Music Industry Has ‘Legitimate Concerns’ About AI Songs: Spotify CEO

• Spotify CEO Daniel Ek says labels and music companies’ concerns about AI are “justified.”
• Ek said it is working with partners to protect artists, but still wants the platform to innovate.
• His comments came after an AI-generated song that sounded like the popular artist went viral earlier this month.

Spotify’s CEO said the music industry has “legitimate concerns” about AI-generated songs.

AI-generated music mimicking the voices of artists such as Drake and Rihanna has been circulating online and on streaming platforms like Spotify in recent weeks, raising concerns about piracy and royalties.

Daniel Ek said on Spotify’s Q1 earnings call on Tuesday that the company is working with partners to come up with solutions to address the industry’s growing fears about AI music.

“The AI ​​backlash from the copyright industry, labels and media companies is focused on very important topics such as names and likenesses, what copyright actually is and who owns the right to upload and claim something. And I think it’s about issues, whether it’s Drake or not really, etc. Those are legitimate concerns,” Ek said.

In his comments, Universal Music Group, the world’s largest record company, told Spotify and Apple that AI companies could use lyrics and melodies from copyrighted material and train their generative models on Universal’s catalog. It was issued after a notice was issued prohibiting

Ek also said that Spotify, working with partners, is “positioned” not only to protect creators, but also to allow innovation on its platform.

AI seems to be a hot topic for streaming platforms, considering the term was mentioned 13 times in investor calls.

The point of discussion is that an AI-generated cover of Beyoncé’s Rihanna-like song “Cuff It” was shared on Twitter earlier this month and has since garnered over 18,000 likes.

Drake wrote, “This is the last straw,” on his Instagram story after his AI-powered rap of Ice Spice’s hit “Munch” went viral on social media.

An AI-generated “collaboration” called “Heart on My Sleeve” featuring Drake and The Weeknd also made headlines online earlier this month.

However, not all musicians share the same views. Elon Grimes, her masked ex-partner and mother of his two children, tweeted on Monday that using her voice she will share half of the royalties for AI-generated songs. said.

“I make the same deal as any artist I collaborate with,” she wrote.

—𝔊𝔯𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰 (@Grimezsz) April 24, 2023

MIDia Research said in a recent report that AI is lowering the barriers to entry for content creation, but that “the medium- to long-term pain points will turn to rights ownership and creative attribution.”

Spotify did not immediately respond to an Insider’s request for comment.