Oct 25 (Reuters) - Universal Music Group on

Friday released a Spanish version of country music star Brenda

Lee's 1958 hit song "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" using

SoundLabs' AI technology.

Called, "Noche Buena y Navidad" in Spanish, the song was

created with Lee's approval under award-winning Latin music

producer Auero Baqueiro.

Universal Music said that the song demonstrates how AI can

be used while respecting artists and ensuring their full

authorization.

The ethical use of artificial intelligence in the

entertainment industry has been a point of discussion after

several incidents where AI-generated content raised concerns

about copyright infringement and artist consent.

The track's vocal was made using SoundLabs' MicDrop, an

artificial intelligence vocal plug-in which allows users to

transform their voice into another voice or instrument.

The song used the original music and background vocals while

replacing Lee's lead vocals with a newly translated Spanish

language vocal, created using the AI vocal model derived from

the Country Music Hall of Fame member's voice.

"The result is a new version of the familiar and cherished

holiday classic that sounds as if 13-year-old Brenda Lee was in

the booth, singing it for the first time," Universal Music said.

Universal Music signed a deal with SoundLabs in June to

create official high-quality vocal models for artists using

their own voice data for training, while retaining control over

ownership and giving them full artistic approval.