Tennessee

Tennessee First in the Nation to Address AI Impact on Music Industry

Published

2 years ago

January 10, 2024

Tennessee First in the Nation to Address AI Impact on Music Industry

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act, a bill updating Tennessee’s Protection of Personal Rights law to include protections for songwriters, performers, and music industry professionals’ voice from the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI).

Tennessee’s music industry supports more than 61,617 jobs across the state, contributes $5.8 billion to our GDP, and fills over 4,500 music venues.

“From Beale Street to Broadway, to Bristol and beyond, Tennessee is known for our rich artistic heritage that tells the story of our great state,” said Gov. Lee. “As the technology landscape evolves with artificial intelligence, we’re proud to lead the nation in proposing legal protection for our best-in-class artists and songwriters.”

While Tennessee’s existing law protects name, image and likeness, it doesn’t specifically address new, personalized generative AI cloning models and services that enable human impersonation and allow users to make unauthorized fake works in the image and voice of others. Artists and musicians at all levels are facing exploitation and the theft of their integrity, identity, and humanity. This threatens the future of Tennessee’s creators, the jobs that they support across the state and country, and the bonds between fans and their favorite bands.

The ELVIS Act would be the first legislation of its kind in the nation to build upon existing state rule protecting against the unauthorized use of someone’s likeness by adding “voice” to the realm it protects.

“While the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is exciting in many ways it also presents new challenges — especially for singers, songwriters and other music professionals. Tennessee is well-known for being home to some of the most talented music artists in the world. It is crucial our laws protect these artists from AI-generated synthetic media which threatens their unique voices and creative content. I appreciate Governor Lee for proposing this first-of-its-kind legislation to protect the music industry in our state. I look forwarding to working with Leader Lamberth and my colleagues in the Senate on this important issue.” –Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin

“Tennessee is home to a remarkably diverse music community that is important not only to the culture of our state, but its economy as well. As technology advances, we must ensure the intellectual property of these incredibly talented artists, such as their voice, is fully protected. I am incredibly proud to carry this legislation that will benefit the performers who make our music industry so successful.” –House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland

“As AI technology continues to develop, today marks an important step towards groundbreaking state-level AI legislation. This bipartisan, bicameral bill will protect Tennessee’s creative community against AI deepfakes and voice cloning and will serve as the standard for other states to follow. The Academy appreciates Governor Lee and bipartisan members of the Tennessee legislature for leading the way – we’re eager to collaborate with lawmakers to move this bill forward.” –Harvey Mason, Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy

“The emergence of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) resulted in fake recordings that are not authorized by the artist and is wrong, period. The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) applauds Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Senate Leader Jack Johnson and House Leader William Lamberth for introducing legislation that adds the word “voice” to the existing law – making it crystal clear that unauthorized AI-generated fake recordings are subject to legal action in the State of Tennessee. This is an important step in what will be an ongoing challenge to regulate generative AI music creations.” –Nashville Songwriters Association International

Additional industry groups supporting Gov. Lee’s artificial intelligence legislation include Academy of Country Music, American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), 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, 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 Tennessee Entertainment Commission.

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Tennessee

5 Keys For Florida to Beat No. 20 Tennessee – WRUF 98.1 FM | 850 AM | 103.7 HD2 ESPN

Published

9 hours ago

November 21, 2025

Press Room

5 Keys For Florida to Beat No. 20 Tennessee – WRUF 98.1 FM | 850 AM | 103.7 HD2 ESPN

Florida is back in The Swamp on Saturday for the first time since Oct. 18, just in time for a rivalry matchup with No. 20 Tennessee.

The Gators walked away from their three-game road trip winless and interim coach Billy Gonzales is still yet to win a game. But while their 3-7 record eliminates them from bowl eligibility, the Gators still have plenty to play for. Tennessee and Florida State are the last two opponents on Florida’s schedule and historically create gritty matchups with bragging rights that go a long way. The Gators haven’t lost at home to Tennessee since 2003 and won’t play the Vols for two years with the SEC’s new scheduling practices.

Here are Florida’s five keys to taking down Tennessee’s high-powered offense and keeping the win streak alive.

Pressure Joey

Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar leads one of the most explosive offenses in the country. Aguilar is first in the SEC with 2,737 yards and 19 touchdowns. Tennessee averages over 44 points per game and will blow the game open if you allow Aguilar to get comfortable.

Florida bringing defensive tackle Caleb Banks back into its lineup could be a game-changer after he’s missed the last seven games. His ability to stop the run and pressure the quarterback could force Aguilar to make quicker decisions and, in turn, make mistakes. Banks hasn’t really been on the field all season, but will instantly draw the Tennessee offensive line’s attention, which could provide openings for the rest of the defensive line.

Florida has only recorded 21 sacks this year, a clip that needs to improve if the Gators are going to slow down the Volunteer offense.

Limit Big Plays

Florida’s secondary is another area that needs to show out Saturday.

Tennessee is 14th in the country in passing yards per completion, near Ole Miss and Texas A&M, who both caused problems downfield for Florida. The wide receiver trio of Chris Brazzell II, Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews is elite. They are all within the top seven in the SEC in receiving yards. Brazzell leads with 808. Matthews, the worst statistically of the three, still has 200 more yards than Vernell Brown III, Florida’s leading receiver this year.

The Gators will have to watch out for the deep ball. Safety Bryce Thornton will be a major difference maker, but that’s if he makes it onto the field. He’s currently questionable, but his ball-hawking ability can create takeaways.

Show Up Every Play

Gonzales said it’s inevitable for a team like Tennessee to create big plays, but the real battle is making sure you get right up and prevent them from continuing.

That’s the exact mindset Florida’s defense needs to have going into Saturday.

At risk of becoming repetitive, the Volunteers’ offense is the most explosive part of their team. It’s how they win games. If the Gator defense can keep Tennessee under 30, they will have a chance to score the major upset.

Protect the Quarterback

DJ Lagway showed some slight improvement in Florida’s loss to Ole Miss. His long touchdown toss to receiver J. Michael Sturdivant with the sophomore signal-caller’s feet planted shows what he can do when he is confident and can get his mechanics set. That starts with the offensive line.

Austin Barber has struggled this season at left tackle. Lagway naturally tends to float out of the pocket, so when the offensive line is poor he is quick to escape toward the sideline. This encourages his off-balance throws, which have been notably inaccurate this season. Florida needs to prevent that as much as possible to allow Lagway to put points on the board. Tennessee scores a lot. If the Gators are going to keep up offensively, Lagway needs to have a near-perfect situation when throwing.

Make it Ugly

Sometimes rivalry games produce results that you wouldn’t expect, only because of the sheer emotion of the matchup. Fights break out and trash talk, exotic celebrations reign. So while the Gators have definitely been worse than Tennessee this season, a hard-mouthed, ugly game that gets the crowd involved can bridge the gap in on-the-field quality.

The Gators upset the Vols last time they came to The Swamp and a late hit on Graham Mertz after a quarterback kneel resulted in a fight after the final whistle. The home team has won four years straight in this rivalry for a reason. Getting Tennessee frustrated and keeping the crowd in the game can be an advantage.