- tech360.tv
Grammys to Recognise AI-generated Music, only If Humans Are Involved
Updated: Jan 3
[Edited] The Recording Academy has announced several changes to the Grammy Awards, including a new rule that states "only human creators" can win the music industry's highest honor.
This decision is aimed at addressing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in popular music.
Under the newly released "Artificial Intelligence (AI) Protocols," the Recording Academy stipulates that "a work that contains no human authorship is not eligible in any category." This rule was established during the academy's board of trustees meeting last month, where it was determined that works featuring elements of AI can be eligible as long as a human creator has made a "meaningful" contribution to the music and/or lyrics.
According to the new requirements, "the human authorship component of the work submitted must be meaningful."
The announcement comes shortly after Paul McCartney revealed that a forthcoming "last Beatles record" had been composed using artificial intelligence by extracting John Lennon's voice from an old demo. McCartney described AI as "kind of scary but exciting," adding, "We will just have to see where that leads."
In addition to the AI rule, the Recording Academy has made swift changes to other categories. To be nominated for the Album of the Year category, a music creator must now account for at least 20% of the work. This includes all credited artists, featured artists, songwriters, producers, engineers, mixers, and mastering engineers. This differs from a decision made in 2021, which allowed anyone who worked on the album to receive a nomination.
The number of nominees in the "Big Four" categories, including Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year, has been reduced from 10 to eight.
Previously, the "best music film" category required 50% of the documentary footage to be performance-based. However, the Recording Academy has lifted that requirement to better reflect the evolution of the music documentary format, which often includes a collection of verité and archival footage. Biopics and dramatic feature films remain ineligible.
Additionally, music-focused and individual music videos that together create a visual album are now eligible if they are packaged and entered together as one cohesive film. This trend was spearheaded by Beyoncé's 2016 "Lemonade" film and has been explored across genres, as seen in Halsey's 2021 "If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power."
The Recording Academy has also renamed the Best Improvised Jazz Solo award to Best Jazz Performance and the Best Regional Mexican Music Album (including Tejano) to Best Música Mexicana Album (including Tejano). To qualify in the latter category, 50% of the lyrics must be sung in Spanish, or the majority of the musical content must reflect a traditional style of Mexican music.
In addition to these changes, the Recording Academy has introduced three new categories: Best Pop Dance Recording, Best African Music Performance, and Best Alternative Jazz Album.
These updates reflect the Recording Academy's efforts to adapt to the evolving landscape of music creation and ensure that the Grammy Awards remain relevant and inclusive in recognizing artistic achievements.
The Recording Academy has implemented a rule stating that only human creators can win Grammy Awards.
Works featuring elements of AI can be eligible if a human creator has made a meaningful contribution.
Changes have been made to other categories, including the requirement for music creators to account for at least 20% of the work in the Album of the Year category.
Source: AP NEWS