tech
'It has your name on it, but I don't think it's you': how AI is impersonating musicians on Spotify
Fraudulent music streams have long been a scourge for the industry, but experts say generative AI has supercharged it
TL;DR
- Generative AI is significantly increasing the prevalence of fraudulent music streams and artist impersonation on streaming platforms.
- Musicians are discovering fake releases, often in different genres, appearing under their names on services like Spotify, impacting their reputation and potential earnings.
- Spotify has removed millions of spammy tracks and is developing tools to allow artists to review and approve releases before they go live, but artists find the burden of detection unfair.
- The problem is not limited to Spotify, affecting other major platforms, and estimates suggest 5% to 10% of all music streams are fraudulent, equating to billions of dollars annually.
- A man pleaded guilty to defrauding streaming platforms of over $10 million through AI-generated songs and bot-driven streams, highlighting the financial scale of the issue.
- The complexity of enforcing copyright and impersonation laws in the private sector leads experts to believe the responsibility will continue to fall on artists to monitor their profiles.