The Velvet Sundown have been excluded from the Future Sound Awards, an event honoring the ethical application of AI in music, as their practices do not comply with the event's principles and guidelines.
The Future Sound Awards, an esteemed music awards event celebrating the creative potential of AI in music, has taken a decisive step by banning the AI band Velvet Sundown from participating. The ban is a result of a prank that the band is believed to have pulled off.
Velvet Sundown, a multidisciplinary artistic project that blends music, analog aesthetics, and speculative storytelling, had gained a significant following on Spotify, boasting hundreds of thousands of monthly listeners. However, the Future Sound Awards' mission does not align with the actions of Velvet Sundown, as the awards aim to promote the responsible use of AI in music, not to displace artists.
The Future Sound Awards operates its submission requirements through their partner, TwoShot, and their industry-leading licensing technology. Entries must not use copyrighted music, a requirement for participation. Submissions are judged on criteria such as inspiration, vocals, lyrics, and process. Judges look for lyrical content that is edited and has a human touch. The awards also aim to promote traceable and rights-cleared music creation, which may involve transparency about AI training data and processes.
It remains unclear whether Timbaland's 'artificial artist' TaTa would be eligible for the Future Sound Awards, as the specific eligibility criteria for AI-generated artists are not explicitly detailed in the awards' guidelines. Nonetheless, the Future Sound Awards were launched to demonstrate the ethical use of AI tools in music and celebrate creators using these tools responsibly.
Nominations for the Future Sound Awards will be announced on August 11, with the deadline for entries having passed on August 5. The awards aim to celebrate creators around the world doing "cool stuff" with AI, with the definition of 'cool' in the context of the Future Sound Awards being infinitely elastic. The Future Sound Awards believe in promoting the responsible use of AI in music, not displacing artists.
Velvet Sundown's multidisciplinary project, which uses AI for music creation, contravened the Future Sound Awards' mission as it did not align with their aim of promoting the responsible use of AI in music. Despite this, the Future Sound Awards continues to explore the ethical boundaries of AI in music, with the possibility of accepting entries from artificial artists like Timbaland's TaTa, provided they meet the eligibility criteria.
