You probably remember the controversy that erupted over Guitar Hero 5 when it was discovered anyone could make Kurt Cobain’s avatar sing Bon Jovi songs. Lemme tell you something: you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Through careful editing and manipulation, CGI folk have long been able to resurrect dead people for movies, TV shows and TV commercials. Hollywood has long been abuzz about the day when the technology will be far enough advanced where it’ll be possible to cast, say Humphrey Bogart or Marilyn Monroe, in a starring role. I’d bet that James Cameron is already working on something like this.
If Hollywood is already thinking about how they can make do without flesh-and-blood actors, you just know that the music industry is wondering how they can get some of their dead charges to do their bidding.
Check out this article from Wired on how artificial intelligence will change music.
“Ever wonder how Jimi Hendrix would cover Lady Gaga? The day is approaching when you should be able to find out.
“Musicians’ opportunities to sell their recordings may be drying up due to cultural shifts brought on by changing technology, but other aspects of technology are creating a promising new market for music: the licensing of the musical style or personality of recording artists.
“The concept goes well beyond basing the avatars in guitar-based videogames on famous performers, although the idea is similar. Using complex software, North Carolina’s Zenph Sound Innovations models the musical performances of musicians from Thelonius Monk to Rachmaninoff, based on how they played in occasionally old, scratchy recordings. Using that model, the company creates new recordings as they would be played by deceased musicians, if they were around to record with today’s equipment, to critical acclaim. And that’s just for starters.”
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