The British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the UK’s record industry trade group, reportedly threatens to sue Voicify, a UK-based company offering an AI-powered platform for creating vocal covers.
The BPI accuses Voicify of copyright infringement, alleging that its technology infringes on the sound recording copyrights of its members.
BPI Says Voicify is Misusing AI
The BPI sent a formal legal letter to Voicify last month, outlining its concerns, according to reports published Monday. BPI official Kiaron Whitehead stated the music industry welcomes technological innovation, but platforms like Voicify are “misusing AI technology by taking other people’s creativity without permission and making fake content.”
It also appears that other global music bodies, including the Music Publishers Association (MPA), hold a similar stance against Voicify.
MPA CEO Paul Clements said that the “unethical use of AI,” as in the case of Voicify, poses a threat to both creators’ livelihoods and music fans’ trust. Clements said there needs to be a collaborative approach involving all stakeholders in the UK music industry to ensure AI benefits the economy and fosters responsible practices, not short-term gains at the expense of creators.
RIAA Adds Voicify to US Music Industry’s Piracy Watchlist
Potential legal action remains on the table. However, the next steps depend on Voicify’s official response to the BPI’s legal letter.
BPI’s lawsuit threat won’t be the first time Voicify has been called out for its AI voice cloning service. The company garnered attention last year when the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) included it in its annual submission to the US government’s “Notorious Markets” review of piracy services.
The RIAA submission details how Voicify is able to generate new versions of songs with vocals mimicking a different artist via YouTube links. The RIAA alleges that Voicify essentially stream-rips YouTube videos, extracts acapella tracks, modifies them with AI vocal models, and provides users with unauthorised copies of the altered elements and remixed recordings.
