The Beatles have won two Grammy nominations nearly 50 years after their breakup, courtesy of an AI restoration of their final song, “Now and Then.”
Their most recent song, completed in 2023 with the help of AI technology, is nominated for Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance at the forthcoming Grammy Awards.
In these categories, the song will compete against artists such as Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Billie Eilish, as well as rock legends Green Day and Pearl Jam.
With the Grammy Awards quickly coming on February 2, 2025, the song will compete with some of today’s biggest successes, like Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” and Billie Eilish’s “Birds Of A Feather.”
John Lennon first recorded “Now and Then” as a demo in the late 1970s. It was included in a collection he shared with his remaining bandmates in the 1990s, along with “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.”
Because the technology available at the time was unable to distinguish Lennon’s vocals from the background piano without sacrificing the sound quality, “Now and Then” remained unfinished for decades despite its potential.
Although there are questions about whether AI should be included in music, “Now and Then” is eligible for nomination because the Grammy Awards’ eligibility guidelines permit “elements” of AI content in music.
We earlier reported that a new agreement that increases the amount of money that musicians can make on Meta’s platforms was revealed by Meta and Universal Music Group.
