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Micro-Seminar: Music and Artificial Intelligence PART ONE
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Back to Welcome Week Micro-Seminars 2024
Thu, Aug 22, 2024
3 PM – 4:30 PM PDT (GMT-7)
Private Location (register to display)
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Details
Part 1: Thursday, August 22, 2024 from 3:00 – 4:30 pm (PST)
Part 2: Friday, August 23, 2024 from 10:00 – 11:30 am (PST)
On April 4, 2023, a songwriter called ghostwriter977 released “Heart On My Sleeve” on TikTok and other platforms. While likely composed by a human, the song’s two featured vocals are AI-generated imitations of the vocal styles of Drake and The Weeknd, both of whom are represented by Universal Music Group (UMG). Within days of being released, “Heart On My Sleeve” was pulled down by YouTube and other platforms at the behest of UMG. This removal was requested not on the basis of the track’s vocal imitations, but rather its sample of producer Metro Boomin’s “tag” or identifying phrase. Yet initial media reports decried this song as the beginning of the end for human-composed music. “Heart On My Sleeve” exposes contemporary legal, ethical, and moral debates on authorship, originality, and the very nature of musical intellectual property (IP).
This seminar will rely on “Heart On My Sleeve” as a starting point for exploration of other recent music IP disputes, from Dangermouse’s The Grey Album (2004) to the Bridgeport v. Dimension Films appeal (2005), and from the “Blurred Lines” decisions (2013 and 2018) to the “Thinking Out Loud” verdict (2023). Participants in this seminar will obtain comprehensive understanding of US copyright protection for music compositions and sound recordings, as well as the lacunae of that protection, particularly for style and voice.
Day 1 will begin with a discussion of “Heart On My Sleeve” and a survey of the current state of AI in music. We will compare copyright protection of sound recordings with that of compositions.
Day 2 will examine how courts have treated musical style, and whether vocal style merits property protection. We will conclude with a class discussion of whether “Heart On My Sleeve” is in fact an infringing work.
Target audience: those interested in music, AI, and/or law
Lead By: Professor Joanna Demers
Prof. Joanna Demers teaches classes on popular and experimental music since 1970. She has published academic books on music and intellectual property as well as aesthetics, and currently writes fiction dealing with philosophy and the arts.
Agenda
Past Events
Fri, Aug 23, 2024
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Private Location (register to display)
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Micro-Seminar: Music and Artificial Intelligence PART TWO
Micro-Seminars have two parts. Attendance to both parts is required. Registering for the PART ONE session will automatically enroll you in the PART TWO session on Friday.
Part 1: Thursday, August 22, 2024 from 3:00 – 4:30 pm (PST)
Part 2: Friday, August 23, 2024 from 10:00 – 11:30 am (PST)
On April 4, 2023, a songwriter called ghostwriter977 released “Heart On My Sleeve” on TikTok and other platforms. While likely composed by a human, the song’s two featured vocals are AI-generated imitations of the vocal styles of Drake and The Weeknd, both of whom are represented by Universal Music Group (UMG). Within days of being released, “Heart On My Sleeve” was pulled down by YouTube and other platforms at the behest of UMG. This removal was requested not on the basis of the track’s vocal imitations, but rather its sample of producer Metro Boomin’s “tag” or identifying phrase. Yet initial media reports decried this song as the beginning of the end for human-composed music. “Heart On My Sleeve” exposes contemporary legal, ethical, and moral debates on authorship, originality, and the very nature of musical intellectual property (IP).
This seminar will rely on “Heart On My Sleeve” as a starting point for exploration of other recent music IP disputes, from Dangermouse’s The Grey Album (2004) to the Bridgeport v. Dimension Films appeal (2005), and from the “Blurred Lines” decisions (2013 and 2018) to the “Thinking Out Loud” verdict (2023). Participants in this seminar will obtain comprehensive understanding of US copyright protection for music compositions and sound recordings, as well as the lacunae of that protection, particularly for style and voice.
Day 1 will begin with a discussion of “Heart On My Sleeve” and a survey of the current state of AI in music. We will compare copyright protection of sound recordings with that of compositions.
Day 2 will examine how courts have treated musical style, and whether vocal style merits property protection. We will conclude with a class discussion of whether “Heart On My Sleeve” is in fact an infringing work.
Target audience: those interested in music, AI, and/or law
Lead By: Professor Joanna Demers
Prof. Joanna Demers teaches classes on popular and experimental music since 1970. She has published academic books on music and intellectual property as well as aesthetics, and currently writes fiction dealing with philosophy and the arts.