Tennessee Becomes First State To Protect Musicians From AI by Signing ELVIS Act

The state of Tennessee has become the first to protect its musicians from AI by signing what is appropriately known as the ELVIS Act.

While the ELVIS Act is a nod to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, it stands for Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security. The state’s governor, Bill Lee, signed the bill that protects artists from the unauthorized use of their works by artificial intelligence.

According to Reuters, “Generative AI is capable of creating content including original sounds, lyrics or entire songs on its own, but artists often use simpler AI to enhance their sound.” Therefore, this new bill will ensure content remains original to whoever created it.

The governor’s office provided details regarding the ELVIS Act in a statement. It explained that Tennessee’s music industry supports more than 61,617 jobs across the state, contributes $5.8 billion to its GDP, and fills over 4,500 music venues.

“From Beale Street to Broadway, to Bristol and beyond, Tennessee is known for our rich artistic heritage that tells the story of our great state,” said Gov. Lee. “As the technology landscape evolves with artificial intelligence, I thank the General Assembly for its partnership in creating legal protection for our best-in-class artists and songwriters.”

Before the ELVIS Act, a previous law on the books only protected an artist’s name, image, and likeness. It did not specifically address new AI models which enable human impersonation.

These models allow anyone to do unauthorized fake works in both the likeness and voices of others. This left those in the Tennessee music community facing “exploitation and the theft of their integrity, identity, and humanity.”

Per the governor’s office’s handout, this artificial intelligence legislation has the support of the following leading music industry groups:

• Academy of Country Music
• American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)
• The Americana Music Association
• American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP)
• Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)
• Church Music Publishers Association (CMPA)
• Christian Music Trade Association
• Folk Alliance International
• Global Music Rights
• Gospel Music Association
• The Living Legends Foundation
• Music Artists Coalition
• Nashville Musicians Association
• National Music Publishers’ Association
• Rhythm & Blues Foundation
• Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA)
• Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC)
• Songwriters of North America (SONA)
• The Recording Academy
• Tennessee Entertainment Commission