After Music NFT Relaunch, LimeWire Is Adding AI Tools—Here’s Why

LimeWire, the early 2000s peer-to-peer music sharing service reborn in 2022 as a music NFT market, revealed a decentralized generative AI creator studio Tuesday that’s backed by Ethereum scaling community Polygon. However why is LimeWire pivoting into AI?

The peer-to-peer platform was wildly common within the early 2000s with over 50 million month-to-month customers at its peak, however closed down in 2011 after shedding a authorized battle with the Recording Business Affiliation of America over allegations of piracy. LimeWire relaunched in 2022 as an NFT market with backing from music trade titans like Deadmau5 and Steve Aoki.

It has since signed partnerships with the likes of Common Music Group (house of Justin Bieber, ABBA and Girl Gaga), and earlier this yr, expanded its choices to permit content material creators to curate their very own subscription-only feeds, just like Patreon. Now LimeWire is rolling out a brand new AI creator studio with an intention to additional democratize the inventive trade.

To start with, LimeWire’s studio will provide the flexibility to create AI-generated photos through text-to-image or image-to-image inputs, with the platform using present instruments like Steady Diffusion and DALL-E. LimeWire can be seeking to roll out a extra advanced system in coming months.

Talking with Decrypt, LimeWire COO Marcus Feistl defined that the platform has had a number of artists use generative AI to create paintings for music that was in any other case able to be launched, with the instruments simply dashing up the method. 

Alongside that, LimeWire plans to launch a collection of AI-created music instruments within the coming weeks as a part of the studio, with video capabilities following shortly after that. Customers can enter the studio so as to add particular sounds or devices to a selected observe, just like present pattern packs obtainable to producers or construct a music round licensed beats. Individuals may create a complete music from scratch, with AI-generated lyrics, music, and vocals all obtainable to faucet.

“It’s a a lot easier type of manufacturing, making it extra accessible to many individuals,” defined Feistl. He added that LimeWire desires to “empower newcomers to start out their inventive journey and provide skilled creators the instruments they want. With this, anyone can turn into a creator.”

The studio additionally hopes to supply creatives a fairer cost construction. Presently, common customers who publish their artwork on the platform can obtain as much as 50% of advert income from LimeWire, whereas “professional customers” who maintain a specific amount of the LMWR token or personal the flagship LimeWire NFT can obtain as much as a 70% minimize.

Artists may earn cash through subscription-based companies or by promoting their artwork as NFTs, with LimeWire providing an all-in-one platform to mint and commerce, alongside the flexibility to help video, music, and static imagery. Feistl claimed that a number of creators have already constructed a powerful sufficient group round their artwork that they’re capable of make a dwelling from it.

Every little thing created within the LimeWire AI studio can be robotically minted as an NFT on the Polygon blockchain, making use of a completely automated creator earnings cost system.

Creatives will even obtain a portion of the proceeds when their artwork is utilized by different artists, be it a picture for a document launch, a remixed observe, or a drum loop. Every little thing is topic to a “rigorous course of,” Feistl stated, “that enables LimeWire to examine if importing artists really maintain the rights to that content material they’re sharing although.”

Nonetheless, he admits that it is an ongoing course of.

“The extra fashions and use instances we add, the extra high quality content material will come from the studio,” stated Fesitl. “To me, that’s the place it turns into tremendous attention-grabbing.” 

The announcement of LimeWire’s AI creator studio comes as many inventive industries debate the potential risks that synthetic intelligence poses to creators.

Writers and actors alike in Hollywood are collectively on strike, with considerations over AI use amongst their key complaints. And earlier this week, a gaggle of British lawmakers warned that AI builders should be stopped from freely utilizing music, literature, and paintings to coach their fashions.

Not everybody within the music trade is against AI enjoying a task within the inventive course of, nonetheless. Musicians like Grimes and Avenged Sevenfold singer M. Shadows are amongst those that have stated they’re OK with their voices being replicated and remixed by AI, whereas the Grammys awards ceremony will enable songs created with the assistance of generative AI.

“Within the music trade, it looks like a smart thought to embrace AI and work with the instruments that it gives,” stated Feistl, pointing to the fast innovation that the trade has seen over the previous twenty years like digital downloads and streaming. “Platforms like Spotify clearly have their positives and negatives, nevertheless it’s a change it’s essential to embrace if you wish to achieve success and attain your viewers.”

He additionally believes AI gives a whole lot of alternative for development, with LimeWire’s creator studio permitting artists to make their content material obtainable for others to make use of.

“AI’s fundamental power in music creation is enhancing the inventive course of and making it simpler. It’s not going to exchange anyone factor although,” Feistl stated, with the instruments needing human creativity to continuously prepare on. “To date, one of the best outcomes have come from somebody using present music to create one thing new,” he added.

“I don’t assume AI is ever going to exchange the artist,” he added. “And we’re solely speaking concerning the digital aspect of music anyway. We’ll by no means have the ability to substitute real-world experiences like reside live shows.”