“Creating work with the voices of others is something to embrace,” said Holly Herndon.
American musician and composer Holly Herndon seems to be capitalizing
on the principle of deep-fake technology by allowing fans to use a
digital version of herself to create original artwork they can then
sell.
According to a Thursday announcement from Herndon on
Twitter, users who want to make their own deepfakes using the musician’s
unique voice and image will have the opportunity to sell their minted
creations using nonfungible token, or NFT, marketplace Zora. Herndon
said fans can submit their digital copies to be approved by the project’s DAO and would receive 50% of any auction profits.
The
project said it would initially release three “genesis” Holly+ NFTs
along with submissions from the public, which will be minted using a
smart contract and auctioned on Zora next month. Users will receive half
of any profits, with 40% given to the DAO and the remainder to Herndon
herself. The reserve price for two of the genesis NFTs is 15 Ether (ETH) — roughly $48,150 at the time of publication.
“Creating work with the voices of others is something to embrace,” said Herndon. “Anyone can submit artwork using my likeness.”
Related: Deep Truths of Deepfakes — Tech That Can Fool Anyone
Herndon’s
digital twin — called Holly+ — may have significant implications for
artists wanting to maintain control over their image and voice. Though
the musician’s first two NFTs are seemingly unlikely to be mistaken for a
natural speaking or singing voice, deepfakes have often been used to spread misinformation or otherwise manipulate the truth.
In
this case, with the artist’s consent and encouragement, and with the
technology likely to improve in the future, more realistic — and
profitable — digital versions of Herndon could arise. At the moment, the
DAO offers a check for profiting on non-approved voice clips.
“Vocal
deepfakes are here to stay,” said Herndon for the release of Holly+
last month. “A balance needs to be found between protecting artists, and
encouraging people to experiment with a new and exciting technology.
That is why we are running this experiment in communal voice ownership.”
source link : https://cointelegraph.com/news/musician-sells-rights-to-deepfake-her-voice-using-nfts
