I’m noticing a massive trend in the music scene of late with all these AI music tools available. People are just outright ripping tracks from the internet, feeding them to various AI tools, and creating so called “remixes” and cover songs in a lame-ass attempt to gain popularity off the work and name of others who came before them.
It’s bad enough with the music industry already suing various AI platforms for using publicly available audio as training data; now we have users abusing the system, stealing people’s audio, and directly feeding it to these tools to create covers. Lets be clear, unless you have permission, this is wrong. People say you can just get a license from Distro kid but not all musicians are covered.
Let’s break it down:
- Using an artist’s original audio as your starting point isn’t remixing.
- It’s not transformative enough to call it art.
- It’s not a derivative work with a fresh spin.
- It’s just taking what’s not yours.
Covers can be magic. Some of the greatest songs in history were covers, made with respect, proper intent, and the right licenses, mechanical for audio, sync for video. With the right licenses in place, covers enrich and drive the music ecosystem. But creating them by stealing the artists Audio is illegal and unethical.
But building your brand on unlicensed AI covers, especially when you’re jacking someone else’s recordings as your foundation? That’s not hustle; that’s cutting corners at another artist’s expense. You’re profiting off their work without putting in your own.
Worse, some AI platforms are leaning into this like it’s all good. Their demos practically teach you how to snatch popular tracks under the guise of “remixing”, no licensing, no permission, no nod to the original creator. Tools like Fadr let users link or upload any track, even if the artist never agreed to it. That’s a slippery slope, and it’s setting a dangerous standard.
When artists opt in on specific platforms, that’s a different story. Consent matters. But too much of the broader scene is chasing viral clout with zero regard for the grind behind the music. Again, remember that not everyone is covered under this system, you really need to contact the artist or publisher directly. Iss also the right thing to do.
If they say no, or heck you done even hear from them, then take it as a no! Be respectful of other people work.
These AI tools should be about pushing creative limits, not crossing ethical lines. Respect the craft. Honour the artists. Build your own sound instead of ripping someone else’s.
#GrandTheftAudio #CreateDontSteal #RespectArtists #EthicalAI #NoToAudioTheft #BuildYourSound
