AI Music Startup 'Artist Included' Launches to Help Legacy Acts Reclaim Master Recordings

For decades, artists who defined the soundtrack of the 1970s and 1980s have watched the financial value of their biggest hits flow to record labels and holding companies. Because standard industry contracts rarely granted musicians ownership of their master recordings, the creators themselves often miss out on the most lucrative long-term revenue streams.[4]

Now, a new Los Angeles-based startup is attempting to rewrite that economic reality using the very technology many musicians fear: artificial intelligence. Artist Included officially launched this week with a mission to help legacy acts create new, artist-owned master recordings for the modern market.[2][3]

To prove the commercial viability of the model, the company debuted a brand-new version of Culture Club's 1983 smash hit "Karma Chameleon." The release was timed to coincide with frontman Boy George's 65th birthday and distributed in partnership with BMG.[1][2]

The business logic mirrors the highly successful strategy employed by Taylor Swift, who re-recorded her early albums to regain control of her catalog. By creating a legally distinct new master, artists can bypass the original rights holders and license their own versions directly for film, television, and advertising placements.[4]

However, recreating the exact magic of a decades-old vocal performance is notoriously difficult. Unlike synthetic AI tracks that clone a voice without permission, Artist Included relies on what it calls "ethical, artist-approved" technology to bridge the gap between a singer's current voice and their historical prime.[3][5]

Boy George physically went into the studio to record a new vocal performance for the track. The company then partnered with Syntiant Corp, a provider of low-power physical AI solutions, to process the audio.[2][5]

Syntiant's models were trained on original 1980s vocal demos and studio stems, which were provided with the explicit consent of the song's original producer, Steve Levine. The AI analyzed the unique tonal characteristics and timbre of Boy George's younger voice, subtly supporting the new studio vocal without replacing the human performance.[1][5]

"The goal was never to replace the original – it was to celebrate it and let the song keep evolving for new audiences," Boy George noted, adding that revisiting the track was an emotional and creatively inspiring process.[2][3]

The startup was co-founded by entrepreneur Paul "PK" Kemsley, who manages Boy George, and entertainment attorney Jeremy Rosen. Planet Hollywood founder Robert Earl serves as Chairman of the Board, signaling strong entertainment industry backing.[1][2]

The venture has already attracted significant seed investment from prominent figures, including Mike Walsh, a founding partner of Structure Capital and an early backer of Uber, as well as Red Light Management, one of the world's largest independent artist management firms.[2]

The financial stakes for legacy artists are massive. The original "Karma Chameleon" has amassed over 900 million streams on Spotify alone and continues to command multi-million-dollar sync fees for commercial use. Reclaiming even a fraction of that commercial footprint represents a major financial windfall.[1]

Kemsley emphasized that the company's goal is not to exploit old catalogs, but to help artists create new ones. Artist Included plans to collaborate with numerous artists from the 1960s through the 2000s, unlocking opportunities across streaming, gaming, brand partnerships, and even foreign-language versions.[2][3]

The launch arrives at a moment of intense anxiety within the broader music industry regarding artificial intelligence, with widespread concerns about deepfakes, copyright infringement, and the devaluation of human artistry.[2][4]

By placing consent, transparency, and creator ownership at the center of the technological shift, Artist Included is attempting to reframe AI from a tool of piracy into a mechanism for partnership.[3][5]

As the music industry grapples with the economics of streaming and the looming specter of generative AI, the startup offers a rare optimistic blueprint. It suggests that, when used responsibly, emerging technologies can actually help legacy artists bring themselves back into the financial party they started decades ago.[1][3]