SOURCE Hosts Panel On AI, Music & Creator Rights

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Pictured (L-R): Lili McGrady, President of Humanable; Bart Herbison, Executive Director of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI); Ashley Hertzog Embry, SOURCE Nashville Program Chair; Aileen Crowley, Co-President of Sureel and Ken Gay, Co-Founder of Monarrch.

SOURCE Nashville brought together music industry leaders, members of the tech world and legal experts for a “Real Talk on Artificial Intelligence: The Music Industry’s Response to AI” panel at the CMA offices on June 26.

The sold-out event addressed one of the most pressing issues facing the creative community today: the rise of generative AI and how it impacts ownership, attribution and compensation for music creators.

The panel was moderated by Bart Herbison, Executive Director of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, and featured innovators at the forefront of AI rights management including Lili McGrady, President of Humanable, a new certification company offering a trademark seal for music created without the use of generative AI; Aileen Crowley, Co-President of Sureel, an AI attribution platform helping creators control how their intellectual property is used and monetized by AI systems; and Ken Gay, Co-Founder of Monarrch, a generative rights management company pioneering real-time AI royalties for style and likeness usage.

Herbison opened with insight into Tennessee’s ELVIS Act, the landmark legislation passed in 2024 that now protects voice, likeness and image against unauthorized AI use. He also discussed federal efforts like the proposed NO FAKES Act, aimed at ensuring nationwide protections for artists. With AI-generated songs now produced at a rate of over 800,000 per day, the panel was a timely and necessary conversation that not only educated attendees but equipped them with tools to act.

“This is not about ‘picking a side’ that you think is wholly right or wrong,” said SOURCE Nashville Program Chair Ashley Hertzog Embry. “It’s about acknowledging the nuance of this very complicated matter, and having choices about how to respond.”

Additional, SOURCE has announced that tickets are on sale now here for the upcoming 22nd SOURCE Nashville Hall of Fame Awards hosted by Brenda Lee and Jeannie Seely with Mandy Barnett at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum on Aug. 26.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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