--- title: "Holograms Are Resurrecting Dead Musicians, Raising Legal Questions" description: "Holograms are bringing dead musicians back from the grave to tour again, and the practice raises thorny legal and ethical questions." date: "2018-12-29" modified: "2018-12-29" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/holograms-resurrecting-dead-musicians" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "entertainment" - "holograms" - "legal" - "music" --- # Holograms Are Resurrecting Dead Musicians, Raising Legal Questions ![]() *\Image: GettyImages / Emily Cho\* ## Dead Musicians Michael Jackson. Amy Winehouse. Tupac. Roy Orbison. Those are just a few of the dead musicians who have been [resurrected on stage]() in recent years as holograms — and a [new feature]() by the *Australian Broadcasting Corporation* explores not just the critical reception and technological frontiers of the new industry, but the legal minefield it raises to dust off the visage of a famous person and bring them out on the road. ## Back to Life According to University of Sydney digital human researcher Mike Seymour, today's musical holograms have only started to tap the medium's potential. In the future, he predicted to the *ABC*, machine learning will let these long-dead holograms interact with the crowd and improvise. Additionally, according to the report, the law is still grappling with how to handle [life-after-death performances](). In the U.S., a legal concept called a "right to publicity" gives a person, or their estate, the right to profit from their likeness. But whether right to publicity applies after death, and for how long, differs between states. ## Atrocity Of course, no legal or technical measures will win over fans of an act who find it disrespectful to raise a performer from death and trot them out on tour. "If you are appalled by \[the idea\], because you think it's an atrocity to the original act, you are going to hate it," Seymour told the broadcaster. "And if you are a fan that just loves seeing that song being performed again, you are going to think it's the best thing ever." **READ MORE:** [Dead musicians are touring again, as holograms. It's tricky — technologically and legally]() \[*Australian Broadcasting Corporation*\] ***More on hologram performances:*** [Wildly Famous Japanese Pop Star Sells Thousands of Tickets in NYC. Also, She’s A Hologram]() ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()