Avenged Sevenfold have often been one of the more forward-thinking bands in rock, so it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that frontman M. Shadows is already on board the recent arrival of AI-generated material that mirrors the works of certain artists. While speaking on Twitter, Shadows credited alt-pop act Grimes who recently declared that she welcomed musicians to create new songs with her voice using Artificial Intelligence, saying she would split 50 percent royalties on any successful AI-generated track that included her voice.
Shadows weighed in on the move, telling fans on Twitter, "I like what @Grimezs is doing with her likeness and AI. I’m not sure the logistics while on a label… but moving forward I would love to help facilitate our 'sound' to producers and fans to create original “@TheOfficialA7X” songs using this technology."
The singer admits there's still a lot to figure out in how to do this, asking, "What should the splits be? Lots to figure out. Web3 will also play an important roll in authenticating true @TheOfficialA7X songs from AI produced. Exciting? Scary? What do you think?"
When one fan commented, "Wait but if it's an AI that makes an a7x song, would the AI developer have the splits or the person that requested the AI to create that song?," Shadows responded, "Stuff to figure out…. Napster was the wild west… spotify was the compromise… I assume that will happen here."
What Did Grimes Suggest She Wanted to Do With A.I.?
Grimes laid out her stance on A.I. generated music in a tweet, explaining, "I'll split 50% royalties on any successful AI generated song that uses my voice. Same deal as I would with any artist i collab with. Feel free to use my voice without penalty. I have no label and no legal bindings."
One of the key parts of her statement is the final sentence, where she reveals, "I have no label and no legal bindings." That would be a significant issue for many other artists planning to broach the idea of A.I. collaborations, as most have labels with contracts where the financials of such a deal would have to be figured out. As Grimes has control of her own career minus a record label, that's one less hurdle to clear.
READ MORE: We Answer the Most Searched Questions About Avenged Sevenfold
What Else Are Avenged Sevenfold Doing With New Album + Tour Promotion?
As stated, Avenged Sevenfold tend to make things interesting for their fans when new music is arriving. In the lead up to announcing the new Life Is But a Dream album and the recently released single "Nobody," the band sent fans down a rabbit hole of clues that included a virtual room filled with candles, chairs, a desk, ladder and writing and signs all over the walls. This was all part of an alternate reality game engaging fans that included a "hacking" of their social media accounts.
In addition, with Shadows and the band embracing the arrival of NFTs over the past couple of years, the band has launched their own blockchain-based ticketing rewards system.
This all comes as the band is leading up to the June 2 release of Life Is But a Dream. The band released the single "Nobody" last month. Get Avenged Sevenfold concert tickets here.
