On Monday, Amazon and Universal Music Group (UMG) revealed the expansion of their partnership, underscoring a commitment to enhance artist-focused principles, including improved protections against fraud. The new agreement builds upon an existing collaboration and broadens its focus to encompass product innovation, exclusive content rights with UMG artists, and a comprehensive approach to tackling the rise of unauthorized artificial intelligence (AI) content within the music sector.
Amazon and UMG to Address AI Challenges in Music
In a press release, UMG disclosed its intensified collaboration with Amazon, which aims to confront various challenges in the music landscape, particularly those related to AI-generated content that imitates the voices and personas of artists. The companies issued a joint statement expressing their “shared commitment” to promote and protect authentic artistry.
“UMG and Amazon will also work collaboratively to tackle unlawful AI-generated content, as well as to guard against fraud and misattribution,” the statement noted.
The emergence of deepfake technology and AI-generated music that imitates established artists’ voices poses an escalating concern. A notable instance occurred last year with an AI-generated track titled “Heart on My Sleeve,” which featured vocal impressions of Drake and The Weeknd. This song gained popularity across major streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, initially being mistaken for an original work. However, it was eventually taken down upon revelation of its AI origins.
This case illustrates the potential misuse of AI to craft music in the style of famous artists for profit. With the legal frameworks surrounding AI-generated content remaining ambiguous, there has been insufficient enforcement to safeguard artists’ rights.
In their announcement, UMG and Amazon recognized the disruptive impact of AI-generated material and expressed intentions to collaborate on the creation of innovative tools that will help identify and flag synthetic content on Amazon’s platform.
Earlier this year, Meta also extended its agreement to address unauthorized AI-generated music, aiming to protect human artists and songwriters. However, specifics regarding the measures both companies will undertake to mitigate the threat of music deepfakes have yet to be disclosed.
