“Heart on my sleeve” may have gained millions of listens and clicks since going viral over the course of just two days, but like most one hit wonders, the AI generated track’s 5 seconds of fame are up.
Universal Music Group shut down the song by pulling the track from all streaming services on Tuesday. In a statement, UMG said “the training of generative AI using [their] artists’ music represented “both a breach of [their] agreements and a violation of copyright law.”
While the song can’t be heard on Apple Music or Spotify anymore, re-uploads are still floating around TikTok and Youtube.
The song was originally uploaded by a TikTok user with the handle Ghostwriter977. In a now deleted post, Ghostwriter said they wrote and produced the AI-generated vocals for the track.
The song’s catchy hook and identical Drake vocals had fans listening on repeat despite the fake Weeknd feature sounding less convincing. On the song, the two artists spit back and forth about things like The Weeknd’s ex, Selena Gomez, and Drake’s hometown, Toronto.
While the song was quickly removed by UMG with no further action taken, the song’s success raises questions about the legal implications of AI undercutting musicians.
FABER: I think there is certainly an option to pursue litigation.
Intellectual property and licensing expert Jonathan Faber says that just taking down songs violating copyright is not enough to solve the problem.
FABER: I don’t throw litigation around as a first option. You know, I think it’s something that really needs to be weighed carefully, but. This may be one of those instances.
The fake Drake track not only presents legal issues but creative issues, too. Technology may be moving faster than the law but it might be moving even faster for aspiring artists.
FABER: “You know, and it’s one thing for some artists to sound a lot like another artist and maybe derivative. So and the music business has long had to deal with that. But this is not derivative issue. This is not in the style of issue. This is something that it sounds like it is actually Drake performing. And and therein lies a very significant problem. And I think it’s a big enough problem that the concern parties will have the option at least to consider litigation as a as a way to address it.”
Drake and the Weeknd aren’t the first artists to be targeted by A.I. Tiktok and forums online are flooded with fake covers by Kanye West and Jay-Z. Just last year, the company Factory New launched an AI rapper called FN Meka who was eventually signed to Capitol Records. Eventually, folks like Tech and Culture writer Lauren Chanel noticed an interesting pattern taking place.
CHANEL: What’s peak interesting to me is the artists and the genres that people are choosing to play with. It’s not Elvis, it’s not The Beetles, it’s not Harry Styles it’s not Taylor Swift. What are we implying here? This is just another example of people wanting black creativity, black art, black skills without black people. And I hate it.”
Beyond race, Chanel believes all artists of different mediums are at risk of being undermined and diluted by A.I.
CHANEL: “This is across the board, across race and gender. People undervalue creates creative output. Creative skill sets like you create whole worlds. The Marvel Cinematic Universe would not be what it is without the writers, but instead people attached to the people they see on screen, or the actors or the producers or the directors. And of course, those are crucial, you know, elements to this project. But I think in general, people just undervalue, create creative skill sets.”
While the world struggles to keep up and come to terms with the effects of A.I., two new fake Drake tracks dropped today, with a decision yet to be made by UMG.
For Annenberg Media, I’m Gabriella Medina