Troy Baker, who has lent his voice to characters like Joel in The Last of Us, Sam Drake in Uncharted, Revolver Ocelot in Metal Gear Solid and more, is promoting NFTs through a collaboration with VoiceverseNFT.
VoiceverseNFT is a 'say what you see' situation, as it claims it is offering "the world's first VoiceNFTs". That gives the purchaser "unlimited, perpetual access to the underlying AI voice that the NFT represents ownership of" and the rights to all of the intellectual properties produced with that aforementioned voice. Baker is thrilled to be at the vanguard of a new form of NFT "[bringing] new tools to new creators to make new things" and innovative investment opportunities for creative projects. Fans are... less thrilled. To sum it up, Baker's been ratioed beyond belief. "What a disgusting message," said one. "I thought you were better than that my dude," disparaged another.
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And, the last time I checked, this isn't a good concept. If you missed it, voice actor Bev Standing sued TikTok last year as it allegedly used her voice for its text-to-speech feature without compensation or consent. As a result, Standing's voice made it into “foul and offensive language” in innumerable videos causing “irreparable harm” to her reputation, as well as leading her to lose out on potential partnerships because brands could use her voice to advertise their product without paying her a penny.
Artificial intelligence and text-to-speech services are helpful, that goes without saying, however the industry is shifting to include the right to use files "in perpetuity" and for future purposes that will not be discussed at the time that contracts are being signed. “If you don't have that knowledge you could walk into a very murky landscape, be wildly underpaid for your work, be severely taken advantage of, and find out two years later that your voice is everywhere,” said Maria Pendolino in an interview with Motherboard about the lawsuit.
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"Imagine being able to create customized audiobooks, Youtube videos, e-learning lectures, or even podcasts with your favorite voice! All without the hassle of additional legal work," explained VoiceverseNFT. Oh, I hate the "hassle" that ensures someone is compensated justly for their work and gives them the opportunity to leave that gig behind for greener pastures, too.
Before disappearing into the mist like the ghost of good career choices past, Baker informed us that we have but one liberty in this life: to hate or to create. "What'll it be?" he asked in his announcement. I think the writing is on the wall with this one, champ.
Featured Image Credit: Gage Skidmore via WikipediaTopics: PlayStation, The Last Of Us
