Timbaland’s next pop starlet is an AI avatar

The legendary producer, having discovered and shaped artists like Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, and Justin Timberlake, is now launching a truly AI-based artist for the mass market.

He is entering an already crowded field of virtual influencers, Japanese Vocaloid artists, and a booming industry for AI celebrities in China.

According to Kotaku, Timbaland stumbled across Suno, the AI music creation tool, during a casual session and says he later fell in love with the voice that the tech generated:

«Amazing» voice
— It came to a point where I’m like, ‘Yo, this voice, it’s amazing.’

Coming from one of the industry’s most influential tastemakers, that carries real weight. Timbaland isn’t just dabbling, though.

He now serves as Creative Director for Suno, and kept uploading demo tapes to the service to enhance them.

Will use real musicians
Now he’s launching the AI artist «TaTa» under his new label Stage Zero, which he hopes will spearhead a whole new genre: A-pop (Artificial Pop).

Timbaland says real musicians will be involved in creating the music, but the actual voice of TaTa will be fully AI generated.

This raises a host of creative and legal questions — particularly around IP rights and music royalties.

An AI avatar will do and sing just like the producer wants, with no complications around management. The producer will likely retain the rights — and the money generated from streaming and music sales.

Not the first «virtual» artist
So is this the start of a new era, or will it simply flop? Just look at social media, where AI avatars already have huge followings — and the companies behind them make big bank without having to deal with actual talent.

Virtual influencers like Lil Miquela, have racked up millions of followers, engaging with fans just like any other online personality.

There’s also Japanese vocaloid artists like Hatsune Miku that has charting songs, sold-out concerts, and hundreds of millions of views on Youtube.

In China, virtual influencers are already a billion dollar industry.

There is no word on when Timbaland’s first music is set to arrive (some say a single is coming «soon»), and there seems no web page or socials for TaTa or Stage Zero just yet.

All we get for now is a pretty picture, a plan to make it work — and a whole lot of (western) internet blowback.

Read more: Kotaku is deeply critical, HipHopDX has quotes, Rolling Stone is paywalled, Vice ponders the value of art, while r/SunoAI brings on the realism.