I recently found out that a big music streaming platform is releasing songs made with AI that mimic the voices and styles of famous musicians who have died. What’s shocking is that they might not have asked for permission from the families or estates of these artists before doing so.
This feels pretty wrong for several reasons. For one, it seems disrespectful to the legacy of these artists. Plus, shouldn’t their families have a say in how their beloved ones’ creative work is used? Also, there may be significant legal problems regarding copyright and publicity rights.
Has anyone else seen this happening? What are your thoughts on using AI to recreate music from artists who are no longer with us, especially without getting consent from their estates? I’m curious if this is even legal and whether we might face some big lawsuits because of it.
I know an artist in the music industry who dealt with something like this. An AI program created a song using a famous singer’s voice - someone who’d been dead for years. The family was furious. They felt it cheapened her artistry and trampled on their rights. The legal side gets messy though. Sure, most states have laws against using someone’s likeness without permission, but proving an AI voice violates those laws? That’s complicated and expensive to fight. It brings up a bigger question - shouldn’t families get to control how their loved ones’ artistic legacy gets used?
This screams for getting ahead of the problem instead of playing catch-up.
I’ve built systems that flip this around. Don’t fight AI misuse after it happens - create authorized AI models first. Get the estate working with legit platforms to make official AI recreations on their terms.
Set up automated licensing workflows so families control exactly how their loved one’s voice gets used. The system handles permission requests, tracks usage, splits royalties, and monitors compliance automatically.
When unauthorized versions show up, your official AI model becomes court evidence. You can prove the difference between your approved recreation and bootleg copies.
Smart estates are already doing this. They’re not waiting for pirates to steal voices - they’re making authorized AI versions first. Then they flood the market with legitimate content while blocking fakes.
You can automate everything from licensing requests to royalty distribution. Families stay in control without hiring armies of lawyers to chase every violation.
Platforms making money off stolen voices? They lose their excuse when legitimate AI alternatives exist. No more hiding behind user uploads when estates offer proper licensed versions.
I’ve been working in digital rights management for 10 years, and this issue has absolutely exploded lately. The tech is now so good that even we industry folks can’t tell AI vocals from the real thing. What’s really messed up is how these platforms game the system - they host content in countries with weak IP laws but make money worldwide. Estates end up spending years and tons of cash on international lawsuits just to take down one track. The AI companies claim they’re making “transformative work” instead of copying, which makes copyright cases way harder to win. The people getting screwed are fans who think they’re hearing actual lost recordings or unreleased stuff from dead artists.
Just went through this hell when someone used my late uncle’s voice to make fake jazz recordings. Our family was devastated - people actually thought these were real posthumous releases he’d left behind. What pisses me off most? Streaming platforms make money off this garbage while hiding behind safe harbor laws. They’re collecting subscription and ad money from AI tracks but say they can’t be held responsible for what users upload. The consent thing runs way deeper than legal rights. These artists made specific creative choices and partnerships their whole careers. Having AI randomly pump out new stuff in their voice shits all over what they stood for artistically. Most estates I’ve talked to feel like they’re fighting a losing battle - the tech moves way faster than the legal system can catch up.
The legal gray area around AI voice recreation is exactly why I built an automated monitoring system to track unauthorized use of intellectual property online.
Most families don’t even know this is happening until it’s too late. By the time they find AI tracks using their loved one’s voice, those songs might already have millions of streams.
You need constant monitoring across all major platforms. I set up workflows that scan new releases, analyze audio patterns, and flag potential violations automatically. The system checks metadata, compares vocal characteristics, and monitors social media discussions about suspicious tracks.
Catch these violations early. Once you have automated alerts, you can take legal action before the content spreads everywhere. Manual monitoring doesn’t work when thousands of new tracks get uploaded daily.
For estates dealing with this, automation’s the only realistic way to protect their rights at scale. You can’t hire enough people to manually check every platform every day.
I’ve seen this approach save families months of legal headaches by catching violations immediately instead of after they go viral.
This stuff honestly creeps me out. Imagine hearing your dead parent or grandparent singing a song they never recorded - that’s got to mess with families big time. These platforms just want easy cash and don’t care about the damage they’re causing.