Music Tech

ElevenLabs Taps Liza Minnelli for an AI Album, Daring the Music Industry to Listen

Credit: Elevenlabs (edited)

Key Points

  • Audio AI firm ElevenLabs releases "The Eleven Album," a collaborative project with artists like Liza Minnelli, to showcase a rights-friendly approach to AI music.
  • The project guarantees artists full ownership and creative control, a model designed to contrast with competitors facing copyright infringement lawsuits.
  • Valued at $6.6 billion, ElevenLabs is positioning its collaborative model as a legal and creative alternative while rivals like Suno and Udio face major copyright lawsuits from music labels.

In a pointed move against the AI music industry’s litigious backdrop, audio AI firm ElevenLabs has released “The Eleven Album,” a collaborative project featuring iconic artists like Liza Minnelli and Art Garfunkel. The album uses AI as a creative partner while guaranteeing artists full ownership, a direct challenge to competitors currently facing major copyright lawsuits.

  • Creator and owner: The project’s appeal for the legendary artists was creative control, a historically sore spot in the music business. "I grew up watching my parents create wonderful dreams that were owned by other people," Liza Minnelli stated. "ElevenLabs makes it possible for anyone to be a creator and owner." Art Garfunkel added that the experience respected musicianship, noting, "The human remains at the center."
  • The $6.6 billion question: The album is more than a creative experiment; it's a strategic play for the company, which Variety reports is valued at a staggering $6.6 billion. By partnering with rights companies like Merlin and Kobalt, ElevenLabs is building an ecosystem designed to integrate with the industry, not bypass it. The question now is whether this rights-friendly approach will be enough to win over an industry that currently has its arms crossed.

ElevenLabs is betting that a collaborative, artist-first model can build a legal and creative moat in the AI music space, turning a controversial technology into a tool that even legends are willing to embrace. But while ElevenLabs pushes a partnership narrative, major labels are in a full-blown legal battle with competitors Suno and Udio over alleged copyright infringement. The album follows ElevenLabs' earlier high-profile voice-cloning deal with actor Matthew McConaughey, and stands in stark contrast to the public tone of some rivals, including Suno's CEO, who recently made controversial comments comparing AI's impact to Ozempic.