Tracy Melon is calling out people creating AI versions of artists’ songs and uploading them to music streaming platforms, arguing that the practice unfairly undermines musicians who invest heavily in their original work.
The “Ogenda Kukilaba” singer says artists put their hearts, time, money and energy into recording music, only to discover that AI-generated versions of their songs are circulating online.
For Tracy, the frustration becomes even greater when those AI versions attract more views than the original releases.
She explained that recording music involves far more than simply writing lyrics. Artists spend long hours in the studio, use their voices and make significant financial investments to produce songs they can proudly release.
“Remove our music from AI versions. We put in a lot of effort to do music, then someone releases an AI version,” Tracy said.
She questioned why artists would endure the demanding recording process if someone could simply feed lyrics into a computer and use artificial intelligence to produce a version of the song.
“Otherwise, if I didn’t want to, I would just go to the computer, put in the lyrics and let AI sing,” she added.
Instead, Tracy said she chooses to go into the studio, use her voice and put in the physical effort required to deliver a finished recording.
Her biggest concern, however, is what happens after the song is released.
“I go to the studio and voice, strain my voice, and then I wake up the following morning and find the AI version having more views than the original version,” she said.
Tracy ended her criticism with a blunt message to those behind the AI projects: “You’ve got to get serious, guys.”
The singer also described the people creating and distributing such versions as “unserious guys,” questioning why they would take artists’ original work, reproduce it through artificial intelligence and then push those versions onto streaming platforms.
Her comments come as AI-generated music continues to become more visible online, with unknown creators increasingly using artificial intelligence to recreate or imitate existing songs.
For artists, the growing trend has raised concerns about creative ownership, recognition and the value of the work that goes into producing original music.
Tracy is not the first Ugandan musician to speak out about AI-generated music, with other creatives also previously expressing concerns about how the technology could affect artists and their work.
As AI becomes increasingly woven into music creation and distribution, Tracy’s message is clear: the technology should not erase the effort artists put into making the original music in the first place.