Drake continues to make pop news in the entertainment industry. The “Heart on My Sleeve” TikTok hit sparked controversy earlier this year. A content creator, Ghostwriter, used artificial intelligence to create a fictional collaboration between The Weeknd and Drake.
The viral song Drake was quickly taken down from streaming sites due to legal and ethical concerns. The song has this week raised some interest with what looks like a possible Grammy.
The Grammy boss’ statements
The New York Times reported that the artist is eligible for a Grammy despite the song being an AI mimic of Drake and The Weekend without their consent. The Recording Academy CEO, Harvey Mason,asserted the organization behind the Grammy’s position, that songs created partly by AI, but not entirely, would be eligible for the music industry’s top honour.
Mason stated that they would not be awarding AI-generated material. However, creative works that AI touched would be entered into the categories. He added that discrediting any material with an AI touch would be unfair.
Mason caused a frenzy when he confirmed to the New York Times that the Tiktok hit would be eligible for a Grammy consideration since the artist wrote the lyrics thus of human origin. However, the CEO took to his Instagram Live last night to clarify the sentiments. He sought to clear the miscommunication. He said the Drake and The Weekend Mimic was not eligible for a Grammy.
Mason clarified that despite the lyrics being written by a human, the artists’ vocals still needed to be consented to. This raised a legal concern since the respective artists’ record labels had not cleared them for wide distribution. As it stands, the song is not available commercially and thus not eligible for a Grammy award.
He added that things were moving quickly and likely to continue evolving.” The academy will continue supporting and protecting human artists and creators”.
The Grammy boss also added that not knowing what Artificial Intelligence will mean or do in the future raises some concerns for him. However, he quickly said that AI will most likely become an integral part of the music industry and society.
Fans quickly noted that the reasons were not due to the AI generation but only the legal and commercial unavailability of the song, thus its ineligibility. Earlier this year, the Academy clarified its position on AI, stating that only human artists and creators are eligible for the Grammys’ consideration, nomination or awarding.
More of Ghostwriter
The Heart on Sleeve hit song was released in April through Social Media, where the Artist appeared on his social media in a white sheet and sunglasses embodying a ghost. The artist also attended a meeting organised by the academy dressed as a ghost using a voice-altering device.
Ghostwriter is at it again with a new AI-generated song, “Whiplash”, another fictional collaboration between 21 Savage and Travis Scott. This time, the artist left the two hip-hop artists whose voices were mimicked a note seeking their consent for the song’s wide circulation in exchange for the generated royalties.
He also wrote in the post that it is clear that people wanted the song, and the future of music was already here. He added that artists now can put their voices to work without lifting a finger. Even after the legal and ethical concerns surrounding his AI-generated music, Ghostwriter’s persistence confirms the idea of some music recording industry leaders that AI is here to stay, and we can only adapt to it; the metaphorical technology toothpaste is already out of the tube.
The Drake AI song attracted discussions around the future of AI in the music industry. The hit’s seeming consideration for a Grammy shows that the industry is acknowledging the potential impact of the technology. This affirms that AI is here to stay, and the best we can do is embrace it to keep abreast with the industry’s developments.
