Blocking Unauthorized Use of Singers' Voices
The Korea Music Performers Association announced on January 15 that it will participate as a joint research institution in a national research and development (R&D) project for copyright verification of artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfake music.
This research project, led by the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency, is a new technology convergence copyright technology development initiative that will run until 2028.
The main objective is to develop core technologies for copyright verification of AI-generated and deepfake music. The Korea Music Performers Association will collaborate with the Korea Copyright Commission, MarkAny, OddEye, and the Korea University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation.
Deepfake music refers to sound recordings produced by AI technology that alter a particular singer's voice or melody to make it appear as if the original artist performed the song. Kim Seungmin, Executive Director of the Korea Music Performers Association, stated, "There is a flood of sound recordings generated without the consent of vocal performers, leading to serious issues of infringement on voice rights and publicity rights. We are seeking ways for performers to protect their rights and generate revenue."
In the first phase of research in 2025, the Korea Music Performers Association established a vocal database (DB) and singing data to identify singers' sound recordings. During the data collection process, legal and ethical reviews and consent procedures were strengthened to prevent unauthorized use. During the research period, the association will also secure licenses and conduct technical demonstrations necessary for AI technology development.
The research will develop audio watermarking-based rights information insertion technology and an automatic detection system for deepfake music. Through this, the project aims to establish a technical foundation for detecting unauthorized use of performers' voices and tracking rights information, and to provide a transparent settlement and distribution system for performers who consent to AI use.
Park Geunik, Head of Business at the Korea Music Performers Association, commented, "This technology development based on our members' data will serve as the cornerstone for protecting performers' rights and building a fair music ecosystem in the AI era."
Founded in 1988, the Korea Music Performers Association is an organization that collects and distributes neighboring rights royalties for performers across all genres, including popular music, traditional Korean music, and classical music.
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