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Spotify has faced another AI controversy after publishing computer-generated songs under the names of deceased musicians. According to an investigation by 404 Media, Spotify is releasing AI-generated tracks on the pages of dead artists without permission from their estates or labels.
One such track, titled “Together,” appeared on Blake Foley’s official page, a country singer murdered in 1989. The song mimics Foley’s style but features an image of a blonde, young man who does not resemble him. Another fabricated song by the same company account is “Happened To You,” which was supposedly performed by Guy Clark, a Grammy-winning country singer-songwriter who died in 2016.
Spotify removed these unauthorized tracks after 404 Media’s report was published. However, this case is not unique; a similar AI-generated band called the Velvet Sundown appeared on Spotify last month. Its top track “Dust On The Wind” has been played over two million times since its June 20 release. Despite this, Velvet Sundown’s bio now describes it as a “synthetic music project,” but no labels are placed on AI-generated tracks.
Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek has taken a lenient approach to managing AI-generated content, stating that tracks created with AI are fair game unless they mimic real artists. However, the platform struggles to identify and remove these imitations effectively, as reported by several sources.
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The rise of AI-generated music has sparked widespread backlash for various reasons. Critics argue that it often involves copyright infringement through tools like Suno or Udio, which generate entire tracks from simple text prompts. Opponents also warn that AI-generated tracks compete for streams, reducing the share of royalties available to human artists.
Sophie Jones, chief strategy officer at the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), called for new protections in an interview with The Guardian. She stated, “The rise of AI-generated bands and music entering the market points to the fact that tech companies have been training AI models using creative works — largely without authorisation or payment to creators and rights-holders — in order to directly compete with human artistry.”
Another concern is the misinformation risk posed by deceiving listeners with AI-generated profiles and songs, which could damage the reputation of human artists.
To give creators a fair shot, advocates like Sophie Jones argue that streaming platforms should clearly label AI-generated content. Deezer has already taken this step by developing an algorithm to identify artificially created songs using popular generative AI models, including Suno and Udio.
Deezer’s CEO Alexis Lanternier said in June: “AI is not inherently good or bad, but we believe a responsible and transparent approach is key to building trust with our users and the music industry. We are also clear in our commitment to safeguarding the rights of artists and songwriters at a time where copyright law is being put into question in favor of training AI models.”
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According to the passage, which action did Spotify take after the controversy involving AI-generated songs under deceased musicians' names was brought to light?
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