Grimes LEAVES her record label Columbia Records

Just one day after sending several tweets about splitting royalties with artists who would use her voice in AI-generated songs, Grimes has left her record label.

The 35-year-old singer (born Claire Elise Boucher) split with Columbia Records, after signing with the label in early March 2021, via Billboard.

While no reason for the split was given, it was confirmed by the singer’s longtime manager Daouda Leonard.

It’s unclear how this will affect the status of her long-awaited sixth album entitled Book 1, which doesn’t have a release date yet.

The artist – who made headlines for changing the name of her daughter with Elon Musk – hasn’t spoken publicly about leaving her label yet, though she hinted at it in her first tweet about A.I. songs on Sunday.

No label: Just one day after sending several tweets about splitting royalties with artists who would use her voice in AI-generated songs, Grimes has left her record label

Grimes first started the conversation about A.I. songs on Sunday, tweeting an image of a Seattle Times article about A.I. songs with a message to A.I. artists, which also hinted at her split with Columbia.

‘I’ll split 50% royalties on any successful AI generated song that uses my voice. Same deal as I would with any artist I collab with,’ Grimes said. 

‘Feel free to use my voice without penalty. I have no label and no legal bindings,’ she added, hinting at her split with Columbia.

She then tweeted shortly thereafter, ‘I think it’s cool to be fused w a machine and I like the idea of open sourcing all art and killing copyright.’

‘We’re making a program that should simulate my voice well but we could also upload stems and samples for ppl to train their own,’ she added in another tweet.

Then on Monday she tweeted out a link to Elf Tech, adding, ‘Talking with my team: if u register music with us we can collect & pay out royalties direct to anyone who uses A.I. Grimes vocals using smart contracts!?’

‘The future rly is now! this is so cool. Working on a way to register and easily access vocals thru,’ she added above the Elf Tech link.

She also added another much longer tweet with some stipulations for this new supposed arrangement.

Tweet: Grimes first started the conversation about A.I. songs on Sunday, tweeting an image of a Seattle Times article about A.I. songs with a message to A.I. artists, which also hinted at her split with Columbia

Fused: She then tweeted shortly thereafter, ‘I think it’s cool to be fused w a machine and I like the idea of open sourcing all art and killing copyright’

Program: ‘We’re making a program that should simulate my voice well but we could also upload stems and samples for ppl to train their own,’ she added in another tweet

Team: Then on Monday she tweeted out a link to Elf Tech , adding, ‘Talking with my team: if u register music with us we can collect & pay out royalties direct to anyone who uses A.I. Grimes vocals using smart contracts!?’

‘Ok hate this part but we may do copyright takedowns ONLY for rly rly toxic lyrics w grimes voice,’ she began.

Then on Monday she tweeted out a link to Elf Tech, adding, ‘Talking with my team: if u register music with us we can collect & pay out royalties direct to anyone who uses A.I. Grimes vocals using smart contracts!?’

She then tweeted, ‘Ok hate this part but we may do copyright takedowns ONLY for rly rly toxic lyrics w grimes voice.’

‘imo you’d rly have to push it for me to wanna take smthn down but I guess plz don’t be *the worst*. as in, try not to exit the current Overton window of lyrical content w regards to sex/violence,’ she added.

She clarified, ‘Like no baby murder songs plz. I think I’m Streisand effecting this now but I don’t wanna have to issue a takedown and be a hypocrite later.’

‘That’s the only rule. Rly don’t like to do a rule but don’t wanna be responsible for a Nazi anthem unless it’s somehow in jest a la producers I guess,’ she said.

The singer said she would prefer, ‘avoiding political stuff but If it’s a small meme with ur friends we prob won’t penalize that.’

‘Probably just if smthn is viral and anti abortion or smthn like that. Rly rly don’t like adding rules so I apologize but this is the only thing,’ she concluded.

Grimes released her first five albums on indie labels, with 2010’s Geidi Primes and Halifaxa on Arbutus Records and 2012’s Visions, 2015’s Art Angels and 2020’s Miss Anthropocene.

Hate: ‘Ok hate this part but we may do copyright takedowns ONLY for rly rly toxic lyrics w grimes voice,’ she began

No baby murder: She clarified, ‘Like no baby murder songs plz. I think I’m Streisand effecting this now but I don’t wanna have to issue a takedown and be a hypocrite later’