The entertainment industry is now saturated with deep fakes and AI-generated content, and recently, a song went viral in what seems a collaboration between Drake and The Weeknd. This track replicated the artists’ vocals and has now garnered over 230,000 plays on YouTube and 625,000 plays on Spotify.
Drake
UMG Responds To Fake Drake AI Song That Went Viral On Music Platforms
In a now-deleted TikTok video, the creator explained using artificial intelligence to compose the song without disclosing the application used. In one comment, the artist said (via NBC News):
“I was a ghostwriter for years and got paid close to nothing just for major labels to profit. The future is here.”
Universal Music Group, which represents Drake and The Weeknd, has addressed this controversy via a statement shared with Music Business Worldwide:
“UMG’s success has been, in part, due to embracing new technology and putting it to work for our artists–as we have been doing with our own innovation around AI for some time already.”
The Weeknd
The company reiterated that the use and abuse of generative artificial intelligence pose the question of whether the industry supports real human talent or fake technology:
“With that said, however, 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.”
Lastly, they noted that these platforms, particularly music apps, have the moral obligation to protect artists as well as see to it that their services are not used for purposes otherwise intended:
“These instances demonstrate why platforms have a fundamental legal and ethical responsibility to prevent the use of their services in ways that harm artists. We’re encouraged by the engagement of our platform partners on these issues–as they recognize they need to be part of the solution.”
Fans who listened to the song were quite impressed with the way this AI technology captured the artists’ voices. However, it still left divided opinions among the public due to its controversial production.
Where To Listen: Drake & The Weeknd’s ‘Heart On My Sleeve’
The Weeknd and Drake
Despite the backlash, the composer of the infamous hit remains undeterred. Ghostwriter977 continuously communicates with fans and provides them with links to the AI song. At the moment, YouTube still has some copies circulating. Check out the clip here and here.
In this modern world where talent and technology collide, it is still imperative that artists practice their craft under the laws that govern the industry. It takes hard work to get to the top, and success tastes sweeter when the labor is done with good intentions.
