In the past week, a surprising and mysterious new track, “Heart on My Sleeve” by credible TikTok user @ghostwriter877 featuring AI generated vocals that sound remarkably like Drake and The Weeknd, has gone viral online. The newfound popularity prompted Universal Music Group (UMG) senior vice president of communications James Murtagh-Hopkins to issue a statement warning of the dangers of generative AI and copyright infringement.
Universal Music Group is the largest music corporation in the world, covering millions of songs and music videos across the world through its subsidiaries. Founded in 1934, UMG mainly distributes music, movies, television shows and merchandise around the world. It not only looks to expand its music and entertainment business but also stands to protect copyright as well as ensure a safe digital environment for music streaming.
James Murtagh-Hopkins works as a Senior Vice President at UMG, responsible for the communications of the $35 billion music and movie company. Before joining UMG, he worked in a number of different marketing and communications roles. As UMG spokespeople he was vocal in the release of UMG’s statement about the dangers of AI programming infringing on copyright.
This statement is in response to the sudden popularity of the AI Drake and The Weeknd track “Heart On My Sleeve”. The track has gone as far as to be released on music streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify, as well as YouTube. UMG defines this as a clear infringement of copyright and aims to educate all about the implications of such AI, especially for the music industry. The risks come from the fact that AI programming may be capable of creating music that closely resembles original copyrighted material from the artist, leaving them vulnerable to abuse and copyright infringement.
It is important to note that generative AI programming has become increasingly popular in the music industry and can accurately create songs that closely resemble copyrighted material. This statement by UMG serves as a warning and reminder to all to understand the legal implications of creating and distributing AI generated copyright protected music. It is important that everyone is aware of their potential exposure to copyright infringement when using AI technologies and to ensure proper legal compliance when creating and streaming music.
