Universal pulls song for ‘infringing content’ with AI generated vocals of Drake and Weeknd

Universal pulls Heart on My Sleeve from streaming services for ‘infringing content’ by featuring AI generated vocals of Drake and The Weeknd after it went viral racking up 15million TikTok views

  • Universal Music Group said the AI song represents ‘a violation of copyright law’
  • Heart on My Sleeve had 600,000 streams on Spotify before it was taken down

An AI-generated song featuring the simulated voices of Drake and The Weeknd has been pulled from streaming services by the Universal Music Group for ‘infringing content created with generative AI’.

The track went viral over the weekend and by the time it was removed yesterday afternoon had been streamed 600,000 times on Spotify and received 15m views on TikTok views and 275,000 on YouTube.

The song, which is titled Heart on My Sleeve, is believed to have been created using AI programming trained with artists’ music, something which UMG said ‘represents both a breach of our agreements and a violation of copyright law’.

There has been speculation the song was a publicity stunt by a startup tech firm, and was originally posted on TikTok by a user called Ghostwriter977 and shared on streaming platforms under the name Ghostwriter. 

The music label told Billboard magazine that the viral postings ‘demonstrate why platforms have a fundamental legal and ethical responsibility to prevent the use of their services in ways that harm artists’. 

The Weeknd, pictured in LA in 2021

An AI-generated track featuring the simulated voices of Drake, 36, and The Weeknd, 33, went viral over the weekend, prompting speculation it’s a publicity stunt for a startup tech firm

Universal Music Group pulled the song from streaming services for 'infringing content created with generative AI' (file image)

Universal Music Group pulled the song from streaming services for ‘infringing content created with generative AI’ (file image)

They added that the episode ‘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.

‘We’re encouraged by the engagement of our platform partners on these issues – as they recognise they need to be part of the solution.’

It is not the first time Canadian rapper Drake has been dragged into the world of AI.

Just last week, he appeared to criticise an AI-generated version of his voice included in song by New York rapper Ice Spice, writing on Instagram ‘this is the final straw AI’. 

The latest AI music phenomenon begins with what appears to be Drake in the opening verse, then transitions into a chorus from an AI simulation of The Weeknd.

A number of users speculated about who might have created the artificial music, including AppSumo’s Mitchell Cohen.

AppSumo’s Mitchell Cohen called the AI track ‘a genius marketing stunt,’ adding, ‘Not by Drake, but by a SaaS (software as a service) startup.’

Cohen traced the origins of the track to a TikTok account with the handle @ghostwriter977.

The track went viral over the weekend and by the time it was removed yesterday afternoon had received 15m views on TikTok views and 275,000 on YouTube (file image)

The track went viral over the weekend and by the time it was removed yesterday afternoon had received 15m views on TikTok views and 275,000 on YouTube (file image)

A number of users speculated on who might have created the artificial music, including AppSumo's Mitchell Cohen

A number of users speculated on who might have created the artificial music, including AppSumo’s Mitchell Cohen

Cohen pointed to the TikTok account where the AI-generated track originated from

Cohen pointed to the TikTok account where the AI-generated track originated from 

Cohen noted the reasons he believed the Canadian musical artists were not involved with the track

Cohen noted the reasons he believed the Canadian musical artists were not involved with the track 

The account shared an AI version of Drake covering the 2007 Colbie Caillat track Bubbly a few days ago.

The TikTok account says it includes a full version of the track in a link in their biography, which leads to a website requesting personal details in exchange for a full copy of the AI track.

The owner of the website that was linked to is a startup firm called Laylo, which says it’s geared for creators to gain additional followers and subscribers with their tools, with the use of ‘drops,’ the outlet reported.

While Cohen did not point at Laylo specifically for releasing the track, the company itself retweeted his speculative tweets and added an emoji of a ghost. 

The account a few days back shared an AI version of Drake covering the 2007 Colbie Caillat track Bubbly

The account a few days back shared an AI version of Drake covering the 2007 Colbie Caillat track Bubbly

The owner of the website that was linked to is a startup firm called Laylo

The owner of the website that was linked to is a startup firm called Laylo

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