AI audio company introduces ethical platform connecting brands with legendary voices, featuring Michael Caine, Matthew McConaughey, and historical icons
The world of artificial intelligence just got a whole lot more star-studded. ElevenLabs, a leading AI audio company, has unveiled its groundbreaking Iconic Voice Marketplace a platform that’s reshaping how brands and creators access the voices of entertainment legends, sports heroes, and historical figures. This isn’t your typical tech launch. It’s a carefully orchestrated bridge between Hollywood’s golden age and tomorrow’s digital frontier.
What Makes This Marketplace Different?
Think of it as an ethical matchmaking service for celebrity voices. The Iconic Voice Marketplace operates as a two-sided platform where companies can browse a curated catalog of iconic voices and request licensing approval directly from rights holders. ElevenLabs acts as the middleman, facilitating deals and providing the technology to synthesize these legendary voices once agreements are reached.
What sets this apart from other AI voice platforms? Consent. Every single voice on the marketplace has been licensed with full permission from the talent or their estate representatives. No unauthorized cloning. No ethical gray areas. Just transparent, fair, and authorized use of some of history’s most recognizable voices.
“We’re thrilled to introduce the Iconic Marketplace, a true breakthrough for ethical sourcing and licensing of celebrity content,” said Mati Staniszewski, CEO and co-founder of ElevenLabs, in a statement to The Decoder. “It demonstrates how AI can responsibly expand opportunities for studio and talent, while enhancing storytelling.”
Sir Michael Caine Leads the Charge
The marketplace’s most prominent living ambassador is none other than Sir Michael Caine, the 92-year-old British acting legend whose career spans over 160 films. Caine has partnered with ElevenLabs to create an AI version of his distinctive Cockney-tinged voice, making it available for licensing through the new platform.
“For years, I’ve lent my voice to stories that moved people tales of courage, of wit, of the human spirit. Now, I’m helping others find theirs,” Caine explained in promotional materials. “With ElevenLabs, we can preserve and share voices not just mine, but anyone’s.”
The actor’s involvement goes beyond simple licensing. His voice will also be available on the ElevenReader app, where users can have books, articles, and PDFs narrated in Caine’s unmistakable voice. Imagine having War and Peace read to you by the man who played Alfred in The Dark Knight trilogy. That’s now a reality.
Caine emphasized that this technology isn’t about replacement it’s about amplification. “ElevenLabs is at the very forefront of technology, using innovation not to replace humanity, but to celebrate it,” he stated. “It’s not about replacing voices; it’s about amplifying them, opening doors for new storytellers everywhere.”
Matthew McConaughey Joins as Investor
In a parallel announcement, ElevenLabs revealed that Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey has become an investor in the company. While the financial details remain undisclosed, McConaughey’s involvement signals growing confidence in AI voice technology from Hollywood’s A-list.
McConaughey has been collaborating with ElevenLabs since the company’s founding in 2022. Now he’s putting the technology to practical use by launching a Spanish-language audio version of his newsletter, Lyrics of Livin’, narrated in his own AI-generated voice despite not speaking Spanish himself.
“I launched my newsletter, Lyrics of Livin’, as a way to share stories and ideas in my own voice with those who want to listen,” McConaughey explained. “Now, thanks to ElevenLabs, Lyrics of Livin’ is expanding with a Spanish language edition, allowing us to reach and connect with even more people.”
The actor’s enthusiasm for the technology is tempered with thoughtfulness. In a recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, McConaughey expressed both interest and caution about AI, preferring systems trained exclusively on his own material rather than mass-produced models like ChatGPT.
A Star-Studded Roster Spanning Generations
The Iconic Voice Marketplace currently features 28 voices, creating an eclectic mix of living celebrities and historical figures. According to Music Ally, the roster includes entertainment legends like Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, and Art Garfunkel, alongside sports icons such as Babe Ruth, Rocky Marciano, and Shoeless Joe Jackson.
The historical figures are particularly intriguing. Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, Alan Turing, and J. Robert Oppenheimer are all available their voices synthetically replicated from archival recordings. While most people wouldn’t recognize what these historical figures actually sounded like, ElevenLabs has painstakingly recreated their vocal characteristics from available audio sources.
Other notable voices include John Wayne, Laurence Olivier, Burt Reynolds, Maya Angelou, Richard Feynman, Amelia Earhart, Jean Harlow, Lana Turner, Mickey Rooney, Montgomery Clift, and Rock Hudson. It’s a who’s who of 20th-century American culture, preserved in digital amber.
How the Licensing Process Works
The marketplace operates on a straightforward but carefully controlled approval process. Companies interested in using a particular voice browse the catalog and submit a detailed request outlining their project’s format, purpose, audience, and intended use.
The rights holder whether that’s the living celebrity, their estate, or an IP management company—reviews each request individually. If approved, both parties negotiate licensing terms off-platform, covering usage rights, territories, timeframes, and compensation. Only after this agreement is finalized does ElevenLabs step in to facilitate the actual voice synthesis.
According to Trend Hunter, the voices can be licensed for a wide range of applications including film and TV narration, advertising campaigns, video games, audiobooks, podcasts, and educational content. However, submitting a request doesn’t guarantee approval each proposal is evaluated based on factors like project content, brand fit, and talent availability.
Strategic Partnerships Expand the Roster
ElevenLabs hasn’t built this marketplace alone. The company has partnered with renowned talent agencies like CMG Worldwide, which manages the rights of legendary figures. These collaborations emphasize respect, consent, and creative authenticity while connecting brands with cultural icons in an ethical manner.
The partnership with CMG Worldwide represents a significant step in how iconic talent engages with modern audiences. By combining CMG’s expertise in rights management with ElevenLabs’ cutting-edge technology, the platform creates new storytelling opportunities that honor historical legacies while embracing future possibilities.
Addressing Ethical Concerns Head-On
The launch comes at a critical time for AI voice technology. ElevenLabs recently settled a lawsuit from two actors, Karissa Vacker and Mark Boyett, who accused the company of misappropriating their voices without permission. The Iconic Voice Marketplace appears designed to address exactly these kinds of ethical concerns.
“The creative use of iconic identities is transparent, fair, and authorized,” ElevenLabs stated in its release. By requiring explicit consent and formal licensing agreements, the platform aims to set a new industry standard for responsible AI voice generation.
Dustin Blank, who heads partnerships at ElevenLabs, told The Hollywood Reporter that the company is “looking to create a library of iconic voices from all kinds of time periods that can be used for all kinds of creative projects.” He emphasized that these voices “occupy a space in our collective memory around a lot of important moments.”
The Technology Behind the Voices
ElevenLabs employs two primary techniques to create these AI voices. Voice cloning captures the unique characteristics of a person’s voice from existing recordings. Voice replication then kicks in when someone prompts the system with text, generating new speech that maintains those captured characteristics.
For living celebrities like Michael Caine and Liza Minnelli, the process involves recording new audio samples specifically for training the AI model. For historical figures, ElevenLabs relies on archival recordings, using advanced algorithms to extract vocal patterns and recreate authentic-sounding speech.
The company’s technology has evolved significantly since its founding in 2022 by Polish-born entrepreneurs Piotr Dąbkowski and Mati Staniszewski, former employees of Google and Palantir respectively. The recent launch of Eleven v3 in June introduced better voice synthesis, audio tags for emotional expressions like whispering and laughing, and more natural multi-speaker dialogue in over 70 languages.
Industry Implications and Future Outlook
The marketplace’s launch signals a broader shift in how the entertainment industry approaches AI technology. Rather than fighting against AI voice generation, rights holders are finding ways to participate in and profit from the technology while maintaining control over their intellectual property.
ElevenLabs has attracted significant venture capital interest, raising at least $279 million since its founding. Last month, the company announced a $100 million tender offer that valued it at $6.6 billion double its Series C funding-round valuation from earlier in 2025. The tender was led by existing investors Sequoia and Iconiq, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Smash Capital, and World Innovation Lab.
The company’s reach extends beyond the marketplace. Anthropic uses ElevenLabs technology for voice output in its Claude assistant, demonstrating the platform’s technical capabilities and industry credibility.
Questions and Concerns Remain
Despite the ethical framework, questions linger about the broader implications of AI-generated celebrity voices. Voice actors worry about job displacement as brands opt for AI-generated celebrity voices instead of hiring human talent. There’s also the philosophical question of whether we want to be “awash in the sounds of Thomas Edison and Mark Twain,” as one Deadline commenter put it.
The marketplace also raises questions about safeguards. How strictly will usage guidelines be enforced? What happens if a licensed voice is used in ways that damage the celebrity’s reputation or legacy? These are issues that will likely be tested as the platform matures.
The Road Ahead
For now, ElevenLabs is focused on expanding its roster of iconic voices. The company welcomes inquiries from public figures, actors, and IP rights holders interested in making their voices available for licensed use. Those interested can contact the company directly through its partnerships email.
The Iconic Voice Marketplace represents a fascinating experiment in balancing technological innovation with ethical responsibility. By prioritizing consent, transparency, and fair compensation, ElevenLabs is attempting to chart a middle path between the Wild West of unauthorized AI voice cloning and the complete rejection of the technology.
Whether this approach succeeds in satisfying all stakeholders celebrities, rights holders, brands, voice actors, and consumers remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the voices of legends past and present are finding new life in the digital age, and the conversation about how we use them is just beginning.
Sources
- The Verge – ElevenLabs’ new AI marketplace lets brands use famous voices for ads
- The Decoder – ElevenLabs opens a marketplace for iconic AI voices
- Blockchain.News – Sir Michael Caine Joins Iconic Marketplace
- Music Ally – ElevenLabs launches ‘Iconic Voice Marketplace’ for brands
- Trend Hunter – AI-Generated Voice Marketplaces: elevenlabs iconic marketplace
- The Hollywood Reporter – Babe Ruth, Lana Turner, McConaughey – ElevenLabs Has the Voices
- Deadline – Michael Caine Partners With AI Company ElevenLabs To Clone His Voice
- Variety – Matthew McConaughey, Michael Caine Team With ElevenLabs for AI-Generated Versions of Their Voices
- ElevenLabs Iconic Marketplace
