Artists always encountered impersonation, but in the age of AI, with its voice cloning and deepfake capabilities, this threat is more tangible than ever. You don't even need to look for the examples for too long. Endless AI covers on YouTube and AI-generated scam ads with celebrities touting things they'd never tout are just a few cases to name. But the good news is that the industry as well as content hosting platforms and social media are at least trying to fight it.
Shufti Pro, a global leader in identity verification, used in industries like banking, fintech, and healthcare, and .MUSIC, the exclusive top-level domain for the global music community, join forces to change the way artists, creators, and music professionals protect their digital identities in an age where AI-powered impersonation, deepfakes, and bots are becoming increasingly prevalent. As a result of this collaboration, .MUSIC domain registrants are thoroughly vetted and verified.
ShuftiPro offers an identity verification solution that globally (it's supported in 200 countries) validates people and organisations using a combination of government IDs and biometrics. While developing policies protecting artists and their NILV against deepfakes and stolen IP are in the works, legislation takes time to pass and only has a national effect.
Shufti Pro’s ID verification is a global, cross-platform solution that offers extensive protection. By verifying that each .MUSIC domain is legitimately owned by the creator or brand claiming it, the partnership aims to establish a safe, secure, and transparent music ecosystem so that everyone can easily identify the true source of any shared information or content.
“This collaboration is a critical development for safeguarding the music community's digital identity and creating a trusted, secure and authentic music-centric Internet for the global music community and industry to safely connect, engage and transact,” says .MUSIC Founder and CEO Constantine Roussos in a press release. “Having a verified global music identity is the only way to streamline royalty collection and the licensing process of obtaining NILV permission directly from the authorized source to enable proper provenance, attribution and compensation.”
“Our partnership with .MUSIC marks a pivotal moment for global identity verification in the music industry,” says Cox. “We are excited to set a new industry standard for identity authentication for artists, bands, industry professionals, organizations and other members of the global music community.”
The global launch of .MUSIC has started with many famous music artists and brands registering their .MUSIC names, among which are Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Prince, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Whitney Houston, Universal, Sony, Warner, Spotify, Soundcloud, Deezer, Tencent, Ticketmaster, Live Nation, Apple, Google, YouTube, Meta, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Amazon, Twitch, Reddit, Coachella, iHeart, CBS, NBC, MGM, Shopify, Hilton, Uber, BMW, Rolex, Prada, Andreesen Horowitz, a16z and many others.
“We are committed to ensuring that every verified artist and music community member is able to interact in a secure, authentic and genuine digital space,” says Marina Roussou of id.MUSIC, the exclusive global identity provider for .MUSIC. “Verified MusicIDs will enable artists to protect their name, image, likeness and voice against AI deep fakes, impersonators and bots to preserve the integrity of everyone in the music industry."
