| 1. Sony Music Artists Missing from YouTube's Voice-Cloning Service YouTube has launched its new voice-cloning service to allow people to make their own unique voice copies and use them for various purposes, but the platform's music artists from Sony Music are not involved in the project. The service allows users to create a voice clone of themselves, which is then used to generate text-to-speech audio. This audio can be edited and customized for a range of uses, such as for viral marketing, podcasting, and video and audio applications. While access to the service is open to all users, Sony Music's artists have not signed on to participate. The decision to exclude Sony Music's artists from the new voice-cloning service has come as a surprise to many in the music industry. Some speculate that the reason for the exclusion may be due to contractual issues between Sony Music and YouTube. Others suggest that the technology may not yet be sophisticated enough for the label's artists to feel comfortable participating. At this time, there is no comment from Sony Music or YouTube on the issue. It remains to be seen whether Sony Music's artists will eventually be included in the service, or if they will continue to be absent from what may prove to be a significant new platform for the music industry. Whatever the outcome, it is clear that the decision will have a major impact on the future of voice-cloning technology and how it is used in the music industry. |