TN Gov. Lee signs ELVIS Act into law in honky-tonk, protects musicians from AI abuses

On Thursday afternoon, Tennessee became the first state to enact voice, image and likeness protections for its residents against misuses of artificial intelligence through a new bill, the ELVIS Act.

Gov. Bill Lee signed the bill into law alongside musicians and other state representatives on the stage of the Lower Broadway honky-tonk Robert's Western World.

The ELVIS Act, short for the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act - HB 2091, advocates on behalf of the state's music creators by enacting voice protections. The bill arrives in the midst of AI advances where deepfakes and unauthorized uses of artists' voices and likenesses.

More: Here's how artificial intelligence is showing up in Nashville songwriting rooms

The signing ceremony included comments from Gov. Lee himself, State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, RIAA CEO Mitch Glazier, JesseLee Jones and Emily Ann Jones, and artists Chris Janson and Luke Bryan.

Mitch Glazier, Chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and a founding member of the Human Artistry Campaign, opened by thanking the music community for rallying behind the act.

"This bill is so much bigger than just the music community," he said. "This bill protects all Tennesseans."

Shortly before signing the bill, Gov. Lee said, "There are certainly many things that are positive about what AI does. It also, when fallen into the hands of bad actors, it can destroy this industry."

He continued, "It can rob an individual, these individual artists to whose unique God-given gifts transform people's lives. It can steal those gifts, it can impersonate those gifts, it can subsequently create fake works that rob those artists of their intellectual property...

Tennessee should lead on this issue and we are."

Luke Bryan, Chris Janson speak out in support

Luke Bryan took the stage and reiterated the importance of AI protections in the music industry. He said that managers are coming to him after hearing AI recordings of their artists and not being able to tell that it is actually an AI recording of their artist's voice instead.

Bryan said, "I've just gotten to where stuff comes in of my voice on my phone, and I can't tell it's not me. It's a real deal."

Chris Janson took the stage next.

"Do you know without songwriting, I can't go tour. My kids don't eat," he said. "People can't come to shows and hear live music if we don't put a stop to the fakeness. We came to a real city to make real music for real people."

"The darkness in the AI world always comes to light with realness and reality," Janson said. "What do they say in this town? The best song always wins."

Here's what to know about the new ELVIS Act

On Jan. 10, Gov. Bill Lee introduced the bill with State Senate Majority Leader Johnson and House Majority Leader Lamberth.

The ELVIS Act adds artist's voices to the state's current Protection of Personal Rights law and can be criminally enforced by district attorneys as a Class A misdemeanor.

Artists—and anyone else with exclusive licenses, like labels and distribution groups—can sue civilly for damages.

At the end of February, the bill unanimously passed the Senate and House Commerce Committees and moved to the final stages of consideration, the State General Assembly consideration and the Governor's signature, which took place on March 21.

What artists support the ELVIS Act?

The bill has been bolstered by a slew of artists that have spoken out in support.

Personal testimonies came from Natalie Grant and Matt Maher, contemporary Christian artists, and songwriter David Hodges, the co-founder of rock band Evanescence.

Other supporters of the bill include Luke Bryan, Chris Janson, CMA Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson, songwriter Jamie Moore, Maggie Rose, Matthew West and Tom Douglas, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason, Jr. and Lindsay Ell.

Lainey Wilson also testified about the issue before Congress, telling them what “a gut punch it is to have your name, your likeness or your voice ripped from you and used in ways that you could never imagine or would never allow.”

What industry groups support the bill?

Lee said that the planned legislation was developed with significant input from music industry leaders.

According to the governor's office, the governor's legislation is supported by: The Academy of Country Music, American Association of Independent Music, 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.

Other supporters include: 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), and the Tennessee Entertainment Commission.

What do the bill's critics say?

Some critics of the ELVIS Act say the bill infringes on the First Amendment, like Hannah Cox.

She said, "I understand the concerns proponents of this bill have with the potential for AI to undercut their incomes. But those concerns must be balanced with ones of equal importance: free speech and the free market. This bill fails on both of those counts."

At the bill's signing, Mitch Glazier, RIAA CEO, told The Tennessean, "There is no bill in the entire world that can ever prevent the First Amendment from protecting people.

"I thought that this bill did a great job of giving guidance about what those First Amendment protections are, but very importantly, it said if it's protected by the First Amendment, that's fine. But if it's not protected by the First Amendment, Tennessee is going to act to protect artists. I thought that was a great line to draw."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: ELVIS Act: Gov. Lee signs law, protects Tennessee residents from AI