AI copy of Drake and The Weeknd song removed from streaming platform

Universal Music Group (UMG) has taken down an Artificial Intelligence (AI) produced song that mimicked a collaboration between Drake and The Weeknd. The UMG criticized the song, titled “Heart on My Sleeve,” for piracy.

An artist named Ghostwriter uploaded the music on streaming platforms and their TikTok account under the username “Ghostwriter977.” At the time of its removal, it had already amassed over 600,000 listens on Spotify, 15 million views on TikTok, and 275,000 views on YouTube.

In an interview with Billboard magazine, UMG also cited the need for streaming companies to possess basic ethics and have legal control over their products to avoid harming artists. However, the company did not explain whether it had issued an official statement requesting the removal of the song from all streaming platforms and social media.

 According to its spokesperson, UMG tagged the training of generative AI on Digital Service Providers (DSPs) as piracy and an infringement of the rights of artists. The company’s spokesperson further called on stakeholders in the music industry to choose the right side of history and abandon “deep fakes, fraud and denying artists their due compensation”

“Stakeholders in the music ecosystem need to choose which side they are on: the side of artists, fans and human creative expression, or on the side of deep fakes, fraud and denying artists their due compensation”

UMG on generative AI

In the previous week, the Financial Times reported that UMG instructed broadcast companies to prevent AI firms from obtaining their brand songs. The report also noted that some systems had protection training in music without the mandatory permissions, highlighting the importance of safeguarding the rights of artists and self.

Generative AI and the music industry

The music industry is beginning to rally against the perceived danger of AI music. In October, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) notified technology firms as a whole about using songs to equip their devices without infringement protection.

Last month, the Entertainment Industry Coalition announced a program on the seven foundational laws, considering the connection between AI and music. The program discussed the need for technology to authorize human content and ideas. It also noted the significance of AI and privacy policies.

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