The popular AI-generated song, which mimics the vocals of Drake and The Weeknd, was removed from streaming platforms amid copyright concerns. Image source: The Come Up Show via Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0
The AI-generated song “Heart on My Sleeve”, which mimics the vocals of pop musicians Drake and The Weeknd, has been removed from streaming platforms following complaints by Universal Music Group.
The song was originally posted on TikTok by user Ghostwriter977 and was shared on streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube under the artist name Ghostwriter.
The song gained immense popularity before it was removed from the services, where it had amassed over 600,000 plays on Spotify (amounting to a conservative revenue estimate of $1,888 USD), over 15 million views on TikTok and approximately 275,000 views on YouTube.
Exactly how the track was made—including the level of creative input from Ghostwriter—is still unknown, but Universal Music Group (UMG), the label both Drake and The Weeknd are signed to, was swift to condemn the practice.
“[The tracks] demonstrate why platforms have a fundamental legal and ethical responsibility to prevent the use of their services in ways that harm artists,” said a UMG spokesperson.
“The training of generative AI using our artists’ music […] begs the question as to which side of history all stakeholders in the music ecosystem 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.”
It’s not the first time Drake’s likeness has been used in the production of AI music, including a recent fan made video featuring him performing a verse on the song “Munch” by rapper Ice Spice.
“This is the final straw AI,” Drake said on Instagram in response to the video.
Other prominent artists have weighed in on the use of AI in music production, and the breadth of opinions would indicate that the debate is far from settled.
DJ David Guetta recently used AI in live show to mimic the lyrics and vocals of rapper Eminem, and though he would not release the track commercially, he was passionate in his support for the technology.
“I’m sure the future of music is in AI. For sure. There’s no doubt. But as a tool,” said Guetta.
Electronic pop artist Grimes also expressed her enthusiasm for the technology, encouraging fans to utilise her voice in AI music production.
“I’ll split 50% royalties on any successful AI generated song that uses my voice,” said Grimes in a tweet.
“Same deal as I would with any artist i collab with. Feel free to use my voice without penalty. I have no label and no legal bindings.”
Others were less enthusiastic about the development.
Front man Nick Cave of The Bad Seeds expressed extreme distaste for lyrics generated by the AI tool ChatGPT based upon his music.
“It’s a blood and guts business, here at my desk, that requires something of me to initiate the new and fresh idea. It requires my humanness,” said Cave.
“This song sucks.”
