Anonymous AI Act KLEM Kolectiv Signs To Alcopop! Records - Debut Single ‘Cyberstalkin’ Queen’ Out Now

Debut Single ‘Cyberstalkin’ Queen’ Out Now

New Single ‘Oppenhaimer (ft. Day-V)’ Released Friday 20th September 2024

In a landmark music industry moment, UK independent label Alcopop! Records are pleased to announce that today they become the first UK-based independent record label to sign an AI act, adding the anonymous KLEM Kolectiv to their roster.

KLEM have also been signed to Irish independent record label Strange Brew, and received an undisclosed advance as part of their deal with both labels. They released their debut single ‘Cyberstalkin’ Queen’ independently in June this year as a free download on Soundcloud where it has garnered industry attention by clocking up more than 1 million streams.

Their next single ‘Oppenhaimer’, featuring vocalist Day-V, will be released on Friday 20th September 2024 on all good digital platforms plus a limited physical NFT release through Alcopop! Records.

KLEM Kolectiv is a not-for-profit project, and the group have revealed that any profits generated from their actions will be donated to Orquesta Juvenil del Sodre Uruguay. The enigmatic crew have yet to clarify exactly why profits will be donated to a South American youth orchestra, but all will be revealed in good time.
 
Whilst they may have a similar approach to some of the AI acts that have preceded them—using varying degrees of Artificial Intelligence in the creation and production process—where KLEM differ is that their reason for existence is not to promote the use of AI tools but, through direct experience, explore and document the impact of AI on music and art.
 
The group have been booked for a public appearance at Output Music Conference in Belfast on November 12th 2024. Here they will reveal their identity, describe their process, discuss why they exist, and display how their observations impact music, art, and society.

By remaining anonymous KLEM have circumnavigated the constraints of image and identity politics, raising each release above customary commodification.

Commenting on their work, the Kolectiv say: “Music, stories and art have been the threads that have bound the fabric of society together since time immemorial. Now as we witness the weft and warp of that fabric change irrevocably, as counterfeit threads are shot through the weave, we observe, we learn, we create, and now we choose to act. We are KLEM.” 
 
The level of mystique around the Kolectiv is part of their intrigue; KLEM can be contacted through their social media channels, but none of their label reps have managed to speak to them yet. “We’ve been given a landline number, but we’ve been told that the phone ringer has been disconnected. Someone from KLEM answers the phone at the same time every day, but we don’t know what time that is, and we haven’t called at the right time yet. We hope to guess right before the single drops in September.”
 
Alcopop! Records label manager, Jack Clothier, says of the project: "AI is undeniably experiencing such a huge cultural explosion right now, and hate it or embrace it, there's no doubt that it's going to play a massive part in the music industry going forward. As the saying goes, you can't put it back in the box...so rather than fear it, cover our ears, and pretend it's not happening, we're working with the good folk at the Kolectiv to explore the effects that it might have, and investigate the impact that generative AI tools are having on the music industry, to inform our policy makers about how they can best protect the rights of professionals in the creative and cultural industries, and to flag and disrupt the exploitative mechanisms that are already impacting the world of music... and y'know, this seemed a fun way to do it."
 
When it comes to AI music elsewhere in the music industry, the genie is already well and truly out of the bottle. Kizuna AI is a Japanese virtual Youtuber and performer who built up 4 million followers on the channel after debuting in 2016. Kizuna has performed to both virtual and live audiences, taking a hiatus in 2022.

Capitol Records in the US signed AI rapper FN Meka in 2022. The robot rapper was dropped by the label less than two weeks after releasing their first single. A significant backlash to racial slurs in the digital performer’s lyrics prompted Capitol to sever ties with the act and publish an apology.
 
In Autumn 2023 Warner Music Central Europe signed Noonoouri, a virtual influencer and performer. Noonoouri counts Kim Kardashian among her fans, and has worked on campaigns with Dior, Versace and Vogue.