Sweden's Official Charts Bar AI-Generated Folk-Pop Hit
A hit song in Sweden's official charts, I Know, You're Not Mine, has been excluded from the rankings after it was revealed that the "artist" behind it is an AI creation. The song, which topped Spotify's rankings in Sweden and features acoustic guitar-led folk-pop sounds, had more than 5 million streams globally.
The Swedish music industry body IFPI Sweden refused to include the song on their official chart under current rules, citing that if a song is "mainly AI-generated," it does not qualify for inclusion. This decision was made after an investigative journalist discovered that the credited rights holders of the song worked in the AI department of a Danish music publisher called Stellar.
Stellar claims that Jacub's voice and parts of the music are generated with the help of AI as a tool in their creative process, stating it is "first and foremost" a music company run by creative professionals. However, some experts say this explanation does not alleviate concerns about the authenticity of the song's creation.
Ed Newton-Rex, a composer and campaigner for protecting artists' copyright, believes that Jacub's success highlights the need for mandatory AI labelling on streaming platforms like Spotify. Without clear labels, it can be difficult to distinguish between human-created and AI-generated content, potentially taking away from legitimate artists.
Spotify has been approached for comment but declined. The company is currently backing a new industry standard for disclosing the use of AI in creating tracks, developed by a nonprofit called DDEX. However, some argue that even with this standard, it may not be enough to prevent AI-generated content from reaching high streaming charts without proper labelling.
The exclusion of I Know, You're Not Mine from Sweden's official charts raises questions about the role of artificial intelligence in music creation and the need for clearer guidelines on authenticity.
A hit song in Sweden's official charts, I Know, You're Not Mine, has been excluded from the rankings after it was revealed that the "artist" behind it is an AI creation. The song, which topped Spotify's rankings in Sweden and features acoustic guitar-led folk-pop sounds, had more than 5 million streams globally.
The Swedish music industry body IFPI Sweden refused to include the song on their official chart under current rules, citing that if a song is "mainly AI-generated," it does not qualify for inclusion. This decision was made after an investigative journalist discovered that the credited rights holders of the song worked in the AI department of a Danish music publisher called Stellar.
Stellar claims that Jacub's voice and parts of the music are generated with the help of AI as a tool in their creative process, stating it is "first and foremost" a music company run by creative professionals. However, some experts say this explanation does not alleviate concerns about the authenticity of the song's creation.
Ed Newton-Rex, a composer and campaigner for protecting artists' copyright, believes that Jacub's success highlights the need for mandatory AI labelling on streaming platforms like Spotify. Without clear labels, it can be difficult to distinguish between human-created and AI-generated content, potentially taking away from legitimate artists.
Spotify has been approached for comment but declined. The company is currently backing a new industry standard for disclosing the use of AI in creating tracks, developed by a nonprofit called DDEX. However, some argue that even with this standard, it may not be enough to prevent AI-generated content from reaching high streaming charts without proper labelling.
The exclusion of I Know, You're Not Mine from Sweden's official charts raises questions about the role of artificial intelligence in music creation and the need for clearer guidelines on authenticity.