices of artists, frequently without the artists’ permission, the proposed agreement with record labels mandates consent and compensation prior to releasing songs featuring digital replicas of artists’ voices.
