TAXI's AI Alert does not always make sense

[CTWF]

Listing # S241217CT (quoted below) calls for demos for a band. Why should demo-quality AI vocals not be suitable here if a producer wants to submit but cannot sing the lines themselves and hiring a professional vocal artist makes no sense at this stage? There is zero legal reason for this since the band will make the song their own anyway (with their own vocals). It is just a demo! I put the critical part below in bold. This must be a misunderstanding, no? Here AI could be of real benefit to everyone.

Tom/CTWF

POP SONGS about "SPRING" with MALE vocals are needed by an International Label for a very popular BOY BAND that is searching for new material!

NOTE: This Label is fairly new to requesting music from TAXI's members! This is a stellar opportunity to create a new industry relationship and outlet for your music!

This Label is looking for Mid-to-Up-Tempo Songs in the general stylistic wheelhouse of the following examples that we got directly from them:

"INTRO" by LUCY

"You Better Not" by TAEYEON

"Journey" by WOODZ

NOTE: Although one of the references has female vocals, this Label is looking for Songs with MALE vocals only. Please use the references to grasp the general type of sound and style they are looking for, and ensure your submissions are gender appropriate.

QUOTING THE LABEL: "We are looking for a track with a "Spring" theme that sounds like it's played by a band. It needs to distinctly emphasize "Spring" as the main keyword and capture the essence of the season. It could either portray the bright, major-key mood of spring or have an evocative, lyrical early-spring ambiance. (We welcome both directions here.) It needs to have a sing-along-friendly top line that listeners can easily follow and sing along to."

Please submit modern Pop songs with English lyrics that relate directly to "Spring" and motifs that capture the essence of the season! Engaging rhythms, sing-a-long melodies, unforgettable hooks, dynamic arrangements, and well-crafted lyrics that fit the theme are all needed. Instrumentation should fall heavily on the organic side (remember, it should sound like it's being played by a band!) and stay in the general stylistic ballpark of the references. Please make sure that any virtual instruments or samples you use are high-quality, modern, and very realistic sounding. Well-performed Male vocals in English with a pop-friendly sound are needed. PLEASE be sure to include lyric sheets with your submissions!

IMPORTANT: This Label CANNOT use anything with vulgar language or sexually explicit/graphic lyrical content.

Do NOT copy the references in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as a general guide for tempo, tone, texture, and overall vibe.

AI ALERT: This company does not accept or sign music that has been lyrically or melodically composed using generative AI, nor does it accept backing tracks, full instrumental tracks, or vocal performances created with AI.

The specific deal points will be negotiated on a Song-by-Song basis. Please submit as many Songs as you like, online or per CD, and please include lyrics. Time permitting, someone who works directly with the Label (who has been trained as a TAXI Screener) may screen and critique some or all of the submissions. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 PM (PST) on Tuesday, December 17th, 2024. TAXI # S241217CT

[macomposer]

Hi! Where are you getting that they are asking for a demo? It is not listed in the brief at all....

Understand that this is for a boy band, but that doesn't mean that the boys in the band will record the music. Saying that they want it
to sound like a band just means that they want authenticity and like what boy bands sound like.

Many times with this type of thing, the track is the track, and the artist comes in and does their thing on top. And in some cases, backing vocals, vocal efx, etc. are left in the track. So in terms of what you're asking, no company wants AI in their music. That's why having an AI singer (which would be a sample of someone's voice, hence copyright infringement in most cases) would not work.

Capisci?

[CTWF]

Capisci?

No, this makes zero sense. If it is a band, their own singer will do the topline - otherwise it would be a joke and not a band. So, AI vocals in the topline should be no problem at all. Aside from that, most AI vocal software has commercially cleared voices with clear licenses. So even if - for no good reason - they took the vocals it would be a non-issue.

[cosmicdolphin]

That's why having an AI singer (which would be a sample of someone's voice, hence copyright infringement in most cases) would not work.

It isn't a sample and it isn't copyright infringement because Tom is talking about licensed voice models. The original singers get compensated in a small way each time the model is used.

[Casey H]

AI ALERT: This company does not accept or sign music that has been lyrically or melodically composed using generative AI, nor does it accept backing tracks, full instrumental tracks, or vocal performances created with AI.

I think you missed the point. They are concerned about the COMPOSITION, meaning lyrics and melody. There is where the copyright issues could come in to play.

Casey

[CTWF]

AI ALERT: This company does not accept or sign music that has been lyrically or melodically composed using generative AI, nor does it accept backing tracks, full instrumental tracks, or vocal performances created with AI.

I think you missed the point. They are concerned about the COMPOSITION, meaning lyrics and melody. There is where the copyright issues could come in to play.

Casey

I totally understand that point - and that is exactly why I point out that at least in a demo situation, the restriction on vocal AI cloaks should be lifted. Composition/lyrics no AI, yes, but actual vocal performance for a demo - sure, why not AI, because: It will be replaced.

[CTWF]

Risking to sound like a broken record:

If TAXI has a listing that essentially asks for an HQ demo and it is clear that the vocals would be replaced anyway (say, a listing for a very popular existing act), then I see no reason why I could not use an AI-generated vocal track which has a man-made melody and man-made lyrics. The act will sing man-made melodies and lyrics. No AI in the final product.

I think this would help cost-conscious producers a lot, given how small the chances are on such listings.

Even if the situation was that the act is so fake that the risk of them taking the submitted vocals was real, one could include an AI warning ("AI WARNING: Submitted vocal was sung by AI voice"). However, if the vocals are commercially cleared anyway (as in the case of AI cloaks I have used), taking the original AI vocals out of fakeness or error should pose no legal risk.

EDITed to add for clarity: I have a licence for ACE Studio and can feed their software my composition as MIDI and lyrics (many more performance parameters exists, but lets keep it at that for now). Then I put a (in fact commercially cleared!) AI performer on it. I get a vocal performance of my composition and lyrics by an AI voice. This is for instance how I produced this song here: https://soundcloud.com/ctwf/united/s-aN1bhibmW3t Now I have a demo and can send it to any real acts/singers who can much better imagine how the final product will/should sound. No need to hire an expensive session singer.

[Casey H]

My guess is it's POSSIBLE that once they know AI was involved, they don't trust anything about it. It's also POSSIBLE that they want the freedom to use some of the backing tracks in a real production.

The bottom line AGAIN is we don't make the rules. We scream about it on a forum forever but it's wasted energy. Taxi isn't making these rules, their clients are. Also, keep in mind that listings for artist songs are the highest bar out there and odds of placement are teeny tiny. It's not worth getting all worked up about.

Can AI turn off the broke record here?

[AlanHall]

Has anyone asked Taxi if it's a copy/paste error? I agree that the AI warnings for most listings may not entirely apply to artist listings as we see here.

[CTWF]

Has anyone asked Taxi if it's a copy/paste error? I agree that the AI warnings for most listings may not entirely apply to artist listings as we see here.

I am not a member currently, so, someone else should ask. But I am sometimes tempted by those demo type artist listings - and maybe would submit/become a member again if an AI voice was acceptable.