AI-Generated Drake and The Weeknd song pulled from streaming platforms
Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on April 18, 2023
A new song featuring AI-generated fake vocals from Drake and The Weeknd that went viral over the weekend, has been pulled from most streaming platforms after the artists’ label, Universal Music Group (UMG), released a statement on Monday condemning “infringing content created with generative AI,” according to Billboard.
The song, titled “Heart On My Sleeve” and released by an anonymous TikTok user named Ghostwriter977, featured vocals eerily similar to those of the two superstars. The creator claimed the trick was accomplished using artificial intelligence. By Monday afternoon, the song had generated more than 600,000 spins on Spotify, and Ghostwriter977’s TikTok videos had been viewed more than 15 million times. The song has been removed from Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and TIDAL.
In a statement to Billboard, UMG called on platforms to prevent the use of their services in ways that harm artists.
“The training of generative AI using our artists’ music (which represents both a breach of our agreements and a violation of copyright law) as well as the availability of infringing content created with generative AI on DSPs, 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,” a UMG spokesman said in a statement. “We’re encouraged by the engagement of our platform partners on these issues – as they recognize they need to be part of the solution.”
Representatives for Drake and The Weeknd reportedly declined to comment on Monday.
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