The anonymous artist known as Ghostwriter made headlines in April after dropping their A.I.-generated track “Heart on My Sleeve,” which mimicked the “likeness” of Drake and The Weeknd, and struck a major nerve with artists.
Now, he’s back with another AI-generated track, “Whiplash,” which mimics the likeness of rapper Travis Scott and 21 Savage. He dropped the track on September 6 on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter).
“The future of music is here. Artists now have the ability to let their voice work for them without lifting a finger,” Ghostwriter shared in a statement to The Times. “If you’re down to put it out, I will clearly label it as A.I., and I’ll direct royalties to you. Respect either way.”
‘Heart on My Sleeve’ Submitted to GRAMMYS
Additionally, a recent report by The New York Times, revealed that the artist also submitted “Heart on My Sleeve” for consideration at next year’s Grammy Awards under the category of “Best Rap Song” and “Song of the Year.”
Interestingly, the song was eligible, despite the use of AI technology being known, according to Recording Academy CEO, Harvey Mason, Jr..
The track caused a stir when it garnered over 600,000 plays on Spotify and 275,000 views on YouTube. Following the controversy, Universal Music Group (UMG) called on major streaming platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, TIDAL, and Deezer, to remove the song from their streaming services.
UMG also condemned the track and the use of A.I., highlighting the ethical responsibility of platforms to prevent their services from harming artists. It has since announced that it is working with Google to create AI-Deepfaked artist voice licensing for fans to use.
In July, UMG’s general counsel, Jeffrey Harleston, called on Congress to pass a federal “right of publicity,” along with a mechanism that would put individuals on notice when some content is AI-generated.
Earlier this year, the Recording Academy announced AI protocols that stipulated that “only human creators” are eligible to be submitted for “consideration for, nominated for, or win a Grammy Award.”
Editor’s note: This article was written by an nft now staff member in collaboration with OpenAI’s GPT-3.
