AI Fake Drake track deleted on streaming platforms following copyright claim

The music world was taken by storm over the past few days with the release of several AI-generated music productions that flawlessly spoofed the vocals of superstar artists Drake, The Weeknd, and Rihanna.

At the eye of this storm has been an original composition called Heart on My Sleeve. This sported an AI-produced Drake on vocals, accompanied by none other than AI-generated The Weeknd.

This piece was posted on major streaming platforms, including Youtube and TikTok, and thus grabbed the attention of many. The author was labeled as a ghostwriter.

By a third party, the track was uploaded to platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, Deezer, and TIDAL, where the views and numbers kept increasing exponentially.

On April 17, ET, Apple Music, Deezer, and TIDAL removed access to the track.

The piece eventually got deleted from Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud, and TikTok.

In total, the song accumulated a total of over 15 million views on Tiktok, 625,000 plays on Spotify, and over 250,000 plays on YouTube. This is a staggeringly high count.

The remaining fan-uploaded snippets of the track still available on TikTok have driven more than 4 million video views combined.

What Happened to the Track?

The song is no longer available on the ghostwriters' page as the screamer on the page read: “This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Universal Music Group.”

This eventually evoked a reply from UMG, with which both Drake and The Weeknd’s recorded music are affiliated. 

“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,” a UMG spokesperson said.

“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.”

Prior to the latest AI stint, UMG has been a blunt advocate against unauthorized AI-generated music.

In an email the company sent to streaming services, seen by the Financial Times, UMG asserted that “we will not hesitate to take steps to protect our rights and those of our artists.”

There have been other renditions also available on the internet; two other AI-generated tracks featuring UMG artists have also made waves.

A cover of Ice Spice’s Munch, which yet again featured Drake, caused Drake to call it “the final straw.”

The other was a part of Beyonce’s hit Cuff It, in which an AI-generated Rihanna can be heard on vocals.