Overview
- The rerecording was released Monday as the launch single for Artist Included, a new artist-led company founded to produce AI-assisted re-recordings that the band controls.
- Technically, Boy George recorded fresh vocals that were then processed with an AI model trained on licensed archival demos while the instrumentation was newly recorded by Roy Hay, Mikey Craig and session players.
- Artist Included was co-founded by Boy George’s manager Paul Kemsley and entertainment attorney-producer Jeremy Rosen with Boy George serving as creative director and the company saying artists will receive the lion’s share of revenue.
- The project was prompted by a recent high-value licensing deal for the original master that routed millions to rights holders while Boy George received little master income, and the rerecording is pitched as a way to compete for future sync and licensing work.
- The legal status of AI-assisted masters remains unsettled, and Artist Included says it plans more Culture Club rerecords such as 'Do You Really Want to Hurt Me' and talks with other legacy artists and publishers about similar projects.