Spotify’s CEO says the music business has ‘official issues’ about AI-generated songs

- Spotify CEO Daniel Ek mentioned issues from labels and music firms about AI are “official.”
- Ek mentioned it is working with companions to guard artists, however nonetheless needs innovation on its platform.
The music business has “official issues” about songs generated by AI, the CEO of Spotify mentioned.
AI-generated music that mimic the voices of artists, together with Drake and Rihanna, have circulated on-line in latest weeks and even made their approach onto streaming platforms resembling Spotify, elevating issues about copyright infringement and royalties.
Daniel Ek addressed the business’s rising unease about AI music in Spotify’s first quarter earnings name Tuesday and mentioned it is working with companions to give you options.


“I believe the AI pushback from the copyright business or labels and media firms, and it is actually round actually necessary subjects and points like title and likeness, what’s an precise copyright, who owns the proper to one thing the place you add one thing and declare it to be Drake, it is actually not and so forth. These are official issues,” Ek mentioned.
His feedback come after Common Music Group, the world’s largest report firm, instructed Spotify and Apple to ban AI firms from utilizing lyrics and melodies from its materials below copyright and coaching its generative fashions on Common’s catalogue.
Ek additionally mentioned Spotify was working with its companions to “set up a place” the place it may well defend creators but in addition allow innovation on its platform.
AI seems to be a scorching matter for the streaming platform, given the time period was talked about 13 occasions on the traders’ name.
The purpose of debate comes as an AI-generated cowl of Beyoncé’s track “Cuff It” within the likeness of Rihanna was shared on Twitter earlier this month, which has since had greater than 18,000 likes.
“That is the ultimate straw,” Drake wrote in an Instagram story after a AI-generated cowl of him rapping Ice Spice’s hit track “Munch” went viral on social media.
An AI-generated “collaboration” that includes Drake and The Weeknd known as “Coronary heart on My Sleeve” additionally made waves on-line earlier this month.

Not all musicians share the identical view, although. Grimes, the previous associate of Elon Musk and mom to 2 of his youngsters, tweeted Monday that she’d share half the royalties from any AI-generated track utilizing her voice.
“Identical deal as I might with any artist i collab with,” she wrote. “Be happy to make use of my voice with out penalty. I’ve no label and no authorized bindings.”
— (@Grimezsz) April 24, 2023
MIDia Analysis famous in a latest report that AI is reducing the limitations to entry for content material creation, however that the “mid- to long-term sticking level will orient round rights possession and artistic attribution.”
Spotify did not instantly reply to a request for remark from Insider.