Tracking the Explosive World of Generative AI

AI-Generated Song Mimicking Drake and The Weeknd Pulled from Streaming Services

Universal Music Group files a complaint against a viral AI-generated song imitating Drake and The Weeknd, raising concerns over copyright law and the future of AI-created music in the industry.

Artist Drake performs at a concert. Photo credit: Reuters.

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A viral AI-generated song imitating Drake and The Weeknd has been removed from streaming platforms after Universal Music Group filed a copyright complaint.
The complaint highlights the growing concern over AI's role in music creation and its potential infringement on artists' rights and copyright law.
The incident raises broader questions about the future of AI-generated content and the current legal murkiness around such works.

By Michael Zhang

April 19, 2023

Universal Music Group (UMG) has filed a complaint resulting in the removal of a viral AI-generated song that imitates the voices of Drake and The Weeknd from major streaming platforms, alleging copyright infringement.

"Heart on My Sleeve," a wholly original composition by a user known as Ghostwriter977, employed AI-generated voices reminiscent of artists Drake and The Weeknd. The song gained rapid popularity after its release, amassing over 15 million streams across platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music.

UMG argued in a statement that training generative AI on artists' music constitutes "both a breach of our agreements and a violation of copyright law." The company urged the music industry to decide which side of history they want to be on: "the side of artists, fans, and human creative expression, or on the side of deep fakes, fraud, and denying artists their due compensation."

Drake himself expressed dissatisfaction with the track on Instagram, calling it "the final straw."

However, "Heart on My Sleeve" is not the only AI-generated music piece to feature the voices of UMG-affiliated artists. In the past year, a cover version of Ice Spice's provocative 2022 hit "Munch (Feelin' U)" was released using an AI-generated voice of Drake, and Beyoncé's hit "Cuff It" also received an AI remix.

Copyright law does not explicitly address generative AI, and some legal experts have questioned whether the label or artists should have a claim at all, given that the song is an entirely original creation that the artists never wrote or performed.

UMG's complaint against “Heart on My Sleeve” highlights the complex legal landscape surrounding generative AI, as rapid AI innovation and its capacity to produce eerily accurate results in text, images, and music now raise a plethora of intricate legal questions about copyright.