The music industry takes the first hit with every new technology that has a wide range of uses. Whether it’s CDs, MP3 players, or websites that let you stream/host songs, the music industry has always struggled and protested against its effects. What is the biggest reason? copyright issues. Music is one of the most vulnerable intellectual property and is very easily pirated, plagiarized, altered and repackaged to divert revenues from artists and record labels.
But so far, the industry has always been able to fend off any threat with laws and regulations on its side. CDs that piracy songs are declared illegal, music players can only show official sources for streaming/downloading songs, and music websites have to pay contributions to artists and labels. However, with the entry of AI, the situation has become considerably more complicated.
Issues surrounding AI-generated music
Some argue that AI music should not be blamed, as EDM and electronic dance music are also computer-generated. However, there is a distinct difference between the two. EDM is computer-generated audio, but the ultimate creativity comes from humans using technology to create original music.
On the other hand, AI that can generate music may be trained using copyrighted material. This claim comes from the fact that most AI-based music generation platforms can receive commands such as “write music in the style of Taylor Swift.” Therefore, to understand Taylor Swift’s singing style, we need to train on that data.
So the crux of the problem is that if a user creates a song with the voice of a popular artist, and it goes viral, and the user makes money as a result, that user is violating copyright law. It is whether or not there is a violation. The answer is not so simple. The voices themselves are not copyrightable, but using their names or playing songs as if they were from them is a clear violation of copyright law. At least that’s where the music industry stands.
Frighteningly, this situation is not a theoretically solvable problem. Problems are already happening in the real world.
Controversy over AI’s song ‘Heart On My Sleeve’
The song Heart On My Sleeve was anonymously posted online and exploded on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. The song featured the voices of Drake and The Weeknd, but it wasn’t actually their voices. The song was generated by an AI that mimics the artist’s voice.
Soon after, all music streaming platforms removed the song. But by then, it had already been streamed 600,000 times on Spotify and had 15 million plays on TikTok. We can’t confirm if users made money on these streams, but most platforms should have reversed payments after removing songs.
RIAA goes after Discord
But the situation has thrown the entire music industry into turmoil, with groups calling on regulators to stop using AI to make music look like human artists.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has even claimed that this is an act of copyright infringement and now wants to shut down the Discord server associated with the production of such AI models. According to QZ’s report, “The RIAA has asked Discord to shut down a server called ‘AI Hub’, accusing some 145,000 members of sharing and distributing copyrighted music. I did.
In the subpoena, the RIAA requested that Discord share the names, phone numbers, addresses and other details of users on AI Hub who were involved in creating the song. However, Discord has taken no action. You have until June 30th to comply or formally decline the request.
Grammy Awards also speak out against AI
The Grammy Awards are one of the biggest music awards on the planet. Each year, music that makes an impact during the event is recognized. But this year’s Grammy Awards have special rules to keep AI at bay. Only human creators are eligible for consideration, nominations, or awards for Grammy Awards.
As reported by TechRadar, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. told Grammys.com last week: Anyone who has contributed creatively in the appropriate category. “
EU recognizes the problem
This issue of piracy in AI training or production is not just a concern for the music industry. The EU AI law, a revised version of the law previously written to make rules and regulations on artificial intelligence, also has special rules on copyright infringement.
The Guardian reports that the bill would require “AI chatbot developers to publish all the work of scientists, musicians, illustrators, photographers and journalists used to train AI chatbots.” It emphasizes that You also have to prove that everything you do to train the machine is legal. “
the future of music
Music has always been the most adaptable creative field when faced with technology that has the power to change the way it functions. And in the end, we always come out on top. But the road to get there will undoubtedly be an uphill battle again.
Lawmakers and governments will be looking for ways to strike a balance that allows the existence of AI-generated music while not threatening the music industry in the coming months. However, this process can take months or even years. And with so many AI music generation platforms already out there, expect more AI viral songs in the coming days.
A rather interesting conclusion is that not everyone in the music industry seems threatened by the sudden rise of AI. In fact, some are even finding ways to live with it.
After the song “Heart On My Sleeve” was taken down, Canadian musician Claire Elise Boucher, known professionally as Grimes, tweeted: Said“If an AI-generated song using my voice is successful, we will split 50% of the royalties. Please use, I have no labels or legal bindings.”
“I think it’s cool to merge with machines, and I like the idea of open sourcing all art and getting rid of copyright,” she added.
