UK Music Industry Takes Legal Measures Against Vocal Cloning App Jammable

The vocal cloning app Jammable, which was previously named Voicify.ai, is under legal scrutiny by the United Kingdom's music industry for replicating the voices of famous artists using artificial intelligence without authorization. Jammable has been called out for providing its users with around 3,000 AI voice models, including those of renowned artists like Adele, Justin Bieber, and Michael Jackson, to create music deepfakes, which has drawn the attention of the UK's BPI (British Phonographic Industry).

Jammable's technology lets users generate 'covers' by taking existing music tracks, removing the original vocal line, and substituting it with an AI-generated voice of another artist. This process, done without obtaining necessary licenses for vocal samples or the songs themselves, infringes on the rights of the original artists and sparks critical copyright concerns.

Following the BPI's response, Jammable underwent a rebranding from its original name, Voicify, and made some changes to its functionalities. Despite the changes, the service continues to offer access to cloned voice models. BPI's letter to Jammable marked the first legal challenge against an entity enabling musical artist deepfakes.

Kiaron Whitehead, BPI's general counsel, emphasized the importance of protecting and rewarding human artistry against companies that exploit AI technology to benefit from unpermitted use of creative works, which threatens the livelihood of musicians and the integrity of the music industry.

Despite the risk of legal action, Jammable's founder, Aditya Bansal, claimed to have already profited significantly from the application. Subscriptions to the app range from $1.99 to $89.99 per month, indicating a potentially lucrative business at stake.

The BPI's stance against Jammable has garnered support from various UK music organizations, all expressing concerns over the unethical use of AI that undermines the rights of creators and the reliability of music consumption for fans.

Moreover, the spread of unregulated AI music generation tools that clone vocals or other copyrighted materials has captured international attention. In response to growing concerns, lawmakers in the US and the EU have started taking legislative actions. The implications of the No AI FRAUD Act in the US and the AI Act in the EU highlight global efforts to regulate AI development and protect intellectual property rights in music and beyond.

AI, music, legal