Fender’s CEO seems to think your bandmates are just analog AI
Fender CEO Edward Cole is facing backlash for comparing cover songs and band collaboration to 'analog AI' in a resurfaced interview. This controversy adds to existing tensions between the guitar manufacturer and its community regarding copyright enforcement.
Why it matters
It highlights the growing friction between legacy music brands and their fanbases over the integration of AI and corporate intellectual property policies.
Fender CEO Edward “Bud” Cole gave an interview to T3 in May celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Telecaster with comments on AI and music that initially flew under the radar. But it has started making the rounds recently, pouring more fuel on an already raging fire of bad PR following the company pissing off basically the entire guitar-playing community by sending cease-and-desist letters to builders, claiming copyright of the Stratocaster body shape.
Some influential guitar YouTubers have even said they’re done buying Fender gear in the wake of the controversy. And Cole’s resurfaced comments comparing cover songs and bandmates to a sort of “analog AI have only sunk the company’s standing further among the loudest of its fans online.
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